The best developmental editors for hire near Austin

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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 . . .

Thea 5 star rating

Austin, TX, USA

Big 5 publishing house editor specializing in fiction, mystery/thriller, cookbooks, self help, design and lifestyle.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Psychological Thriller, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Hachette Book Group
  • SKLA
  • Penguin Random House

Elise 5 star rating

Austin, TX, USA

Helped 355 authors/founders turn dream books into reality. Including a NYTimes Bestseller and a book to film with 1.3M views

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Health & Wellbeing, Inspirational, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Northern Illinois University
  • WxD
  • Editing Agency For NYTimes Bestselling Authors
  • Publishing Cohort and Seminar
  • How To Disappoint Your Mom

Sarah 5 star rating

Austin, Texas, USA

Twenty years specializing in literary, LGBTQIA+, multicultural, and spec-fic novels. My clients get deals with Big Five publishers.

Genres: Women's Fiction, Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Cultural & Ethnic, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, and Historical Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Carnegie Mellon University Press
  • Editorial Freelancers Association

Salima 5 star rating

Austin, Texas, USA

I'm the award-winning author of over 20 books for kids, teens and adults. Creative writing professor, editor. I'd love to work with you!

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Middle Grade, Children's, Middle Grade Fantasy, Picture Books, and Post-Apocalyptic.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Self-Employed
  • St. Edward's University and Austin Community College

Carmen 5 star rating

Austin, Texas, USA

NEA speaker. Published author. I've put NYTimes bestselling authors and Amazon #1 bestsellers through my self-help and memoir boot camp.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Inspirational.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Northern Illinois University
  • National Endowment of the Arts

Evan 5 star rating

Austin, TX, USA

Professional editor of 10+ years. MFA writing faculty. Award-winning children's book author. I love stories that spark curiosity and wonder.

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

Work experience:

  • Workman Publishing
  • Self-employed
  • Vermont College of Fine Arts

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Dena 5 star rating

Austin, TX, USA

Award-winning editor, writer, lover of em-dashes.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Cultural & Ethnic, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies, Coming of Age, Education & Reference, Health & Wellbeing, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • University of Texas at Austin
  • Self-employed
  • deBeaumont Foundation

Meticulous copy and developmental editor of nonfiction, equipped with diverse industry experience and a masters in Publishing.

Genres: History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Political Science & Current Affairs, and Sociology.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Adam 5 star rating

Austin, TX, USA

MFA, PhD, award-winning author and editor for literary/upmarket fiction.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Short Story, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • University of South Alabama
  • UCLA Extension

Chris 5 star rating

Austin, TX, USA

I specialize in books for kids — fiction and nonfiction alike. You don't have to be Willie Nelson to get me involved, but it worked for him.

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

Work experience:

  • The Reference Press/Hoover's, Inc./Dun & Bradstreet
  • Self-employed

Bestselling editor who for ~20 years' has worked with authors to polish stories and ideas, reach new audiences, and start conversations

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Entertainment, Science Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Literary Fiction, Mystery & Crime, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Texas Book Festival
  • The Acton MBA
  • HarperCollins

Kate 5 star rating

Cleveland, OH, United States

Versatile, collaborative nonfiction editor with a master's degree in creative writing and seven years' experience editing education books.

Genres: Education & Reference, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, and Parenting & Families.

Work experience:

  • Solution Tree
  • Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
  • Solution Tree Press

Steven 5 star rating

Vermont, United States

Intuitive, expert editor with 30 yrs experience teaching fiction writing at a major university. Well-published, knowledgeable, honest, kind.

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

Work experience:

  • Miami University, Oxford, OH
  • Colby College, Waterville,ME
  • Self-employed

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

Andrea 5 star rating

Birmingham, United States

Editor and food writer with over 10 years of experience creating cookbooks on a wide range of cooking subjects.

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, and Writing & Publishing.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Time Inc Books

Emily 5 star rating

New York, United States

Bestselling nonfiction book editor. Formerly at Penguin Random House, Macmillan, and Callisto Media.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, True Crime, Political Science & Current Affairs, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences, Math & Science, and Sports & Outdoors.

Work experience:

  • Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press, Macmillan
  • Portfolio/Sentinel/Current, Penguin Random House

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Hire the best developmental editors in Austin, Texas

Writing a book is an enormous accomplishment, but it's only the first step if you're looking to see it on the shelves one day. Before you can start looking at publishing options, you're going to need to make sure that your book is the best version of itself. And if you're deep in the heart of Texas, the best way to do that is with the trained eyes of a developmental editor right here in Austin.

After months (or even years) of looking at the same book, it's easy for you as the writer to start missing details. A developmental editor is a fresh perspective your story needs to reach its full potential. They'll read through and assess your whole manuscript, looking at plot arcs, character development, voice, and more, and guide you through all the necessary steps you'll want to consider to address the issues. But don't worry — they're not going to take away any of you from the story. Developmental editors work hard to make sure that your book stays true to your vision, while offering a guiding hand toward strengthening the parts that might need shoring up.

And if you want to find a great developmental editor here in Austin, look no further. Reedsy has gathered all the best industry professionals, vetting each one to ensure they have the experience needed to bring your story to life. Thousands of authors have already met their dream editor on Reedsy; why not sign up for free and meet yours today?

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Step 2

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Step 3

Request quotes

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

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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.