The best developmental editors for hire near London

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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

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

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

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

Niall 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

I focus on non-fiction development editing and editorial assessment. History, economics. business, 'big ideas'. Best-selling author and PhD.

Genres: Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Economics, Humanities & Social Sciences, History, Philosophy, Political Science & Current Affairs, Sociology, Finance & Accounting, and Math & Science.

Work experience:

  • London School of Economics & University of Warwick
  • Freelance
  • ThinkWrite
  • Economist Intelligence Unit

Ruthlessly cheerful, aggressively optimistic: I'm an author's cheerleader, editor, advisor + promoter. Genres: thrillers, adventures + more

Genres: Action & Adventure, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Bloomsbury
  • Canongate Books Ltd & Severn House
  • The Publishing Training Centre
  • Self-employed

Editor with 10+ years experience. 1m+ copies sold of books I've edited. Helping you find the best words in the best order.

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

Work experience:

  • Trapeze Books
  • Penguin Random House Children's Books
  • Pan Macmillan

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I have extensive experience in publishing - editing, proofreading, sub-editing and copy-editing - across books, comics and magazines.

Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels, Fiction, Entertainment, Non-Fiction, Action & Adventure, Children's, LGBTQ Fiction, Science Fiction, LGBTQ Non-Fiction, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Titan Publishing

Highly experienced, creative editor of books and other content for children and adults. Clients include DK, Scholastic, Pavilion, Hachette.

Genres: Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, DIY & Crafts, and Education & Reference.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • DK

MG/YA/Adult/Crossover editor with 6+ years experience at big 5 publishers -working with NYT bestsellers on SFF, romance, contemporary & more

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade Fantasy, Romantic Comedy, Romance, and Romantic Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Various publishing houses
  • Pan Macmillan

A 10-year track record at Hachette UK, editing Booker-nominated authors and Sunday Times bestsellers. Memoir, Lit Fiction, Crime/Thriller.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Sports & Outdoors, Travel, Entertainment, History, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Quercus Books
  • Janklow & Nesbit UK
  • Profile Books
  • Penguin Random House UK

Children's non-fiction and fiction editor with specific experience in science content, humour, and graphic novels.

Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels, Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Comics Non-Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • DK

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

Editor and pitch writer for fiction and personal memoir. I will shape your manuscript and offer guidance on how to get it published.

Genres: Women's Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Contemporary Fiction, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Romance, Psychological Thriller, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Hachette
  • Penguin Random House

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

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

Non-fiction publisher with over two decades of experience in UK publishing for both corporate and award-winning independent publishers.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, True Crime, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Political Science & Current Affairs.

Work experience:

  • Palazzo Editions
  • Little, Brown Book Group
  • Constable & Robinson Ltd
  • Quintet Publishing Ltd
  • Self-employed
  • Educational Support Services Trust
  • St Mark's College, Sekhukhuneland, South Africa
  • Atlas Exhibitions International

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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

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