The best developmental editors for hire near Kansas City

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Claire 5 star rating

Kansas City, MO, USA

17+ years building USA Today/NYT/Bestselling/Award-Winning careers in sci-fi, fantasy, and romance. I'm thorough and kind, with short waits.

Genres: Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Historical Romance, Paranormal Romance, and Romantic Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Wordfire Press
  • The Wild Rose Press
  • Entangled Publishing

Shannon 5 star rating

Kansas City, MO, USA

Book coach and editor with 10+ years of experience. My clients include award-winning authors and publishers. Fantasy, romance, thrillers.

Genres: Paranormal Romance, Romance, Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Fantasy, Dystopian, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Mid-Continent Public Library
  • Self-employed
  • Pitch Wars
  • Writers House
  • Penguin Random House

Corinne 5 star rating

Boyne City, MI, USA

12 years of experience and over 250 books. Best-selling authors Juliette Cross, T.S. Joyce, and John Ellsworth. Kensington and Carina Press.

Genres: Romantic Suspense, Romance, Fiction, Legal Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Paranormal Romance, Romantic Fantasy, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Kensington Publishing
  • Carina Press

Pamela 5 star rating

New York City, NY, USA

Editing text to strengthen impact is my skill. Creating engaging cohesive culture, history, science, and food narratives are my specialties.

Genres: Architecture, Non-Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Design, Fashion & Textiles, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
  • Sterling Publishing Company
  • Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc.

Diane 5 star rating

Lawrence, Kansas, United States

My sweet spot is MG and YA fiction. I'll help you find your story (ornery manuscripts don't scare me!) and figure out how to tell it.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Leslie 5 star rating

New York City, NY, USA

I'm an editor of award-winning children's books, with over twenty years of experience working on picture books, middle grade, and YA novels.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Middle Grade Fantasy, Picture Books, Social & Family Issues, Young Adult, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • Scholastic
  • Freelance

Jen 5 star rating

Kansas City, MO, USA

Thorough and encouraging editor of fantasy, romance, and mystery. 10+ years editing for indie authors. 3+ years at Hallmark Publishing.

Genres: Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Romantic Comedy, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, and Romantic Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Hallmark Publishing
  • Self-employed

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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

Sam 5 star rating

New York City, NY, USA

Former literary agent specializing in genre fiction - especially fantasy, science fiction, and horror. Here to help you find your voice!

Genres: Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Space Opera, Science Fiction, and Time Travel.

Work experience:

  • Various Literary Agencies

Matt 5 star rating

Jersey City, NJ, USA

I'm a literary agent with more than a decade of experience in genres spanning science fiction/fantasy, nonfiction, and graphic novels.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Comics & Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Comics Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Tobias Literary Agency
  • David Black Agency
  • Aaron Priest Agency
  • Charles River Labs
  • Penguin Random House
  • New Leaf Literary & Media
  • The Rights Factory

Trace 5 star rating

New York City, NY, USA

Editor specializing in spirituality, religion, and self-help with 25 years of experience at Penguin Random House and Paulist Press.

Genres: Inspirational, Non-Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Religion & Spirituality, Biographies & Memoirs, Health & Wellbeing, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Paulist Press
  • Penguin Random House

Sophia 5 star rating

New York City, NY, USA

I'm currently an editor at HarperCollins. I love working collaboratively with writers at all stages of the process!

Genres: Coming of Age, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Romance, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • HarperCollins Publishers
  • The Paris Review
  • MAYDAY Magazine
  • Book Culture

Amy 5 star rating

Salt Lake City, UT, USA

I am an editor, literary agent, writing coach and copywriter. I've been working with authors to hone their manuscripts for 20+ years.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Middle Grade Fantasy, Picture Books, Young Adult, Women's Fiction, Business & Management, Non-Fiction, History, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Janklow & Nesbit Associates
  • Self-employed

Peter 5 star rating

New York City, NY, USA

Ex-UK journalist (Fleet St, BBC Radio), living in New York. Former NYC book editor now lit agent, book coach, author of fiction+nonfiction.

Genres: Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Fantasy, Children's, Thriller & Suspense, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Writing & Publishing, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Business & Management.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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

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

Anne 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, United States

I'm a former LGBTQ+ Editor in Chief with a film background and years of success nurturing star writers and beginners. Let's tell your story!

Genres: LGBTQ Fiction, Fiction, Plays & Screenplays, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, LGBTQ Non-Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Historical Fiction, Inspirational, and Entertainment.

Work experience:

  • The Advocate
  • Senior Arts & Entertainment Editor
  • Well Again
  • self
  • Self-employed

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Hire the best developmental editors in Kansas City, Missouri

Every manuscript has to be edited before publication. The developmental edit is the first part of this process, and the one that most drastically changes a manuscript, as it involves extensively evaluating plot development, character arcs, pacing, and story structure. From changing the order of events to rewriting entire scenes or condensing action for a faster pace, a manuscript emerges on the other side of developmental editing as a much sharper version of itself.

A developmental editor in Kansas City will be able to use their inside understanding of publishing trends and genre tropes to advise you on the specific areas that need improvement in your own project. This is a collaborative process, where you and your editor work consider solutions to problems together, and arrive at a tighter, more controlled manuscript.

Hire a developmental editor in Kansas City today to give your book its best chance of success. Reedsy has a large selection of talented and experienced editors, all individually vetted, so why not sign up and request a free quote today?

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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.

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