The best copy editors for hire in the United Kingdom

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Sandy 5 star rating

Hampshire, United Kingdom

Sandy is a seasoned editor of non-fiction and fiction titles, and has been helping authors 'give birth' to their books for 20 years.

Genres: Health & Wellbeing, Non-Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Sex & Relationships, Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Parenting & Families, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Godsfield Press
  • Tigerprint Limited
  • Self-employed
  • AA Publishing

Selena 5 star rating

Preston, United Kingdom

Highly experienced proofreader and copy-editor of healthcare/biomedical, academic, business and miscellaneous subjects at competitive rates.

Genres: Health & Wellbeing, Non-Fiction, Medicine, Nursing, & Dentistry, Math & Science, Humanities & Social Sciences, Nature, Education & Reference, and Life Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • I.M.S. Health (now IQVIA)
  • Elsevier Science (Pergamon Press)

Andrew 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Friendly, precise editor and writing coach. Lots of experience with various genres. I'm an author, too. So I know what it's like.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, and Action & Adventure.

Chris 5 star rating

Exeter, United Kingdom

I am an experienced copy- and developmental editor specialising in Business, IT and Physical Sciences for authors, academics and publishers.

Genres: Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Computers & Internet, Engineering, Math & Science, Music, Humanities & Social Sciences, Physics & Chemistry, Technology, Photography, and Economics.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Sophron Partners
  • McKinsey & Co.
  • Cambridge Consultants

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

Kerry 5 star rating

Hove, United Kingdom

An experienced editor, writer and publishing professional with 20+ years' experience of copy editing, development editing and proofreading.

Genres: Health & Wellbeing, Non-Fiction, Travel, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Women's Fiction, Architecture, Humanities & Social Sciences, Young Adult, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Yes Educational Centre
  • Marvel Comics
  • Egmont Fleetway
  • Panorama Holiday Group
  • Pavilion Publishing
  • Pavilion Publishing and Media
  • 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

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Editor/Writer with more than 20 years of experience in educational publishing, magazines, technical and web.

Genres: Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Education & Reference, Math & Science, Writing & Publishing, Children's, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, History, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Macmillan UK
  • Multimedia Communications, Singapore
  • Marshall Cavendish, Singapore
  • Educational Publishing House, Singapore
  • Horizon Knowledge Solutions Pte Ltd, Singapore
  • Shing Lee Publishers Pte Ltd, Singapore
  • Chacon Publishing Inc, Calgary, Canada
  • Self-employed

Caroline 5 star rating

Durham, United Kingdom

A flexible non-fiction editor with an eye for detail and consistency. I make sure that the little things don't distract from the big things.

Genres: Mathematics & Statistics, Math & Science, Non-Fiction, and Technology.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Copy editor and proofreader with experience in non-fiction books, arts and culture, biography, business, the environment and general history

Genres: Design, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Architecture, Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences, Math & Science, Travel, Art, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Kelly 5 star rating

Maryport, United Kingdom

I have edited and proofread many non-fiction books for Hachette and HarperCollins, and 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

Dick 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Experienced London-based editor of fiction (novels, short stories), biography, art and culture.

Genres: Mystery & Crime, Fiction, and Humor & Comedy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Waltham Forest Council

Tim 5 star rating

York, United Kingdom

Experienced editor specialising in science fiction, horror, mystery and YA – offering assessments, structural editing and copyediting.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Short Story, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Action & Adventure, and Psychological Thriller.

Work experience:

  • CGP
  • Pearson
  • Scholastic
  • British Fantasy Society
  • Self-employed

Julia 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Experienced and meticulous non-fiction editor with a keen eye. Passionate about great books.

Genres: Career Guides, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Sex & Relationships, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Parenting & Families, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, and Business & Management.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Ebury Publishing, Random House UK
  • Anubis Literary Agency

Maartje 5 star rating

Cambridge, United Kingdom

Experienced and friendly non-fiction editor with a passion for bringing your research and ideas to a wide audience. **AVAILABLE AFTER JUNE

Genres: History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Writing & Publishing, Art, Biographies & Memoirs, and Nature.

Work experience:

  • Freelance
  • Cambridge University Press

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

Hello! I'm a diligent, friendly and reliable children's picture book editor working for a major London publisher.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, and Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Nosy Crow
  • Rowman and Littlefield
  • Hachette Children's Group

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Hire the best copy editors in the UK

If you’ve ever fallen victim to embarrassing email typos, errors in a work document, or even mistakes in your own published writing, you already understand the importance of copy editing. Needless to say, if you’ve written an entire book, you’re going to want a copy editor to look it over before you proceed.

Of course, what a copy editor does extends far beyond the realm of basic spelling and grammatical errors. A truly effective copy editor will register the signature style and tone of your story, and note down any places where it veers away. They’ll eliminate instances of inconsistent tense, POV, and pacing, all of which can confuse the reader and distract from the narrative. But perhaps most importantly, they’ll give you — the author — peace of mind as you prepare to publish. A thorough copy edit is the literary equivalent to a yearly physical: even if nothing’s wrong, it’s still much better to know for sure.

Selecting the right “doctor” for your book is no easy task, but Reedsy can definitely help. If you’re seeking a copy editor for hire in the UK, look no further than our ranks of experienced professionals. All you have to do is sign up, and you’ll be able to view their full portfolios — even request sample edits and quotes to figure out whether they’d be a good fit. From Stephen King to Meg Wolitzer, our editors have worked with some of the best in the biz, and they’re sure to help make your book a success too.

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Step 2

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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.