The best children's book developmental editing services

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Maya 5 star rating

Charlotte, NC, United States

From the big picture to the tiniest detail, here to help you polish your craft. I work with publishers and individual authors.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Thriller & Suspense, Dystopian, Science Fiction, and Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits.

Work experience:

  • Self-Employed

Rachel 5 star rating

New York, United States

Literary agent turned editor of fiction & select memoir where narratives and protagonists have distinct, identifiable voices.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Humor & Comedy, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Middle Grade, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • Dystel & Goderich Literary Management
  • Self-employed

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

Jenn 5 star rating

Leawood, KS, United States

I am an award-winning author and editor of books for children and young adults. I specialize in humor, fantasy, and scifi.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Picture Books, Children's, Action & Adventure, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Children’s Non-Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Kathryn 5 star rating

Chicago, United States

Experienced developmental book editor specializing in parenting books as well as children's PB, MG and YA fiction.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Parenting & Families, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Sourcebooks, Inc.
  • American Academy of Pediatrics
  • The Purcell Literary Agency
  • Entangled Publishing
  • Author Claudia Gray

Rebecca 5 star rating

New York, NY, United States

With 10+ years of experience working at NYC publishers, I've edited 100s of books across genres. Thorough, candid, and easy to work with!

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Young Adult, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Education & Reference, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Disney Publishing Worldwide
  • McGraw-Hill Education
  • Penguin Random House
  • Self-employed
  • Macmillan/McGraw-Hill Education

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

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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

Nevin 5 star rating

Portland, OR, United States

My goal is to guide writers to their best work, to coach them in eloquence and clarity, to lead them to their best stories and storytelling.

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

Work experience:

  • Scholastic
  • Penguin Random House
  • Government Technology magazine
  • Self-employed
  • Green Bean Books
  • Portland State University

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

Nora 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Former Putnam Managing Editor edits all children's book genres, from picture books to middle grade chapter books to young adult teen novels.

Genres: Children's and Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Children's Book Editing

Julie 5 star rating

Yarmouth, Maine, USA

With 16 years of experience as a book editor, I specialize in shaping picture books and middle-grade novels at all stages of development.

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

Work experience:

  • Charlesbridge
  • Simmons University, Center for the Study of Children's Literature

Jared 5 star rating

Nashville, TN, USA

Editor with more than 15 years of experience. Specializes in Christian non-fiction, self-help and improvement, and biographies/memoirs.

Genres: Christian Non-Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Finance & Accounting, Math & Science, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Children’s Non-Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Political Science & Current Affairs, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • HIM Publications
  • Franklin Madison Group, LLC
  • ACLJ

Sirah 5 star rating

Boston, MA, USA

Careful inspections, thorough explanations, and considerate guidance for inclusive picture books and middle grade novels.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Sally 5 star rating

Atlanta, GA, USA

Agent-turned-publisher with decades of experience--mainly in children's lit. Experienced with the general market and the Christian market.

Genres: Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Christian Non-Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Fantasy, Picture Books, Children's, Middle Grade, and Christian Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Udemy

Jeff 5 star rating

Clifton Park, NY, USA

Author, editor, consultant. Fifteen years in publishing. Specializing in fantasy, sci-fi, horror, YA, and the genre-defying.

Genres: Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Gaming & LitRPG, Contemporary Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Action & Adventure, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Jeannette 5 star rating

New York City, NY, USA

Experienced editor specializing in children’s books. Insightful creative partner ready to help your work reach its full potential.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Harcourt Children's Books
  • Harcourt Children's Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers
  • Flyaway Books, a sister imprint to WJK Press

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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.

How it works

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Step 1

Apply filters

Reedsy is home to thousands of professionals. Select the specific services you need and narrow your search based on your book’s genre and requirements.

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.

Reedsy | Developmental editing — find the gem | 2024-09

Find the gem in your early draft

The best developmental editors in the industry are on Reedsy. Come meet them.