The best developmental editors for hire near Kansas City

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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, Romantic Fantasy, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Hallmark Publishing
  • Self-employed

Allison 5 star rating

Jersey City, NJ, United States

Jack-of-all-trades editor specializing in literary fiction and academic work (journal articles, book chapters, dissertations).

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Life Sciences, Math & Science, Writing & Publishing, Sports & Outdoors, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Wiley

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

Brooke 5 star rating

Kansas City, MO, USA

A dedicated and experienced editor specializing in romance genres and contemporary fiction. Let's talk!

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Fantasy, Chick Lit, Women's Fiction, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Shamrock Trading Corporation

Mozelle 5 star rating

Grove City, PA, USA

Passionate and skilled editor of 150+ titles, specializing in Creative Non-Fiction and Fiction pieces, with a background in self-publishing.

Genres: Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Fantasy, Children's, Young Adult, and Inspirational.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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

Tamson 5 star rating

New York City, NY, USA

I have twenty years of experience in editing, writing, and publishing for children of all ages at major publishing houses.

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

Work experience:

  • Disney Hyperion
  • Self-employed
  • HarperCollins Children’s Books
  • Harcourt Children’s Books

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Kate 5 star rating

New York City, NY, USA

Children's book editor of multiple NYT bestsellers (PB, MG, and YA) with 10+ years of experience - let me help you optimize your story!

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Young Adult, and Middle Grade Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Simon & Schuster
  • Sourcebooks
  • The Bent Agency

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

Pamela 5 star rating

New York City, NY, USA

Editing text to strengthen impact is my skill. Creating engaging culture, design, 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.

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

Cynthia-Marie 5 star rating

New York City, NY, USA

Award-winning writer and experienced editor who is passionate about helping others perfect projects, whether generating or polishing ideas.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Contemporary Fiction, and Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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

Melissa Ann 5 star rating

New York City, NY, USA

Former Senior Editor at Tor/Forge, edits award-winning & bestselling genre fiction for adult readers: sf/f, horror, mystery, thriller, etc.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Mystery & Crime, Medical Thriller, and Psychological Thriller.

Work experience:

  • Tor Books
  • Berkley Publishing Group

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.

Lisha 5 star rating

Kansas City, MO, USA

I am a fiction, nonfiction, and technical editor and proofreader. I am also a traditionally published author of children's books.

Genres: Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Olsson
  • Self-employed

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

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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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