The best developmental editors for hire near Boston

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Audrey 5 star rating

Boston, MA, USA

I am a highly versatile and experienced wordsmith with excellent editorial judgment and the skills to ensure your manuscript is error-free.

Genres: Computers & Internet, Non-Fiction, Design, DIY & Crafts, Health & Wellbeing, and Technology.

Work experience:

  • PennWell Publishing Co. (now Endeavor Business Media)
  • Freelance
  • Phillips Academy, Andover

Erin 5 star rating

Boston, MA, USA

A former Scholastic editor with over a decade of experience, who loves kidlit and delights in text.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, and Action & Adventure.

Work experience:

  • Scholastic Inc.
  • Self-employed
  • Viable Paradise

Lori 5 star rating

Boston, MA, USA

Published author of six novels including ROMANTIC FRICTION (Harper Collins, 2025). Query and fiction specialist. Grub Street instructor.

Genres: Children's, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Chick Lit, Women's Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • Charlesbridge Publishing
  • Grub Street

Lynne 5 star rating

Boston, MA, USA

Editor, novelist, family counselor. Whether it's fiction or nonfiction, I love to help writers find the emotional heart of their stories.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Parenting & Families, Mystery & Crime, Historical Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Psychology, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Grub Street Writers
  • GrubStreet Writers
  • Wheelock College

I've been an editor for 28 years now, and I've done everything from line editing, copy editing, and proofreading from academia to fiction.

Genres: Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Anthologies, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Romance, and Short Story.

Work experience:

  • Bedford/St. Martin's
  • Self-employed

Kit 5 star rating

Boston, MA, USA

Queer editor of New York Times, Tor, and Elle best books ▪ interested in LGBTQ+ fiction and genre (sff, spec fic, romance) ▪ she/her

Genres: LGBTQ Fiction, Fiction, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Macmillan
  • Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency
  • Self-employed
  • Ploughshares
  • Emerson College
  • Bywater Books

Sirah 5 star rating

Boston, MA, USA

Careful inspections, thorough explanations, and considerate guidance for inclusive picture books and middle grade novels.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Middle Grade Fantasy, Picture Books, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Comics & Graphic Novels.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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Emily 5 star rating

Boston, MA, USA

Editor specializing in romance, fantasy, and YA, with experience editing NYT bestsellers. Author with Simon and Schuster + HarperCollins.

Genres: Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Women's Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Romantic Fantasy, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary Fiction, and Romantic Comedy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Simon & Schuster
  • Orlans PC

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

Sandra 5 star rating

Omaha, United States

Skilled nonfiction book editor in business/leadership, true crime, selected memoirs. Get from idea to published. I love first-time authors.

Genres: Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Psychology, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and True Crime.

Work experience:

  • Southeast Community College
  • Self-employed
  • Metropolitan Community College

Meredith 5 star rating

Bothell, WA, United States

Writer, collaborative editor, and writing coach specializing in helping clients tell their best stories.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Nature, Women's Fiction, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Short Story, and Education & Reference.

Work experience:

  • UW Medicine
  • Talaria, Inc.
  • Ashford University
  • Enclara Health
  • North Seattle Community College
  • Antioch University Seattle
  • Self-employed

Fast, friendly editor who is alarmingly fond of Dystopian novels. Also: Sci-fi, all Fantasy, Women’s Fiction, YA, Christian-yes, absolutely.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Fiction, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Technothriller, Thriller & Suspense, Contemporary Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Romantic Fantasy, Romance, Middle Grade, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • SNHU
  • Wheelock College
  • Self-employed

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

Experienced LGBTQ+ book editor specializing in fiction and nonfiction. 5+ years in developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading.

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, DIY & Crafts, Entertainment, and Fashion & Textiles.

Work experience:

  • Page Street Publishing Co.
  • Ploughshares
  • Harvard Education Publishing Group

Lauren 5 star rating

Boston, MA, USA

Literary agent specializing in YA and children's literature, upmarket fiction, and projects in the religion/spirituality space.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Freelance
  • Flatiron Books
  • Pen and Press
  • Pearson PLC
  • Kenyon Review
  • Lucinda Literary

Jenna 5 star rating

Boston, MA, USA

NYT bestselling author, 27-year novel workshop leader, and editor dedicated to helping you get your novel/memoir published! #BookWhisperer

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, and Coming of Age.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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 Boston, Massachusetts

The best books require a lot of structural changes, even when you're truly pleased with your first draft. A developmental editor in Boston can turn your work into a bestseller — and they’re the first type of editor you should look at hiring, before you even think about smaller changes.

Developmental editors will look at the “big picture” of your story, fixing overarching and fundamental issues or inconsistencies with theme, plot, character development, and setting. Your professional will work alongside your creative voice to help you convey your story in the clearest way possible.

You can find all the best local developmental editors in Boston right here at Reedsy. Our community of professionals is vetted intensively so we only offer the best — many of whom have prior experiences working with the biggest publishers. Sign up to Reedsy to explore our community and kickstart your editing journey.

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