The best literary fiction book copy editing services

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Ryan 5 star rating

Los Angeles, United States

Detail-obsessed proofreader and copyeditor with 20 years of Big Five and indie experience. Let’s polish your manuscript to perfection!

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Political Science & Current Affairs, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Espionage, Thriller & Suspense, Legal Thriller, Technothriller, and Psychological Thriller.

Work experience:

  • Penguin Group USA
  • Phoenix Books
  • Omnicom Production/Deutsch LA
  • Self-employed

Mary Beth 5 star rating

Orlando, United States

Sensitive, seasoned copy editor dedicated to strengthening each author's particular voice

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • HarperCollins Publishers
  • Self-employed

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

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

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

Aja 5 star rating

Austin, United States

Making sure your prose sings, your facts and story are straight, and your unique voice shines through.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Music, Entertainment, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Simon & Schuster
  • on my porch, at a coffee shop, in far-flung places . . .

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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Daniel 5 star rating

Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

A seasoned and devoted editor with over 27 years in trade and scholarly publishing, from fiction to history to memoir.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Young Adult, Biographies & Memoirs, Religion & Spirituality, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and Coming of Age.

Work experience:

  • The University of Alabama Press
  • Rizzoli International Publications

Kerry 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

I'm interested in thoughtful, voice-driven manuscripts. I especially love stories that include queer characters and/or speculative elements.

Genres: LGBTQ Fiction, Fiction, Time Travel, Science Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Contemporary Fiction, and Coming of Age.

Work experience:

  • Henry Holt & Company
  • Curtis Brown, Ltd.
  • One Story Magazine
  • JMH Scouting
  • Daniela Schlingmann Literary Scouting

Lisa 5 star rating

Portland, OR, USA

I’m a copyeditor with more than 15 years’ experience who loves making a story stronger and inspiring authors to go further!

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Romance, Mystery & Crime, Action & Adventure, Contemporary Fiction, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Jeremy 5 star rating

Lancaster, PA, USA

Editor of how-tos, eco gardening, & reference books. Proofreader of books by Penguin Random House.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, DIY & Crafts, Non-Fiction, Children's, Agriculture, Biographies & Memoirs, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Home & Garden, and Nature.

Work experience:

  • North Market Street Graphics
  • Fox Chapel Publishing
  • Carl Bloom Associates
  • Cider Mill Press

Jonathan 5 star rating

Portland, ME, USA

I've spent 20 years editing debuts and bestsellers for traditional and self-published authors, as well as thoughtful agent queries.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Cozy Mysteries, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Palooka Magazine and Palooka Press

Sara 5 star rating

Nashua, NH, USA

Flexible, fierce, efficient editor with decades of experience in editing everything from horror to science fiction to literary fiction.

Genres: Short Story, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Contemporary Fiction, Time Travel, Science Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Military Science Fiction, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Ascend Learning
  • Jones & Bartlett Learning
  • Self-employed

Kelley 5 star rating

Milwaukee, WI, USA

I copyedit children's/YA books for traditional publishers and querying authors. Nonprofit books, too! Latinx focus & Spanish vocab welcome.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Young Adult, Education & Reference, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Milwaukee Teachers Education Association
  • Milwaukee Public Schools
  • Rethinking Schools Magazine and Book Publisher

Michael 5 star rating

Houston, TX, USA

Versatile editor of award-winning fiction and nonfiction with 20+ years' industry experience.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Humanities & Social Sciences, Political Science & Current Affairs, Writing & Publishing, and Historical Fiction.

Helen 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

efficient, thoughtful, and agile editor serving indie authors, traditional publishers, and university presses | nonfiction and fiction

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Political Science & Current Affairs, Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences, Math & Science, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, and Psychology.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Aimee 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

An enthusiastic and dedicated editor. Specialties include romance, fantasy, and thriller. Let me bring a decade of experience to you!

Genres: Romantic Fantasy, Romance, Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Suspense, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Middle Grade Fantasy, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management
  • Brower Literary & Management
  • Brower Literary & Management

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Hire the best literary fiction copy editors

Literary fiction might have a reputation for being complex, but that doesn’t mean the process of finding a good copy editor should be too. Literary fiction is, of course, literary by definition — so typos and other such inconsistencies are likely to stand out to readers and reviewers of these books more than any other.

If you understand that, you’ll already know how important it is that you hire a literary fiction editor with a plethora of knowledge in the area to guide your masterpiece to greatness. Well, we’ve got your back: on the Reedsy Marketplace, we’re host to the most talented professionals, with working experience at the Big 5 under their belts. You're in the right place, now you just need to find the right literary fiction copy editor for you. Sign up today and request quotes for free.

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