The best literary fiction book editing services

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Home > United States > Book Editors > Literary Fiction

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

Karli 5 star rating

Clarksville, TN, United States

Editor who specializes in developing manuscripts and is passionate about helping authors craft their best stories!

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • HarperCollins Christian Publishing

Missy 5 star rating

Missoula, MT, United States

MS in Publishing. Proofreader for Bloomsbury (publisher of Harry Potter). Knows Chicago Manual of Style so you don't have to. On your side.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • brass|MEDIA Inc.
  • Trial Guides
  • Ooligan Press
  • The Portland Review
  • Montana Kaimin

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

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

Amy 5 star rating

Township of Washington, NJ, United States

Friendly, thorough, supportive editor/proofreader for your novel. Experience in romance, historical, LGBTQIA+, mystery, YA, sci-fi, fantasy.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Women's Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Mystery & Crime, Education & Reference, Non-Fiction, Literary Fiction, Young Adult, and LGBTQ Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
  • Great Minds

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

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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

Michael 5 star rating

St. Louis, MO, United States

Editor of award-winning literature and NYT bestsellers, with 13 years' experience at Penguin Random House, Macmillan, and Hachette.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Action & Adventure, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • The Laryngoscope Journal
  • Self-employed
  • Graphic World, Inc
  • Penguin Random House

David 5 star rating

Long Beach, CA, United States

Give me your dangling participles, your absent oxford commas, your run-on sentences yearning to be written correctly.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Action & Adventure, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Classics, Plays & Screenplays, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Penguin Group, USA; Random House, LLC
  • Pegasus Books and Publishing House
  • Words That Stay, LLC

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

Angela 5 star rating

Los Angeles, United States

Editor of more than 1,000 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
  • New York Book Editors

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

Lindsay 5 star rating

New Jersey, United States

I'm an enthusiastic freelance editor with experience across the industry--bookselling, marketing, publicity, agency, editorial, and writing.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Picture Books, Children's, Christian Fiction, Women's Fiction, Short Story, Middle Grade, Dystopian, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency
  • Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Margaret K. McElderry Books at Simon & Schuster's Children's Publishing Division
  • Abrams Books for Young Readers/Amulet Books
  • Candlewick Press
  • Borders Books and Music
  • Verily Magazine

Versatile, collaborative fiction and nonfiction editor with 20 years of experience. Published short story and essay writer.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Education & Reference, Women's Fiction, and Short Story.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • The Rambler Magazine
  • Westchester Publishing

Kellie 5 star rating

Fairfield, PA, USA

With experience in everything from computer manuals to historical dictionaries to literary fiction, I'm an equal-opportunity editor.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Education & Reference, Literary Fiction, and Fiction.

Work experience:

  • TAB Books / McGraw-Hill
  • Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
  • The Little Patuxent Review
  • Rev.com

Alicia 5 star rating

Diamond Bar, CA, USA

I am a copy editor and proofreader who works with all types of fiction, specializing in young adult and middle grade fiction.

Genres: Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult, New Age, Non-Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Romantic Comedy, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Scribendi, Inc.
  • Self-employed
  • The Poly Post
  • Public Affairs, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
  • Scholastic Book Clubs

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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.

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