The best literary fiction book copy editing services

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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

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

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

Erik 5 star rating

Minneapolis, MN, United States

Editor with years of in-house experience. Founder of a literary agency. Writer. Host of Print Run Podcast.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Career Guides, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Nature, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Sports & Outdoors, Life Sciences, and Math & Science.

Work experience:

  • Red Sofa Literary Agency
  • Self-employed
  • The Overlook Press
  • Oxford University Press
  • Headwater Literary Management

Lindsey 5 star rating

New York, United States

Experienced editor from a Big Five publisher specializing in mystery, suspense, and thrillers.

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

Work experience:

  • Grand Central Publishing
  • Crooked Lane Books

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

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

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Edie 5 star rating

Tucson, AZ, USA

Travel editor at Fodor's, Frommer's, and Rough Guides, memoir and food writing aficionado, love to nurture good writing in all genres.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Travel, Writing & Publishing, Literary Fiction, Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Short Story, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Madden Preprint Media

Elizabeth 5 star rating

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Don't Let Your Story Die Inside You. I'm an editor with 20+ years of experience, specializing in memoir, and I'm here to help.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • ServiceScape
  • becker&mayer!/Quarto Publishing Group
  • Writer's Digest

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

Professional book editor and award-winning literary journalist with 35 years of crafting words that glow in the dark

Genres: Health & Wellbeing, Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, New Age, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical Romance, Romance, Literary Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Kirkus Publishing Editorial Services / Amazon CreateSpace
  • Luminare Press
  • Best Life Media Company
  • Larson Newspapers, Sedona, Arizona
  • The Sedona Observer

Beth 5 star rating

Guilford, Connecticut, USA

Experienced editor of award-winning fiction and non-fiction with a keen eye for detail and 15+ years of industry experience.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Romance, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Chick Lit, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Penguin Random House (South Africa)
  • Private
  • Self-employed
  • Random House Struik

Vanessa 5 star rating

Seattle, WA, USA

15+ years as an enthusiastic editor, helping authors polish prose, sharpen storytelling, and prepare manuscripts for successful publication.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Historical Mysteries, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Military Science Fiction, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Indie Owl Press
  • SAGA Egmont
  • The Louisville Review
  • Dzanc Books
  • 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

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

Emma 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Dedicated, creative editor with an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop and years of experience at a top New York City literary agency.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Short Story, Young Adult, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Political Science & Current Affairs, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • McCormick Literary
  • The Iowa Writers' Workshop
  • Atheneum (a division of Simon & Schuster)

Samantha 5 star rating

New Haven, CT, USA

Publishing industry and lit agency experience. 10-year editor of YA and adult contemporary, sci-fi and fantasy adept at strengthening voice.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Coming of Age, Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Women's Fiction, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Lana Popovic (Chalberg & Sussman)
  • Shelf Awareness
  • University Press of Florida
  • Self-employed

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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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