The best developmental editors for hire in Australia

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Rachel 5 star rating

Lithgow NSW, Australia

Award winning publisher, author and educator with 20 years experience in ghost writing, resource writing and curriculum development.

Genres: Children's, Fiction, Education & Reference, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Elsevier
  • Cengage
  • Sydney Symphony Orchestra
  • Word Travels
  • Currency Press

Karin 5 star rating

Brisbane QLD, Australia

A passionate 'generalist' who lives to learn, I've edited fiction and non-fiction for both indie and trade publisher clients for decades.

Genres: Nature, Non-Fiction, Life Sciences, Math & Science, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Picture Books, Children's, Science Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Teach Starter Publishing
  • Wildlife Australia Magazine
  • Steve Parish Publishing
  • LexisNexis/Elsevier Reed
  • Bookmark Publishing
  • Australian Geographic

Sam 5 star rating

Sydney NSW, Australia

Expert manuscript developer and editor. I specialise in literary fiction and nonfiction, and general / popular fiction and nonfiction.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Short Story, Thriller & Suspense, Political Science & Current Affairs, Humanities & Social Sciences, History, and True Crime.

Work experience:

  • Brow Books
  • Self-employed
  • The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australia, The Saturday Paper
  • University of Melbourne, Deakin University, RMIT University, Victoria University

Zena 5 star rating

Sydney NSW, Australia

20yrs+ coaxing brilliant ideas into publishable SFF, thrillers, YA, women's, memoir, and inspirational books. I'm an author who *knows*.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Inspirational, and New Age.

Work experience:

  • CCH Australia
  • Simon & Schuster
  • Rockpool Publishing
  • Big Sky Publishing
  • Northern Beaches Council
  • MidnightSun Publishing, Encircle Publications, Major Street Publishing, Mosman Council
  • Self-employed

Alex 5 star rating

Sydney NSW, Australia

I am a publisher, editor, ghostwriter and content curator with 25 years' experience in almost every genre.

Genres: Women's Fiction, Fiction, Social & Family Issues, Young Adult, Holiday, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Health & Wellbeing, Contemporary Romance, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Jessica 5 star rating

Sydney, Australia

Edited over 100 fiction and non-fiction titles, including Prime Minister's Prize, The Age and various Premiers' literary award winners.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Home & Garden, Mystery & Crime, Education & Reference, Parenting & Families, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Amnesty International
  • Thomson Reuters
  • Arts Hub Magazine
  • News Ltd

Katia 5 star rating

Melbourne VIC, Australia

Manuscript nurturer, sentence polisher, eagle-eyed proofreader, wordsmith, preserver of voice and vision; fiction and memoir specialist.

Genres: LGBTQ Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Poetry, Short Story, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Themes & Motifs, and Health & Wellbeing.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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Callum 5 star rating

Melbourne VIC, Australia

Developmental and line editor of multiple #1 Sunday Times bestsellers, with a decade's experience at the world's biggest publishing house.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Entertainment, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Sports & Outdoors, and Health & Wellbeing.

Work experience:

  • Penguin Random House UK

Jess 5 star rating

Melbourne VIC, Australia

Editor and former Associate Publisher specialising in non fiction books including health, business and management, and personal development.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Health & Wellbeing, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Political Science & Current Affairs, Humanities & Social Sciences, Christian Non-Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Women's Fiction, Fiction, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Wilkinson Publishing
  • Self-employed

Rebecca 5 star rating

Coffs Harbour NSW, Australia

Using structural expertise and market insight, I work with Big 5, smaller publishers and indies to help make writing shine.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance, Literary Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • New Holland
  • WHSmith
  • Hachette and Curtis Brown

Kate 5 star rating

Sydney NSW, Australia

Children's fiction editor with over ten years industry experience with Scholastic, Disney and Marvel.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Middle Grade Fantasy, Mystery & Crime, Humor & Comedy, Picture Books, Science Fiction, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Scholastic Australia
  • Allen and Unwin
  • Lexis Nexis

John 5 star rating

Brisbane QLD, Australia

Editor with over twenty years of experience working for major commercial publishers (Wiley, McGraw-Hill and Cambridge University Press).

Genres: Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Economics, Humanities & Social Sciences, Education & Reference, Psychology, Sports & Outdoors, Health & Wellbeing, Parenting & Families, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • Wiley
  • Cambridge University Press
  • Self-employed

Kelly 5 star rating

Sydney NSW, Australia

I love working with authors on their manuscripts, helping them tease out their ideas and realise their publishing dreams.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Coming of Age, Contemporary Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Women's Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, and True Crime.

Work experience:

  • Allen & Unwin

Brenda 5 star rating

Melbourne VIC, Australia

I'm a professional children's book editor with 20+ years of experience in working with picture books and junior fiction.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Red Paper Kite Publishing
  • Insider Guides
  • The School Magazine

Emma 5 star rating

Sydney NSW, Australia

Non-fiction editor with 20+ years’ experience in non-fiction texts – from music biographies to memoirs to how-to guides.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Education & Reference, Entertainment, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, History, Music, Political Science & Current Affairs, and Parenting & Families.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • NewSouth Publishing

Anjanette 5 star rating

Newcastle NSW, Australia

A passionate publishing professional, I love empowering writers by offering manuscript appraisal and mentoring. Upmarket fiction specialist!

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Romance, Biographies & Memoirs, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Rick Raftos Management

Pete 5 star rating

Perth WA, Australia

I'm a professional writer and editor who specialises in speculative fiction (horror, fantasy, sci-fi, paranormal romance) and thrillers.

Genres: Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery & Crime, Comics & Graphic Novels, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Science Fiction, Travel, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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Hire the best developmental editors in Australia

After months, or maybe even years, of hard work and determination, you’ve finally completed your manuscript.

But now, in the midst of celebrating this accomplishment, you might be wondering: “What’s next?”

Well, for your best chances of coming to market with a professional and polished book, your answer should be: “Hire a developmental editor.”

A developmental editor works to ensure that your plot, characters, structure, prose, and all other pieces of your story are fine-tuned and cohesive as possible.

So how do you find a developmental editor in Australia you can trust to really make your story shine? Our marketplace is home to hundreds of experienced editors — many who worked for Big 5 publishers or with bestselling authors like Neil Gaiman. Sign up for a free account to start browsing the profiles of developmental editors in Australia today.

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Step 2

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Step 3

Request quotes

Request quotes from up to five freelancers at any time. They’ll look at your sample pages to give you a tailored quote as well as a sense of how they work.

Step 4

Collaborate

Once you agree on terms and a timeline, you’ll start collaborating using the many communication and editing tools available on Reedsy.