The best developmental editors for hire in the United Kingdom

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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

Donna 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

Fiction & non-fiction editor; over 20 years' 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

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

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

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

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

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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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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

Mike 5 star rating

Colchester, United Kingdom

A publisher and editor with over 25 years of experience, helping authors craft the best manuscripts and proposals possible.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Political Science & Current Affairs, Historical Fiction, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Profile Books
  • Simon & Schuster UK
  • Bloomsbury Publishing

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

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

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Hire the best developmental editors in the UK

You’ve done it — after months or maybe even years of hard work, you’ve finally completed your manuscript. What are you going to do next? Well, if you’re a savvy author, you'll hire a developmental editor.

What does a developmental editor do, you ask? It’s really all in the name: they develop your book’s plot, characters, and prose until all the pieces fit together and the story runs smoothly. And while you may not think you need it, developmental editing is a key part of the process for every author — it ensures you don’t end up with gaping plot holes or inconsistencies when your work goes to print.

But where can you find someone you trust with that level of responsibility? Here at Reedsy, we have all the best developmental editors for hire in the UK, and you can look through their portfolios as soon as you sign up. Some of our developmental editors have even worked with bestselling authors like Neil Gaiman. So don’t spend another second deliberating — discover your dream developmental editor today.

How it works

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Step 1

Apply filters

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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.