The best picture book editing services

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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

Tracy 5 star rating

Baltimore, MD, United States

Passionate about helping writers realize their visions. I love picture books (especially rhyme!), young adult, fantasy, memoir, and more.

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

Work experience:

  • Agent Carrie Pestritto (formerly of Prospect Agency, now with LDLA)
  • Marketing Agency
  • University of Baltimore
  • SCBWI MD/DE/WV
  • Self-employed

Jenn 5 star rating

Leawood, KS, United States

I am an award-winning author and editor of books for children and young adults. I specialize in humor, fantasy, and scifi.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Picture Books, Children's, Action & Adventure, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Children’s Non-Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Georgette 5 star rating

Carmel, IN, United States

I'm a freelance editor and proofreader who's committed to helping authors produce the best work possible for their audiences.

Genres: Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Picture Books, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
  • Scholastic Reading Counts!

Nevin 5 star rating

Portland, OR, United States

My goal is to guide writers to their best work, to coach them in eloquence and clarity, to lead them to their best stories and storytelling.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Children’s Non-Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Scholastic
  • Penguin Random House
  • Government Technology magazine
  • Self-employed
  • Green Bean Books
  • Portland State University

Experienced children's book editor. Specialities include: picture books, easy readers, chapter books, and middle-grade novels.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, DIY & Crafts, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Self Employed

Holly 5 star rating

Washington D.C., DC, USA

I help people make great ideas into exciting products. Editor with 10+ years of non-fiction editing and project-managing at Macmillan.

Genres: Education & Reference, Non-Fiction, ELT, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Biographies & Memoirs, Children’s Non-Fiction, Political Science & Current Affairs, Picture Books, Children's, and Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Macmillan Education

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Elizabeth 5 star rating

Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Supportive editor & instructor. Experienced author of fiction and nonfiction books and magazine stories/articles for young readers.

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

Work experience:

  • McDaniel College
  • Word Association Publishers
  • Self-employed
  • Highlights Foundation

I'm a professional children's book editor with experience in trade, licensed, and educational publishing.

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

Work experience:

  • American Reading Company
  • Sterling Children's Books (now Union Square & Co.)
  • Simon Spotlight, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
  • Independent Publishers Group
  • Albert Whitman & Company

Mary 5 star rating

Minneapolis, MN, USA

As a former literary agent, I bring a craft focus and deep insider knowledge to my work. My specialties include kidlit and fiction.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Andrea Brown Literary Agency
  • Bittersweet Books

Jeannette 5 star rating

New York City, NY, USA

Experienced editor specializing in children’s books. Insightful creative partner ready to help your work reach its full potential.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Harcourt Children's Books
  • Harcourt Children's Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers
  • Flyaway Books, a sister imprint to WJK Press

Catherine 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

I'm a senior editor with over eleven years of experience working on picture books, middle grade and young adult books at Simon and Schuster.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Middle Grade Fantasy, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Simon & Schuster

Jamie 5 star rating

Pocatello, Idaho, USA

Enthusiastic editor of Children's and Adult Fiction/Nonfiction. MFA Grad. Trad. published author. Freelancer for Penguin Random House.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Young Adult, Inspirational, Non-Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Biographies & Memoirs, and Health & Wellbeing.

Work experience:

  • Playful Learning Press
  • Self-employed
  • Idaho State University, Continuing Ed
  • Kelly Yang
  • Vermont College of Fine Arts
  • Gibbs Smith Publishing
  • Penguin Random House
  • Hares & Hatter Bookshop

Julie 5 star rating

Yarmouth, Maine, USA

With 16 years of experience as a book editor, I specialize in shaping picture books and middle-grade novels at all stages of development.

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

Work experience:

  • Charlesbridge
  • Simmons University, Center for the Study of Children's Literature

Robin 5 star rating

Dallas, TX, USA

Passionate freelance editor of award-winning indie novels. I want to help turn your book into something you've always dreamed of.

Genres: Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Gaming & LitRPG, Epic Fantasy, Time Travel, Picture Books, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Unsolicited Press
  • North Texas Review
  • University of North Texas Press

Jared 5 star rating

Nashville, TN, USA

Editor with more than 15 years of experience. Specializes in Christian non-fiction, self-help and improvement, and biographies/memoirs.

Genres: Christian Non-Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Finance & Accounting, Math & Science, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Children’s Non-Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Political Science & Current Affairs, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • HIM Publications
  • Franklin Madison Group, LLC
  • ACLJ

Veronica 5 star rating

Jersey City, NJ, USA

Eagle-eyed copy editor/proofreader. I've worked with an array of nonfiction titles, plays/drama, and children's books.

Genres: Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Plays & Screenplays, Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, DIY & Crafts, Entertainment, Picture Books, Children's, Career Guides, and Children’s Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Theatre Communications Group, Inc.
  • Mango Publishing
  • Nova Southeastern University Writing and Communication Center
  • Brighter Horizon Foundation
  • Dramatists Play Service, Inc.

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Hire the best picture book editors

Whether they rhyme or not, picture books are like poems: they use so few words that every word choice and phrase can transform your young readers' experience. Alongside your illustrator’s art, your writing has the opportunity to reach a little reader’s heart with its story, as long as you can offer kids something that holds their attention: an appealing voice, fun new information, an eccentric character, or a plot that involves an experience they can relate to.

To help you refine your picture book manuscript, you can hire a picture book editor on Reedsy. Together, you’ll work on your manuscript’s style, form, and plot, ensuring the language you use is kid-friendly and that characters are vivid enough to leap off the page. Your picture book editor will draw from their experience working with New York Times bestsellers and small publishers alike to offer feedback, comments, and suggestions about how your writing can improve.

With over a hundred editors with experience in several genres across children’s literature, Reedsy is the perfect place to find an editor who can give your manuscript a professional edge. We've vetted every freelancer on our marketplace so you can be sure that they're qualified to help you. Most of our editors have worked with authors in traditional publishing, so if you're looking for the same treatment that writers like Julia Donaldson and Mo Willems get, you’ve come to the right place. Sign up and check out our picture book editors’ profiles, read testimonials from past clients who’ve used their editing services, and ask any questions related to your project. Create an account today to take the first step toward publishing your picture book.

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