The best developmental editors for hire near Los Angeles

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Angela 5 star rating

Los Angeles, United States

Editor of more than 1,000 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
  • New York Book Editors

William 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

I have 40 years of professional experience as a writer and editor specializing in history, the arts, entertainment, and general nonfiction.

Genres: Entertainment, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, History, Philosophy, and Architecture.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • J. Paul Getty Trust
  • Time Magazine

Lee 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Hello! I’m an Emmy-winning TV and Feature Film writer with over twenty years of experience and I'm excited to help make your writing shine.

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

Work experience:

  • E! Entertainment
  • Discovery
  • Hulu
  • Amazon

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

Brian 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

I’m a book editor and ghostwriter, formerly an editor at W.W. Norton and Wiley. I focus nonfiction books, particularly memoirs and business.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Education & Reference, Classics, Fiction, Nature, Entertainment, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Religion & Spirituality, and Business & Management.

Work experience:

  • John Wiley & Sons
  • W. W. Norton
  • Self-employed

Rebecca 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Former longtime TV studio executive and current independent producer and script consultant, I can help at any stage of your writing process.

Genres: Plays & Screenplays, Fiction, Coming of Age, Contemporary Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Mystery & Crime, Mashups, Romance, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Australians in Film
  • Warner Bros. Television
  • Stage 13 | Warner Bros. Digital Networks
  • Sundance Institute
  • UppiTV, CBS Studios overall deal

David 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Developmental & Copy Editor for Literary, Horror, SF, and Cross-Genre Fiction | 100+ 5★ Reviews

Genres: Short Story, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Young Adult, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Espionage, Thriller & Suspense, Horror, Literary Fiction, Space Opera, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Freelance
  • Hearst Business Media
  • Sleeping Giant

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Chelsea 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

I specialize in science fiction, fantasy, romance, and Black/African American lived experiences. I am also a master of humor and dialogue.

Genres: Children's, Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • The Bent Agency

Lauren 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Collaborative former Big 5 editor specializing in biography/memoir, mind/body/spirit, self-help, and women's fiction. Let's work together!

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, LGBTQ Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Women's Fiction, and Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Hachette Books
  • Tiller Press (S&S/Simon Element)

Madeleine 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

I have nine years of professional experience with presses and universities. I can help you polish your work into something spectacular!

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Education & Reference, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Red Hen Press
  • Mills College
  • Scripps College
  • Snowflake

Jamie 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Bestselling editor specializing in memoir, self-help, business, mind/body/spirit, and nonfiction w/ Simon and Schuster, Wiley, Shambhala...

Genres: Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Sex & Relationships, Business & Management, and New Age.

Work experience:

  • Rise Books/Rise Writers
  • Row House Publishing
  • Spirit Bound Press

Briana 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

A developmental and copy editor with a decade of editorial experience. I have a keen eye for what makes a good fiction story flow well.

Genres: Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Cedar Fort Publishing and Media
  • Booz Allen Hamilton
  • Employee Solutions Group

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

Jay 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

I’m passionate about words and sentences and well-told stories. Helping manuscripts find their fullest potential is one of my greatest joys

Genres: Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Young Adult, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Coming of Age, Science Fiction, and Cultural & Ethnic.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Eve 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Award-winning Simon and Schuster author. Former lit agent. Polishing manuscripts to perfection for 20 years. Specialize in queries/synopses.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, True Crime, Non-Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Jill Corcoran Literary Agency (Now part of Transatlantic Agency)
  • Simon and Schuster/Simon Pulse
  • University of California (UCLA and UCSD)

Erin 5 star rating

Los Angeles, United States

Experienced writer, editor and agent with an MFA in Creative Writing. I have edited NYT bestsellers, including The Maze Runner. 15+ 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

Danielle 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Hello! I'm Danielle, children's book author and picture book coach, editor, and teacher. My second language is children's books.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Writers Digest University

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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.

How it works

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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.