The best picture book editing services

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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

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

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

Larry 5 star rating

Honesdale, PA, USA

Founding editor of Highlights for Children's Boyds Mills Press, now working independently with writers for young readers.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, History, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Boyds Mills Press
  • Highlights for Children
  • Henry Holt and Company

Kaitlin 5 star rating

New York, NY, United States

I have copyedited and proofread more than five hundred books, adult and children's, nonfiction and fiction, in all genres.

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

Work experience:

  • Simon & Schuster
  • Macmillan
  • Self-employed

Orli 5 star rating

Clifton, NJ, USA

Professional Children's Book and Content Editor. 20+ years of experience, including Scholastic and Callisto Media. Expertise in ages 0-12.

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

Work experience:

  • Callisto Media
  • Scholastic, Trade Division
  • Simon & Schuster

Jared 5 star rating

Nashville, TN, USA

Editor with more than ten 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

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Katherine 5 star rating

Huntington Beach, CA, USA

Award-winning author and highly experienced former publisher of illustrated children's books

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Nosy Crow
  • Scholastic UK
  • Simon & Schuster
  • Campbell Books (Macmillan UK)

Ruth 5 star rating

Seattle, WA, USA

Developmental editor specializing in children's picture books, board books, and activity books. Editor of a #1 New York Times Best Seller.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Macmillan Children's Books
  • becker&mayer!
  • Compendium, Inc

Latine editor at Charlesbridge; specializing in children's books, from picture books to YA, and Spanish/bilingual books.

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

Work experience:

  • Charlesbridge Publishing
  • U.S. Air Force Reserve
  • U.S. Air Force
  • Reedsy
  • University of Puerto Rico Elementary School

Kiley 5 star rating

Canton, NY, USA

Experienced editor of middle grade, YA, and picture books. I specialize in stories that are candid, quirky, and full of compassion.

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

Work experience:

  • Atheneum Books for Young Readers
  • Self-employed

Shannon 5 star rating

Arlington, VA, USA

Meticulous development editor with a Master's from Harvard in Learning Design. A focus on nonfiction and academic writing.

Genres: Education & Reference, Non-Fiction, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Anthologies, and Writing & Publishing.

Work experience:

  • Pearson
  • Curriculum Associations
  • Elsevier – Science & Technology Books, Academic Press
  • Self-employed

Paige 5 star rating

Pittsburgh, PA, USA

I am a children's and Young Adult book fanatic. I've worked on them at Penguin, studied them in graduate school, and even wrote one . . .

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

Work experience:

  • Penguin Young Readers
  • University of Pittsburgh

Esther 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Eagle-eyed proofreader and copy editor with over a decade of publishing experience. I make your stories error-free and a joy to read.

Genres: Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Young Adult, Romantic Comedy, Romance, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Women's Fiction, and Historical Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Albert Whitman
  • Kidsbooks
  • Phoenix International Publications, Inc.
  • The Little Things Publishing, LLC
  • Lemur Press
  • Penguin Random House - Penguin Young Readers
  • Mascot Books
  • Scholastic
  • Macmillan Publishing
  • ABRAMS
  • Charlesbridge Publishing
  • Walt Disney Company
  • Simon & Schuster
  • Hachette Book Group, Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Taryn 5 star rating

San Jose, CA, USA

~Query enthusiast~ Plot puzzle solver & character demystifyer. I'm here to enhance YOUR voice & vision. 10+ years in trad pub.

Genres: Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Young Adult, Picture Books, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • The Quarto Group
  • Disney Publishing
  • Disney Creative Entertainment
  • Self-employed
  • Andrea Brown Literary, Movable Type Management, The Bent Agency
  • KiwiCo

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

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

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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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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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Once you agree on terms and a timeline, you’ll start collaborating using the many communication and editing tools available on Reedsy.

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