The best children's book developmental editing services

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Julia 5 star rating

Charleston, SC, United States

Line and copy editor, with content capabilities. I have the most experience in nonfiction, but my favorite edits are middle grade and YA.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • The History Press
  • Newgen KnowledgeWorks
  • Amnet

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

Georgette 5 star rating

Carmel, IN, United States

I'm a freelance editor and proofreader who's committed to helping authors produce the best work possible for their audiences.

Genres: Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Picture Books, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
  • Scholastic Reading Counts!

Kate 5 star rating

Baltimore, United States

Former S&S editor w/20 years of experience editing NYT bestselling & award-winning authors such as Nova Ren Suma & Kekla Magoon.

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Fantasy, Fantasy, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Children's, Women's Fiction, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Simon & Schuster Children's Books

Erik 5 star rating

Minneapolis, MN, United States

Editor with years of in-house experience. Founder of a literary agency. Writer. Host of Print Run Podcast.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Career Guides, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Nature, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Sports & Outdoors, Life Sciences, and Math & Science.

Work experience:

  • Red Sofa Literary Agency
  • Self-employed
  • The Overlook Press
  • Oxford University Press
  • Headwater Literary Management

Laura 5 star rating

New York, NY, United States

Expert developmental and line editor, ghostwriter, and consultant collaborates on all aspects of nonfiction and fiction for adults and kids.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Poetry, Inspirational, Women's Fiction, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Jill Grinberg Literary Management
  • Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
  • Pocket Books
  • Simon & Schuster
  • Penguin USA
  • Theater Communications Group

Brooke 5 star rating

New York, NY, United States

Passionate picture book editor with 15+ years' editorial experience for companies including Disney and Penguin.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, and Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Disney Publishing Worldwide
  • Penguin Random House
  • Sterling Publishing

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Tracy 5 star rating

Baltimore, MD, United States

Passionate about helping writers realize their visions. I love picture books (especially rhyme!), young adult, fantasy, memoir, and more.

Genres: Short Story, Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Biographies & Memoirs, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Agent Carrie Pestritto (formerly of Prospect Agency, now with LDLA)
  • Marketing Agency
  • University of Baltimore
  • SCBWI MD/DE/WV
  • Self-employed

Laura 5 star rating

Denver, CO, USA

Editor and published author (Penguin Random House, Simon and Schuster) with over a decade of experience. Expert in novel and query edits.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Women's Fiction, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Romance, Middle Grade, Children's, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Workman, Sourcebooks

Sean 5 star rating

Denton, TX, United States

Editor of bestselling, award-winning middle grade, YA, and adult books, specializing in fantasy and sci-fi. Let's make your book stand out!

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade Fantasy, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Romantic Fantasy, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Andrea Hurst and Associates, LLC
  • Andrea Hurst and Associates
  • Self-employed
  • Relay Publishing, LLC
  • The Editorial Department

YA and MG specialist. Author of 5 published books and 2 forthcoming (Simon and Schuster, Norton). Former editorial assistant at Entangled.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Romance, Action & Adventure, Middle Grade Fantasy, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Entangled Publishing
  • Simon and Schuster, Norton
  • Self-employed
  • Nimrod International Journal

Emily 5 star rating

Salina, KS, USA

Copy editor with ten years of experience editing religious books, memoirs, academic texts, and children's books for two major publishers

Genres: Children's, Fiction, Christian Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Education & Reference, Health & Wellbeing, Humanities & Social Sciences, Christian Non-Fiction, and Religion & Spirituality.

Work experience:

  • Concordia Publishing House
  • Rowman & Littlefield

Olivia 5 star rating

Oakland, CA, USA

Collaborative developmental editor with 10+ years of experience, specializing in comics/graphic novels, children's books, and memoirs.

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

Work experience:

  • West Margin Press
  • Image Comics
  • Zest Books
  • Self-employed

JANE 5 star rating

Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Former publisher with 35 yrs of editing kid's books and literary fiction in CA, UK, EU and US. I'd love to help you craft your next book!

Genres: Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, African American Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Middle Grade, Children's, Picture Books, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • The Montreal Gazette
  • Tundra Books/Les livres Toundra
  • Optimum Publishing
  • C.D. Howe Institute
  • Roussan Editeur Inc.
  • Reedsy

Diana 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Diana M. P. is a Hugo Award-winning editor, expert in sci-fi, fantasy, horror, young adult, comics & middle grade.

Genres: LGBTQ Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction, Short Story, Middle Grade, Children's, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Tor Books, Tor Teen, Starscape & Tor.com Publishing at Tom Doherty Associates
  • Tor.com
  • Science Fiction Book Club
  • Self-employed
  • Erewhon Books

Serene 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Literary agent w/ 10 yrs publishing experience with an editorial focus on YA and literary fiction. I can edit your book with an eye to sell.

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

Work experience:

  • Ayesha Pande Literary
  • Laura Gross Literary Agency
  • David R. Godine
  • Chase Literary Agency

Maya 5 star rating

Schenectady, NY, USA

15+ years of experience as an editor, copyeditor, and proofreader specializing in crafts, kid lit, and non-fiction.

Genres: DIY & Crafts, Non-Fiction, Travel, Writing & Publishing, Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Middle Grade, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • F+W/Interweave Press
  • Self-employed
  • Cold Spring Communication, Inc.

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Hire the best children's book developmental editors

Congratulations! You’ve finished writing your children’s book, and wrapped it up by typing “THE END”! Now the real challenge starts: editing everything that you’ve written.

The editing process always begins with the developmental edit, which is a thorough review of your story’s “big picture,” from its structure to its characters to its pace. This is arguably the most important stage of editing — which is why you may want to consider hiring a children’s book developmental editor. These developmental editors have the experience and knowledge to make sure that your story is structurally sound and wonderfully readable by the time it hits the shelves.

Looking for the best children’s book developmental editors? You’re in the right place. Simply sign up for a free account on Reedsy today, and start browsing the portfolios of hundreds of developmental editors for children’s books around the world in a matter of seconds.

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