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Julie 5 star rating

New York, United States

Seasoned copyeditor and proofreader, supporting authors of high-quality fiction and nonfiction. (Helping authors look good since 1993).

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Historical Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Open Road Integrated Media
  • HarperCollins Publishers
  • Disney Publishing Worldwide
  • HarperCollins Children's Books
  • Simon & Schuster, Pocket Books
  • HarperCollins Publishers, HarperPaperbacks and HarperPrism
  • Self-employed

Kathy 5 star rating

San Diego, United States

Freelance copyeditor and proofreader offering 25 years of experience in scientific and educational publishing

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Medicine, Nursing, & Dentistry, Math & Science, Nature, Action & Adventure, Classics, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, Education & Reference, Science Fiction, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Academic Press (Elsevier Science/Harcourt)
  • Academic Press
  • Brian F. Smith and Associates (Archaeologist)
  • Converse Consultants West
  • Cajon Valley, Mountain Empire, and Palm Middle Schools
  • Self-employed

Nicole 5 star rating

New York, NY, United States

I'm a literary agent with a passion for collaboration and a love of storytelling. Always thoughtful, engaged, and optimistic.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Short Story, Women's Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Sex & Relationships, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • The Book Group
  • The Reading Room
  • ICM Partners

Joanna 5 star rating

Oak Park, IL, United States

Seasoned publishing industry professional with agency experience and a keen eye for detail who embraces all aspects of the editorial process

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Young Adult, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Thriller & Suspense, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Browne & Miller Literary Associates
  • The Parlor
  • Literary Agency

Julia 5 star rating

Berkeley, CA, United States

NYT-bestselling author, book reviewer, and editor. I've helped dozens of clients get published in small and large presses. I love what I do.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Political Science & Current Affairs, Education & Reference, Literary Fiction, and Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • The Los Angeles Times
  • El Financiero de Mexico
  • Wired News
  • The New York Times
  • Stanford University

Fiona 5 star rating

New York, NY, United States

I am a veteran trade book editor of fiction and nonfiction, committed to helping writers find their voice and produce their best work.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Action & Adventure, Inspirational, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • HarperColllins
  • Reader's Digest Trade Publishing
  • Self Employed

Erik 5 star rating

Minneapolis, MN, United States

Editor with years of in-house experience. Founder of a literary agency. Writer. Host of Print Run Podcast.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Career Guides, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Nature, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Sports & Outdoors, Life Sciences, and Math & Science.

Work experience:

  • Red Sofa Literary Agency
  • Self-employed
  • The Overlook Press
  • Oxford University Press
  • Headwater Literary Management

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Megan 5 star rating

New York, NY, United States

A 20 year veteran of the publishing industry, Megan spent a decade at Simon & Schuster and has acquired and edited many bestsellers.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Thriller & Suspense, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, and Paranormal Romance.

Work experience:

  • Simon & Schuster
  • Freelance

Marcy 5 star rating

Montclair, NJ, United States

I am a published novelist. I want you to become one, too. I specialize in literary fiction, YA, women's fiction, thrillers and memoir.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopian, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Knopf
  • Dow Jones
  • About.com

Michael 5 star rating

Seattle, WA, United States

An attentive proofreader and copy editor, I help you deliver clear, precise prose.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Angela 5 star rating

Los Angeles, United States

Editor of more than 800 books. I specialize in sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural, horror, mystery, thriller, YA, and dystopian fiction.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, LGBTQ Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Alyson Books
  • Self-employed

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)

Gene 5 star rating

Houston, United States

Creative, experienced editor of novels, children's books, and poetry. Let's prepare your manuscript for publication together.

Genres: Action & Adventure, Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Comics & Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Poetry, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Uptown Stories
  • Simon & Schuster
  • Scholastic
  • HarperEntertainment
  • Daniel Weiss Associates/17th Street Productions
  • Denver Quarterly
  • San Jacinto College South

Erin L. 5 star rating

Seattle, Washington, United States

24+ awards in writing and editing • 30+ books edited • Specialties include nonfiction and poetry • Ph.D. student, lit and creative writing

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Short Story, Poetry, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, History, Nature, and Children’s Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Cavendish Square, Wiley, & other publishers
  • Open Books: A Poem Emporium
  • Killer Visual Strategies
  • Various magazines
  • The Kentucky Standard
  • Sarabande Books
  • Entre Ríos Books

Lindsey 5 star rating

New York, United States

Experienced editor from a Big Five publisher specializing in mystery, suspense, and thrillers.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Action & Adventure, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Grand Central Publishing
  • Crooked Lane Books

Cindy 5 star rating

Slippery Rock, PA, United States

I help make dreams come true – developing a plan after your first draft or polishing with personal care. Lower-cost options available.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Short Story, Cultural & Ethnic, Anthologies, Christian Non-Fiction, and Religion & Spirituality.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Writing Assessment Services
  • Grove City College
  • Veritas Academy Online
  • Florida State University, Auburn University, Tallahassee Community College, Los Positas College

Former editor at Penguin Random House with broad experience across genres, including literary fiction, memoir, humor, and more.

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

Work experience:

  • Penguin Random House
  • Trident Media Group
  • Europa Editions

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Hire the best literary fiction book editors

What does it take to create a great book of literary fiction, be it a novel or a collection of short stories? All you need to do to find out the answer is take a look at the “Acknowledgements” section of your favorite novel. Ten times out of ten, you’ll find that the first person that the author thanks is, of course, their editor.

That’s for good reason. A good book editor is the backbone of a book — perfecting its structure, filling up stray plot holes, bringing out the best in your characters, and helping your language flow. And whether it’s developmental editing, copy editing, or proofreading, a literary editor is an author’s number one best friend during the publishing journey.

So if you’re writing a novel and you’re looking for a literary fiction book editor, then you’re in the right place. Reedsy is home to thousands of the best book editors in the industry — many of whom have worked for Big 5 publishers and literary journals, and edited New York Times bestselling novels. Their feedback is informed by years of experience in the publishing industry, editing some of the most accomplished works of contemporary literature.

To meet them and start the process of editing your own novel, simply sign up for a free account on Reedsy today.

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Step 3

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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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Reedsy | 3 editors | 2025-05

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