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Home > United States > Book Editors > Literary Fiction

Meredith 5 star rating

Bothell, WA, United States

Writer, collaborative editor, and writing coach specializing in helping clients tell their best stories.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Nature, Women's Fiction, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Short Story, and Education & Reference.

Work experience:

  • UW Medicine
  • Talaria, Inc.
  • Ashford University
  • Enclara Health
  • North Seattle Community College
  • Antioch University Seattle
  • Self-employed

Steven 5 star rating

Vermont, United States

Intuitive, expert editor with 30 yrs experience teaching fiction writing at a major university. Well-published, knowledgeable, honest, kind.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Short Story, Middle Grade, Children's, Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Miami University, Oxford, OH
  • Colby College, Waterville,ME
  • Self-employed

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, Historical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Espionage, Thriller & Suspense, Historical Mysteries, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Kelly 5 star rating

Stamford, CT, United States

I am a detail-oriented lover of books and grammar always looking to eradicate all the typos.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Time Travel, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Bantam Doubleday Dell
  • Self-employed
  • Private Practice/Center for Medical Weight Loss

Maya 5 star rating

Charlotte, NC, United States

From the big picture to the tiniest detail, here to help you polish your craft. I work with publishers and individual authors.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Thriller & Suspense, Dystopian, Science Fiction, and Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits.

Work experience:

  • Self-Employed

Jodi 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, United States

Editor with an MFA and a lot of energy. I love to work in memoir, fiction, and humor. My forte: lean prose that moves.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Historical Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Humor & Comedy, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Fran 5 star rating

New York, United States

Results driven editor, formerWriters House Bridgerton agent, edited major award winners, working from slush pile to success in publishing.

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

Work experience:

  • Writers House
  • youbloom music festival

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Rachel 5 star rating

New York, United States

Literary agent turned editor of fiction & select memoir where narratives and protagonists have distinct, identifiable voices.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Humor & Comedy, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Middle Grade, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • Dystel & Goderich Literary Management
  • Self-employed

Ronit 5 star rating

Detroit, MI, United States

Former Nan A. Talese/Doubleday editor offering honest, detailed, supportive feedback. Literary fiction, book club fiction, and memoir.

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

Work experience:

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

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

Alicia 5 star rating

Boston, United States

Editor with 10+ years' experience in content development, copy editing, and proofreading. Avid learner & lover of the written word.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Career Guides, Non-Fiction, Technology, Anthologies, Classics, Writing & Publishing, Education & Reference, and Business & Management.

Work experience:

  • Macmillan Learning
  • Bedford/St. Martin's
  • Brown University
  • Grey Line Entertainment
  • O'Reilly Media

Allison 5 star rating

Jersey City, NJ, United States

Jack-of-all-trades editor specializing in literary fiction and academic work (journal articles, book chapters, dissertations).

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Life Sciences, Math & Science, Writing & Publishing, Sports & Outdoors, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Wiley

Ember 5 star rating

Medford, OR, USA

Professional editor for seven years, and I love my job. I specialize in genre fiction—sci-fi, fantasy, romance—and queer stories.

Genres: LGBTQ Fiction, Fiction, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Romance, and Contemporary Romance.

Work experience:

  • Blackstone Publishing

Previously worked with Sourcebooks, Penguin Putnam, Random House, Guideposts Books, and DK Publishing.

Genres: Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Women's Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Humanities & Social Sciences, Young Adult, Literary Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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

Elizabeth 5 star rating

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Don't Let Your Story Die Inside You. I'm an editor with 20+ years of experience, specializing in memoir, and I'm here to help.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • ServiceScape
  • becker&mayer!/Quarto Publishing Group
  • Writer's Digest

Dylan 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Full-service freelance editor, specializing in genre fiction. Over 400 books edited, including many NYT and USA Today bestselling titles.

Genres: Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Button Publishing, Inc.

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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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