The best book editors for hire in the United Kingdom

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15 years of in-house editorial experience specialising in children's fiction (MG, teen and YA). Previously Editor-at-Large for Hachette.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Middle Grade Fantasy, Young Adult, Women's Fiction, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, New Age, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and Writing & Publishing.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Hachette Children's Group
  • Orion Children's Books
  • Scholastic Ltd
  • Columbia University

Rosie 5 star rating

Sheffield, United Kingdom

A conscientious and enthusiastic indexer, my subject specialisms are Geography, Environmental/Earth Science, Social Science and Economics.

Genres: Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences, Math & Science, Non-Fiction, Economics, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Geography.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Tamsin 5 star rating

England, United Kingdom

An expert in pairing words and pictures for internationally renowned institutions, galleries and publishers

Genres: Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, History, Antiques & Collectibles, Home & Garden, Philosophy, Design, Photography, and Architecture.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • National Portrait Gallery
  • Phaidon Press

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

Jackie 5 star rating

Hampshire, United Kingdom

Jackie has been editing and proofreading for more than twenty-five years; food, travel, fiction.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Travel, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • AA Publishing
  • Self-employed

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

Ameesha 5 star rating

Birmingham, United Kingdom

Nonfiction book shepherd & editor of award-winning books that make the world a better place, including business, philosophy, & tech.

Genres: Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Philosophy, Humanities & Social Sciences, Psychology, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Biographies & Memoirs, Health & Wellbeing, Technology, and Computers & Internet.

Work experience:

  • Packt Publishing
  • Self-employed
  • Business Book Awards UK
  • Storyterrace

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Nira 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Commercial editor helping authors turn ideas into books. Formerly Penguin Random House & HarperCollins with Sunday Times & NYT bestsellers.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Inspirational, Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Romance, Women's Fiction, and Historical Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Ebury, Penguin Random House UK
  • Icon Books, UK
  • HQ, HarperCollins UK
  • Quarto Publishing

Hannah 5 star rating

Oxford, United Kingdom

An editor with expertise in children's books, literacy and artwork design, I’ve worked with authors such as Julia Donaldson and Terry Deary.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Comics & Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Literary Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Education & Reference, Comics Non-Fiction, and ELT.

Work experience:

  • Pearson Plc
  • Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
  • Oxford University Press
  • Hamilton Trust
  • HarperCollins Publishers
  • Camel Publishing Ltd.
  • BBC
  • Oxford Inspires
  • Blue Tutors
  • University of Oxford
  • Forge Media, University of Sheffield

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

Julie 5 star rating

Reading, United Kingdom

I am an editor with over fifteen years’ experience working for three major houses across a broad spectrum of commercial fiction titles.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Pan Macmillan
  • Pan Macmillan Australia

Sarah 5 star rating

Lincoln, United Kingdom

Senior Editor with 13+ years' experience. Specialist in Romance, Thrillers, YA, LGBTQ+ and Historical for both new and established authors.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Women's Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Historical Romance, Psychological Thriller, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Totally Entwined Group (Bonnier Publishing)

Kelly 5 star rating

Maryport, United Kingdom

I have edited and proofread many non-fiction books for HarperCollins and Bonnier and I have also worked on memoirs for individual clients.

Genres: Health & Wellbeing, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Children’s Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Education & Reference, Poetry, Fiction, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Claire 5 star rating

Chelmsford, United Kingdom

Reliable and versatile proofreader and copy editor with a passion for all things Sci-Fi and Dickens.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self employed

Katie 5 star rating

Cornwall, United Kingdom

Over 25 years' experience in the publishing industry as a writer, editor and project manager – predominantly in children's non-fiction.

Genres: Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Political Science & Current Affairs, Geography, Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences, and Math & Science.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • National Asthma Campaign (now Asthma + Lung UK)
  • Aladdin Books Ltd

Laura 5 star rating

Brighton, United Kingdom

If you're a writer of romance, women's fiction, historical or psychological thrillers, I'll ensure your work is the best it can be.

Genres: Women's Fiction, Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Parenting & Families, Non-Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Health & Wellbeing, Contemporary Romance, Romance, and Historical Romance.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Bryony 5 star rating

England, United Kingdom

Friendly, sharp-eyed editor & former biographer helping authors wrangle plots, shape voice & nail continuity. 20+ years. Series specialist.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Atomic Partnership Limited

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Hire the best book editors in the UK

Finished writing your book, and wondering what you should do next? After you’ve done as thorough a self-edit as you can, you’ll be looking to hire a book editor in the UK or beyond.

It can be a little tricky to know what kind of editing you need, but a good choice for anyone who’s unsure is to partner up with someone who specializes in editorial assessments. This takes the form of an overview of your manuscript that will tell you where you should focus your editing efforts. These types of editors aren’t usually too expensive, yet they can be invaluable to your project. After all, if you have no idea what’s wrong with your book, how can you make a plan to remedy it? If you’re ready to dive deep into everything that may not be working with your manuscript, a developmental edit is the most thorough editorial process, which will delve into both big picture elements and issues within individual chapters. For a more surface-level polish, a copy edit or proofread will help guide an already edited book to the final stage of publication, removing any remaining errors or inconsistencies.

To hire a book editor in the UK, simply sign up to Reedsy and start browsing through our editing professionals 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

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