The best developmental editors for hire near Los Angeles

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Paul 5 star rating

Los Angeles, United States

I excel at copy-editing, proofreading, developmental editing, ghostwriting, all kinds of collaborating — fiction, nonfiction, humor, & more.

Genres: Humor & Comedy, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Political Science & Current Affairs, Anthologies, Music, Entertainment, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Madeleine 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Experienced editor. Specialties: self-help, psychology, spirituality, memoir, LGBTQ. You bring the content, I'll bring the polish. (Nicely!)

Genres: Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, LGBTQ Non-Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, New Age, Inspirational, Sex & Relationships, Biographies & Memoirs, and Health & Wellbeing.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Weldon Owen International

Carlyn 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Dedicated YA and Adult Contemporary, Romance, and Thriller editor. YA Author. Reader with over seven years of experience in NY publishing.

Genres: Romantic Comedy, Romance, Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • CAKE Literary
  • 141 Entertainment
  • TriadaUS Agency
  • The Bent Agency
  • Self-employed

Jesse 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Editor with a decade's experience working with best-selling and award-winning authors at Farrar, Straus & Giroux and Europa Editions.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, African American Fiction, Fiction, Political Science & Current Affairs, Art, Mystery & Crime, Contemporary Fiction, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Farrar, Straus and Giroux
  • Self-employed
  • NationBuilder
  • NY Book Editors
  • Europa Editions

Cara 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

An editor & book coach, I help writers find their voice & connect with readers. I specialize in children's books, how-to, & women’s fiction.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, DIY & Crafts, Non-Fiction, Sports & Outdoors, Children’s Non-Fiction, Literary Fiction, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Claire 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

I've served as a developmental editor on over 30 non-fiction titles, specializing in psychology, personal development and media subjects.

Genres: Career Guides, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Entertainment, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Wit & Spark
  • Scribe Media
  • At large

Jodi 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, United States

Editor with an MFA and a lot of energy. I love to work in memoir, fiction, and humor. My forte: lean prose that moves.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Historical Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Humor & Comedy, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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Matt 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Emmy Award winning TV writer with over twenty years of experience. Loves funny stories about music, sports, and fascinating people.

Genres: Humor & Comedy, Fiction, Plays & Screenplays, Entertainment, Non-Fiction, Sports & Outdoors, Music, Humanities & Social Sciences, Romantic Comedy, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Cartoon Network
  • HBO Max
  • Adult Swim
  • Disney Jr

Sandra 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

I'm a best-selling, award-winning British author, developmental and line editor, specialising in memoir . Based in Los Angeles and the U.K.

Genres: Anthologies, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Writing & Publishing, Action & Adventure, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Amy 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

I'm a bestselling author who loves working with other writers to level up their manuscripts (or query letters). Honest but a cheerleader!

Genres: Coming of Age, Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Michael 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

New York Times Bestselling fiction editor with fifteen years of publishing industry experience, specializing in sci-fi, fantasy, and horror.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Action & Adventure, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Technothriller, Historical Fiction, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Skybound Entertainment
  • Penguin Random House
  • Self-employed

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

Michael 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Graphic novel and comic editor with 5+ years experience working for First Second, BOOM! Studios, Tapas, and more.

Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels, Fiction, Comics Non-Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • First Second
  • BOOM! Studios

Angela 5 star rating

Los Angeles, United States

Editor of more than 800 books. I specialize in sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural, horror, mystery, thriller, YA, and dystopian fiction.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, LGBTQ Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Alyson Books
  • Self-employed

Erin 5 star rating

Los Angeles, United States

Experienced writer, editor and agent with an MFA in Creative Writing. I have edited New York Times bestselling books and series. 10+ years

Genres: Women's Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade Fantasy, Romance, Thriller & Suspense, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, and Urban Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • The Industry
  • tNY Press
  • Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC
  • Self-employed

Halley 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Experienced editor passionate about collaborating to polish your manuscript—mysteries, thrillers, and select nonfiction—to meet your goals.

Genres: Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Women's Fiction, Historical Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Career Guides, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Wiley
  • Self-employed
  • Putnam

Lindsay 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Collaborative and supportive dev. editor with numerous bestsellers in women's fiction & romance at Amazon, Guideposts, and Penguin.

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Chick Lit, Women's Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Freelance
  • Amazon
  • Guideposts Books
  • Penguin

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Hire the best developmental editors in Los Angeles, California

Hoping to join the ranks of Joan Didion, Truman Capote, and scores of other famous writers from Los Angeles? You might already be having visions of sold-out book tours and lucrative movie deals. But in order to publish such a fame-worthy title, you’ll first need an editor who can get your book in tip-top shape.

Specifically, you’ll need a developmental editor who will take a “big picture” approach to your manuscript and turn it into the best possible version of itself. This editor will work to improve the plot, characters, and prose, so your book’s structure is solid and its voice clear and compelling. Indeed, behind every bestseller is a skilled developmental editor who devoted themselves to unlocking that book’s full potential; your book deserves that same level of care and attention.

But with so many editors for hire in Los Angeles, it can be hard to find the one person who’s a perfect fit for your book. At Reedsy, we pre-screen all our professionals and accept only the top 3% of applications, so you’re guaranteed a high-quality editing job from any collaborator you might choose. Plus we list our pros according to location, so you can find an editor in Los Angeles right away. Simply sign up to start browsing through all our L.A. editors’ profiles and request quotes from your five favorite editors.

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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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