The best biographies & memoir book editing services

Sign up for free to meet top book editors on Reedsy

Home > United States > Book Editors > Biographies & Memoir

Erica 5 star rating

Parrish, United States

Freelance editor offering friendly but thorough editing to independent authors.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, and Health & Wellbeing.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Deborah 5 star rating

Woodstock, United States

I have over 20 years' experience editing popular nonfiction and fiction, with a recent focus on psychology, philosophy, and current affairs.

Genres: Political Science & Current Affairs, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Nature, Philosophy, Psychology, Economics, Biographies & Memoirs, Health & Wellbeing, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • The Communication Initiative
  • Freelance
  • Alan Bernhard Creative Enterprises (ABCE)

Laura 5 star rating

New York, NY, United States

Expert developmental and line editor, ghostwriter, and consultant collaborates on all aspects of nonfiction and fiction for adults and kids.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Poetry, Inspirational, Women's Fiction, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Jill Grinberg Literary Management
  • Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
  • Pocket Books
  • Simon & Schuster
  • Penguin USA
  • Theater Communications Group

Jesse 5 star rating

New York, NY, United States

I'm a New York City-based editorial consultant with expertise in memoir, fiction, humor, narrative nonfiction, and prescriptive nonfiction.

Genres: Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Music, New Age, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and Health & Wellbeing.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Penguin Random House
  • Callisto Media
  • Freelance/Self-Employed

Eva 5 star rating

San Marcos, United States

Twenty-five years of experience as a copy / line editor, primarily in science, for university, museum, and association presses.

Genres: History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Nature, Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences, Math & Science, Life Sciences, Geography, Writing & Publishing, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Anne 5 star rating

New York, United States

Experienced freelance book editor with a particular interest in literary fiction and memoir.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Women's Fiction, Fiction, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Short Story, Coming of Age, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Counterpoint/Soft Skull Press
  • Massie & McQuilkin Literary Agency
  • Library Journal
  • Freelance

Jerry 5 star rating

Vero Beach, FL, United States

An editor with more than 20 years of experience in books, covering a variety of genres in fiction and nonfiction.

Genres: Political Science & Current Affairs, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Action & Adventure, Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Science Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

📞 Chat with our team

Need a hand finding the perfect professional? Our team is here to help. Get in touch for recommendations.

Paul 5 star rating

Los Angeles, United States

I excel at copy-editing, proofreading, developmental editing, ghostwriting, all kinds of collaborating — fiction, nonfiction, humor, & more.

Genres: Humor & Comedy, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Political Science & Current Affairs, Anthologies, Music, Entertainment, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Mary Beth 5 star rating

Orlando, United States

Sensitive, seasoned copy editor dedicated to strengthening each author's particular voice

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • HarperCollins Publishers
  • Self-employed

Susannah 5 star rating

Barre, VT, United States

Friendly, supportive editor at Macmillan for 25 years. Teacher of editing. Favorite genres are women's fiction, memoir, historical fiction.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fiction, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Wiley-Blackwell
  • nSight
  • Vermont College of Fine Arts
  • Maponics (Pitney Bowes)
  • Clariant Creative Agency
  • Union Street Media Interactive
  • Self-Employed
  • Editorial Arts Academy
  • St. Martin's Publishing Group, Macmillan Publishers

Ronit 5 star rating

Detroit, MI, United States

Developmental editor with 10+ years' experience at Doubleday. Honest, detailed, supportive. Book club fiction, literary fiction & memoir.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Coming of Age, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Contemporary Fiction, Cultural & Ethnic, Humor & Comedy, and LGBTQ Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Penguin Random House Inc.
  • Random House Inc.
  • Detroit Metro Times
  • The Daily Orange (Syracuse University)

Susan 5 star rating

Tampa, FL, United States

Professional fiction and non-fiction editor with 30+ years' experience helping writers to hone their craft and tell their stories.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Women's Fiction, Plays & Screenplays, Sex & Relationships, Mystery & Crime, Paranormal Romance, Romance, and Architecture.

Work experience:

  • EC for Books (formerly Ellora's Cave Publishing)
  • Weekly Planet/Creative Loafing Newspapers
  • Tampa Tribune Newspaper
  • Psychological Assessment Resources
  • Arts Council of Hillsborough County
  • Self-employed

Barbara 5 star rating

Washington, DC, United States

After working as a nonfiction book editor for years at NatGeo, I know the ins and outs of publishing from ideation to final proofing.

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

Work experience:

  • National Geographic Society
  • Self-employed

Matthew 5 star rating

New York, United States

Editor and writing coach specializing in literary fiction, thrillers, memoir and other narrative nonfiction, business books, and self-help.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Short Story, Mystery & Crime, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Science Fiction, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Graduate Writing Program, Columbia University
  • Self-employed

Arnie 5 star rating

Kihei, HI, United States

I edit books on psychology, spirituality, social justice, and wellness. I've worked with Thich Nhat Hanh, Joanna Macy, and Jack Kornfield.

Genres: Health & Wellbeing, Non-Fiction, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Buddhism, Religion & Spirituality, Biographies & Memoirs, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and New Age.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Koa Books
  • Parallax Press
  • Whole Earth Bookstore

Elisabeth 5 star rating

Iowa City, IA, United States

Award-winning and New York Times bestselling editor of nonfiction and memoir.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Nature, Travel, Entertainment, Sex & Relationships, Sports & Outdoors, and Religion & Spirituality.

Work experience:

  • University of Iowa Press
  • University of Nebraska Press
  • Self-employed

Aja 5 star rating

Austin, United States

Making sure your prose sings, your facts and story are straight, and your unique voice shines through.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Music, Entertainment, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Simon & Schuster
  • on my porch, at a coffee shop, in far-flung places . . .

Browse 2,000+ additional profiles

Create your free Reedsy account and begin requesting free quotes.

Hire the best biography and memoir book editors

Getting your facts straight while writing a novel is tough enough — but doing the same for a biography or a memoir is even tougher. How are you, for instance, supposed to fact-check every single detail about someone else’s life if you’re writing a biography? And if you’re writing a memoir, how are you supposed to know if your own life forms a coherent, satisfying story?

Enter every memoirist or biographer’s best friend, a biography or memoir editor. These editors have the knowledge and experience needed to take a rough draft and help you turn it into a manuscript that sings with life and heart. They can draw from their deep knowledge of the memoir and biography genres, seeing how your work can fit into the market, what readers will expect to find in the story you’re writing, and whether there are any issues with the way you’ve gone about it. Their guidance and expertise can help take your manuscript to the next level, as they can provide edits on big-picture elements as well as proofread all of your words, one at a time.

Hire the best biography and memoir editors in the industry are right here on Reedsy. We vet our editors very carefully, ensuring they’ve got the expertise and experience with esteemed publishers needed to guide their clients to success. Sign up for a free account to browse our editors’ profiles, read through their resumes, and reach out to request a quote today.

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.

Reedsy | 3 editors | 2025-05

Work with the best editors in the industry

Sign up to Reedsy and request quotes from editors who shape bestsellers.