The best copy editors for hire near Chicago

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Will 5 star rating

Chicago, United States

Trusted big-5 copy editor and proofreader for romance, mystery, fantasy, sci-fi, suspense, and all the sub-genres therein.

Genres: Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Romance, Espionage, Thriller & Suspense, Chick Lit, Women's Fiction, Space Opera, Science Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Urban Fantasy, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Berkley Publishing (Penguin Random House)
  • Harlequin Romance (HarperCollins)
  • Orbit Books / Redhook (Hachette)

Tom 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Bring the power of my decades of editing experience to your manuscript. Special expertise in copy editing and proofreading. No AI, please.

Genres: Education & Reference, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Humanities & Social Sciences, Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Short Story, and Humor & Comedy.

Work experience:

  • Nieman Inc
  • McGraw-Hill Education
  • Self-employed
  • McDougal Littell / Houghton Mifflin
  • John Hope Community Academy / Chicago Public Schools
  • World Book Inc.

Rebecca 5 star rating

Chicago, Illinois, USA

200+ books in print & 15+ years in publishing. I help storytellers turn messy drafts into page-turners that readers can’t put down.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Sourcebooks
  • Integra

Travis 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

A seasoned developmental editor, Travis has helped acclaimed authors, elite athletes, and emerging voices resonate with readers worldwide.

Genres: Sports & Outdoors, Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Short Story, Inspirational, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Beijing Language and Culture University
  • Sports Publishing LLC
  • TrueHoop

Richard 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

I am a writer, editor, and researcher with 19 years of experience. I work with all kinds of content, from science to business to marketing.

Genres: Life Sciences, Math & Science, Non-Fiction, Nature, Political Science & Current Affairs, Humanities & Social Sciences, Education & Reference, Entertainment, Home & Garden, and History.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Lizzie 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Nimble, warm, and energetic literary editor with 10 years' experience shepherding projects from manuscript to award-winning finished book.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Parenting & Families, Non-Fiction, and LGBTQ Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Coffee House Press
  • Transit Books
  • Self-employed

Joe 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Fast. Friendly. Experienced. Thorough. I'm here to help you be your best. Sample edits available.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Entertainment, Sex & Relationships, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Solution Tree Press
  • Self-employed

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Alex 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Children's book editor with experience in editing and content creation, passionate about championing people's stories—and writing her own.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Holiday, LGBTQ Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Sex & Relationships.

Work experience:

  • Independent Publisher
  • Albert Whitman & Company

Amanda 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Meticulous copyeditor and proofreader with nonfiction trade experience—memoirs, oral histories, cookbooks, and more!

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • Agate Publishing
  • Self-employed

Jenni 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Intelligent, respectful editing for trade & scholarly nonfiction, esp. American history, history of religions, art history. $0.05/word.

Genres: History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, and Art.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • The University of Chicago Press

Perrin 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, United States

Cookbooks are my specialty—books I have edited have won or been finalists for James Beard, IACP, and Gourmand awards.

Genres: Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Health & Wellbeing, Home & Garden, Economics, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Agate Publishing
  • Self-employed

Natalie 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

I bring thoughtful, thorough, and professional edits and feedback to copyediting or proofreading lifestyle and business projects.

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Health & Wellbeing, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Psychology, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Educational Publisher
  • Science Connected Magazine

10+ years in children’s publishing. Former executive editor at Albert Whitman & Co.

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

Work experience:

  • Albert Whitman & Company
  • Red Line Editorial
  • Self-employed

Maleah 5 star rating

Nashville, United States

Former Thomas Nelson editor with 23 years experience in Christian non-fiction, study products, and Bibles.

Genres: Inspirational, Non-Fiction, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Christian Non-Fiction, and Religion & Spirituality.

Work experience:

  • Thomas Nelson (HarperCollins Christian Publishers)
  • Thomas Nelson

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!

Glenn 5 star rating

Colorado Springs, CO, United States

Experienced editor for university presses (MIT, Harvard, etc.) and scholars (Princeton, U of Toronto, etc.); published award-winning books.

Genres: Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Economics, Humanities & Social Sciences, Biographies & Memoirs, Political Science & Current Affairs, Sociology, History, Law, and Writing & Publishing.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • The Frederick News-Post
  • Capital News Service (Washington, D.C.)
  • American Journalism Review

Tera 5 star rating

South Bend, United States

Editor with 10+ years of experience specializing in developmental edits and copy editing, with a focus on romance and all romance subgenres.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Young Adult, LGBTQ Fiction, Women's Fiction, Fantasy, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Entangled Publishing
  • Samhain Publishing
  • Kensington Lyrical
  • Self-employed

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Hire the best copy editors in Chicago, Illinois

As you might expect of the home of "The World's Greatest Newspaper," you can find some of the country's finest copy editors in Chicago. And if you're looking for the crème de la crème of Chicago copy editors, there's no better place to start than the Reedsy Marketplace.

With thousands of editors from across the world (including Illinois), Reedsy is home to only the most experienced and talented publishing freelancers. Many of them have worked for major presses and can help you copy edit your novels, memoirs, nonfiction books — or anything else you have that needs editing.

If you need a copy editor that's well-versed in The Chicago Manual of Style, why would you look anywhere else? Sign up for a free Reedsy account and meet them today.

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Step 2

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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.

Step 4

Collaborate

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