The best manuscript editors for hire near London

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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

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

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

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

Katy 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

A senior commissioning editor and content developer with ten years of experience in professional, educational and trade publishing.

Genres: Business & Management, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Political Science & Current Affairs, Philosophy, Psychology, Writing & Publishing, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and Education & Reference.

Work experience:

  • Kogan Page
  • Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
  • Hodder Education
  • Routledge/ Taylor and Francis
  • Open University Press/ McGraw Hill

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.

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I am a children's book editor with over four years of experience, working on picture books/activity books all the way up to YA fiction.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Young Adult, Picture Books, and Coming of Age.

Work experience:

  • Little Tiger Press
  • Simon & Schuster Children's UK

An accomplished non-fiction editor with four years of experience at Hachette UK, confident working across a range of genres.

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

Work experience:

  • Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Hachette UK
  • Quercus, Hachette UK

Editorial Director working on women's fiction and romance at a big five publisher. I can’t wait to work with you.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Hachette UK
  • Head of Zeus
  • Headline
  • HQ, HarperCOllins

Dedicated and imaginative editor specialising in illustrated children’s books. With over 8 years’ experience, I'll bring your ideas to life!

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Buster Books (Michael O'Mara Books)
  • Tall Tree Books

Editor and proofreader for 20+ years. Award-winning crime fiction author. Specialising in health, self-help, memoir, and crime fiction.

Genres: Health & Wellbeing, Non-Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Biographies & Memoirs, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and True Crime.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

I have over 15 years' experience editing for top publishers, including Penguin Random House. Contact me for any editorial services.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Chick Lit, Women's Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Epic Fantasy, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • The Writers' Masterclass
  • GetSmarter (2U)

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

Literary and commercial fiction editor. Previously HarperCollins and Hachette. Kind, detailed and supportive. I will make your writing sing!

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Thriller & Suspense, Coming of Age, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Little, Brown Book Group
  • HarperCollins
  • Curtis Brown Literary Agency

Editorial director with 15+ years' experience across most genres. Specialising in horror, mystery, crime, fantasy, historical, contemporary.

Genres: Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Horror, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Contemporary Fiction, Historical Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Romantic Fantasy, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Wild Hunt Books
  • Self-employed
  • Columbia University

A book editor with over 25 years’ experience in the London publishing industry, specialising in children's illustrated titles.

Genres: Children’s Non-Fiction and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed working for various companies
  • LIttle Tiger
  • Carlton Books Ltd
  • DK (Dorling Kindersley)

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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.

How it works

Browse profiles, request quotes, then collaborate.

Step 1

Apply filters

Reedsy is home to thousands of professionals. Select the specific services you need and narrow your search based on your book’s genre and requirements.

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.