The best developmental editors for hire near Austin

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Jana 5 star rating

Austin, TX, USA

Writer and editor with 10+ years of freelance experience specializing in Christian non-fiction and Bible studies.

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

Work experience:

  • B&H Publishing
  • Freelance

Elise 5 star rating

Austin, TX, USA

NEW to Reedsy! 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, Career Guides, 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

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

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

I have been editing books for kids and teens for over 15 years. I'd love to look at yours next. Tell me all about your book!

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

Work experience:

  • CBAY Books
  • St. Edward's University
  • Blooming Tree Press
  • Self-employed

I'm an award-winning author with over 50 publications (from early readers to young adult) with 17 years of editing experience.

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

Work experience:

  • Institute of Children's Literature
  • St. Edward's University
  • self-employed

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

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Maxine 5 star rating

Austin, TX, USA

Empathetic editor specializing in children's picture books. Industry expertise beyond editorial, formerly in publicity and literary agency.

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Picture Books, Children's, and Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Callisto Media
  • HarperOne

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

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 . . .

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, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Health & Wellbeing, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Business & Management, Inspirational, and Career Guides.

Work experience:

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

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

Ray 5 star rating

Northampton, United States

Developmental editing and copy editing for the nonfiction world: health, nutrition, fitness, tech, and entrepreneurship.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Health & Wellbeing, Sports & Outdoors, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Business & Management, Computers & Internet, and Technology.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Winning Edits
  • Rocket Code
  • Amazon Services (Amazon.com)
  • Smart Passive Income
  • Buy Box Experts
  • The Storied Future

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

Evan 5 star rating

Austin, TX, USA

Professional editor, MFA-level writing educator, and award-winning children's book author with 10+ years trade publishing experience

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

Stephanie 5 star rating

Bedford, United States

Don't ever fall for the trap of thinking you can be rigorous and academic OR engaging and clear--you can absolutely be both. I'll help you.

Genres: Nature, Non-Fiction, Life Sciences, Math & Science, and Children’s Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Keep Learning
  • National Center for Science Education
  • BiteScis

Erin L. 5 star rating

Seattle, Washington, United States

24+ awards in writing and editing • 30+ books edited • Specialties include nonfiction and poetry • Ph.D. student, lit and creative writing

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Short Story, Poetry, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, History, Nature, and Children’s Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Cavendish Square, Wiley, & other publishers
  • Open Books: A Poem Emporium
  • Killer Visual Strategies
  • Various magazines
  • The Kentucky Standard
  • Sarabande Books
  • Entre Ríos Books

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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 1

Apply filters

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Step 2

Browse

Then, browse professional profiles to find out more about their personalities and past projects.

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

Collaborate

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