The best developmental editors for hire near London

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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

Tom 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Highly experienced academic and educational book editor, previously worked as Senior Book Production Editor for a leading publishing house.

Genres: Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, & Dentistry, Math & Science, Political Science & Current Affairs, Sociology, Education & Reference, and History.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • SAGE

Anna 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

I have 20 years' experience working on children's and YA writing at UK publishers including Hachette and HarperCollins.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Fantasy, Middle Grade Fantasy, Contemporary Fiction, Coming of Age, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Picture Books, and Social & Family Issues.

Work experience:

  • Octopus (Hachette)
  • Carlton Books
  • Orchard (Hachette)
  • Egmont
  • Self-employed

Clare 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

A freelance copy-editor and proofreader specialising in cookery, craft and other lifestyle titles.

Genres: DIY & Crafts, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Home & Garden, and Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits.

Work experience:

  • Cico Books
  • New Holland Publishers
  • Clare Sayer

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

Anna 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Award-winning editor and publisher with a near-obsessive eye and over twenty years experience in the industry.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Short Story, Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • The Pigeonhole
  • Random House
  • Peters, Fraser & Dunlop
  • Curtis Brown
  • The Bookseller

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Thalia 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Editor with over a decade's experience working with best-selling authors at Pan Macmillan and HarperCollins. I'd love to hear from you.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Thriller & Suspense, Health & Wellbeing, and Coming of Age.

Work experience:

  • Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation
  • HarperCollins
  • Pan Macmillan
  • The Dreamwork Collective

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

Award-winning writer and versatile editor working in genre fiction publishing. Especially interested in fantasy, poetry and women's fiction.

Genres: Women's Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Poetry, Fantasy, Cultural & Ethnic, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Liverpool University Press
  • Rowman & Littlefield International
  • Sapere Books
  • The Windows Project

A former Penguin editor, I have worked on books by prize-winning authors and poets. I edit and consult on fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Anthologies, Historical Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, and Poetry.

Work experience:

  • Om Books International
  • Rupa Publications
  • Penguin Random House

Editor with 10+ years experience in short fiction, literary fiction, novellas, and children's books. Let me help make every word count!

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, and Short Story.

Work experience:

  • Living Libraries
  • Suffragette Stories
  • Strangers Press
  • Egg Box Publishing
  • The Maine Review
  • Kitchen Table Quarterly
  • King’s College London

A passionate, devoted editor who adores storytelling and specialises in fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and cozy mysteries. Worked for Joffe Books.

Genres: Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Romance, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, and Paranormal Romance.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • SmashBear Publishing
  • Joffe Books

I'm an editor with over 10 years of industry experience, specialising in lifestyle and narrative non-fiction across a wide range of genres.

Genres: Home & Garden, Non-Fiction, DIY & Crafts, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Health & Wellbeing, and Fashion & Textiles.

Work experience:

  • Gemini Books
  • DK

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

A thoughtful and insightful editor of children's books with 25+ years experience.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Action & Adventure, Middle Grade, Children's, and Middle Grade Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Faber and Faber
  • A&C Black
  • Scholastic

Romance, Fantasy & commercial fiction editor with 6 years experience at a Big Five publisher, working with NY & Sunday Times bestsellers.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy, and Paranormal Romance.

Work experience:

  • Pan Macmillan
  • Orion Publishing Group

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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.

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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.

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