The best developmental editors for hire near London

Sign up for free to meet top developmental editors on Reedsy

Karen 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Award-winning editor & publishing consultant. Launched bestselling series like Beast Quest. Specializes in adult, YA & children's fiction.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Women's Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Mystery & Crime, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Little, Brown Books For Young Readers
  • Working Partners
  • Walker Books
  • Scholastic

Lucy 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Editor with 9+ years experience developing projects for leading publishers, dedicated to guiding first-time authors.

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Nature, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Sex & Relationships, Historical Fiction, Fiction, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • Bloomsbury Publishing
  • The Siren Press
  • Watkins Publishing
  • Pan Macmillan
  • Hachette

Emily 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

A Bookseller Rising Star and commercial fiction editor with 12 years editing experience at Penguin Random House, Hachette and HarperCollins

Genres: Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Fantasy, and Historical Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Quercus (Hachette UK)
  • Ebury & Del Rey (Penguin Random House)
  • Orion Publishing (Hachette UK)
  • Avon (HarperCollins)
  • Boldwood Books

Claire 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Editor with 20 + years experience working with bestselling and award-winning authors - formerly Associate Publisher at Headline, Hachette UK

Genres: Humor & Comedy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Contemporary Fiction, Women's Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Literary Fiction, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Headline Publishing Group
  • Self-employed

Dedicated indie romance editor ❤️ Developmental 🗺️ Line ✏️ Coaching 👏 All genres & spice levels welcome🌶️ Neurospicy champion✨

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Fiction, Dark Romance, Paranormal Romance, Romantic Fantasy, Romantic Suspense, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, and LGBTQ Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Parul 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Professional editor with 10 years of experience at Random House, Quercus. Cofounder: London Writers' Salon. Genre: Thrillers, NonFiction, YA

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery & Crime, Middle Grade, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • Random House
  • Quercus/ now Hachette
  • Cornerstones
  • London Writers' Salon
  • Eccles Fisher

Jenny 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Experienced editor of writing for children and adults (fiction, non-fiction, picture books, novelties) through all stages of editing.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Picture Books, Children's, Middle Grade, Children’s Non-Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Hot Key Books
  • Walker Books

📞 Chat with our team

Need a hand finding the perfect professional? Our team is here to help. Get in touch for recommendations.

Keith 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Nonfiction publisher (25 years) specializing in science; author of one nonfiction book, three scifi novels and many TV entertainment shows.

Genres: Computers & Internet, Non-Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Math & Science, Philosophy, Humanities & Social Sciences, Technology, Physics & Chemistry, Entertainment, and Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Oxford University Press
  • Addison-Wesley/Pearson Education
  • Pergamon Press
  • Self-employed
  • Penguin Press

I have twenty years of experience in developmental editing, copy-editing, and proofreading: both academic and non-fiction in the humanities.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Education & Reference, Health & Wellbeing, Philosophy, Humanities & Social Sciences, Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies, History, and Sociology.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations
  • ascent magazine

Donna 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Fiction and non-fiction editor; over 20 years' publishing experience (regular clients include HarperCollins, Penguin RH, Hachette, Pan Mac)

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Thriller & Suspense, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Romance, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Harlequin UK Ltd
  • Little, Brown
  • Self-employed

Friendly non-fiction editor with ten years' experience developing projects, copy-editing and proof-reading at a top non-fiction press.

Genres: History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Philosophy, Political Science & Current Affairs, Education & Reference, and Geography.

Work experience:

  • Polity Books
  • Self-employed

Currently editing at Penguin Random House. Editor, copyeditor, proofreader and writer specialising in children's books.

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

Work experience:

  • Walker Books
  • Pan Macmillan
  • Penguin Random House

Colm 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Freelance developmental editor, with a focus on thriller and contemporary fiction, memoir non-fiction, and LGBTQ+ writing.

Genres: LGBTQ Fiction, Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, LGBTQ Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-Employed
  • RateSetter

Editor specialising in science and speculative fiction. Former editor at Titan Books, where I edited SFF and tie-in fiction for TV and film.

Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Unbound
  • Titan Books
  • Watkins Books, Nourish Books, Datura Books
  • Watkins Books & Nourish Books

Collaborative development editor specialising in all things non-fiction. Worked with bestselling authors at Little, Brown and HarperCollins.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Entertainment, Health & Wellbeing, Parenting & Families, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Little, Brown
  • HarperCollins
  • Self-employed

Perceptive writing coach & editor of novels and memoirs. With 13 years' experience, I'll help you hone your voice and shape your narrative.

Genres: Cultural & Ethnic, Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, and Historical Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Dalkey Archive Press
  • Self-employed

Fiction editor with 7 years of experience in publishing. I specialise in proofreading and copyediting SFF, romance and literary fiction!

Genres: Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Fantasy, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Women's Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Fantasy, and Dark Romance.

Work experience:

  • Orbit (imprint of Little, Brown Book Group)
  • Hodder & Stoughton
  • John Murray Press

Browse 2,000+ additional profiles

Create your free Reedsy account and begin requesting free quotes.

Hire the best developmental editors in London

You’ve finally finished your manuscript, and it’s been a long road getting this far. Congratulations – next up is the revision process, which might sound daunting, but is actually a gratifying experience, as you get to polish your draft into a literary gem.

However, whether you’ve written fiction or non-fiction, it can often be tough to spot your book’s potential “big picture” issues because you’re too close to the content. This is where a developmental editor comes in: someone who will look at your book from a bird’s eye view to ensure everything from the structure to character development and prose is all fine-tuned.

Working with a developmental editor is beneficial for all authors — but especially first-time authors who might not yet know what to keep an eye out for when going through the revision process.

So where can you find a great developmental editor in London? Right here on Reedsy. Reedsy is home to a diverse roster of editors based in London, some of whom have worked with bestselling authors like Stephen King and Neil Gaiman. Sign up and start browsing their portfolios today, or simply request a quote from an editor who looks like they could be your collaborative soulmate.

How it works

Browse profiles, request quotes, then collaborate.

Step 1

Apply filters

Reedsy is home to thousands of professionals. Select the specific services you need and narrow your search based on your book’s genre and requirements.

Step 2

Browse

Then, browse professional profiles to find out more about their personalities and past projects.

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.