17+ Best cozy mysteries developmental editors for hire in the United States

Patrick

New York, NY, United States

Hands-on, thoughtful editor specializing in memoir, self-help, thriller, mystery, suspense, and YA fiction. Formerly of Simon and Schuster.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Entertainment, Sex & Relationships, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Thriller & Suspense, Cozy Mysteries, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

Self-Employed
Simon & Schuster / Simon Pulse
Simon & Schuster / Simon Spotlight Entertainment (SSE) and Gallery Books
International Creative Management (ICM)
Matt DeCoursey Enterprises / Realist Books

Megan

New York, NY, United States

Former Kensington editor with 17 years' experience, specializing in romance, mystery, fantasy, sci-fi, & YA. Let's make your project shine!

Genres: Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Fantasy, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Fantasy, Romantic Comedy, Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, and Historical Romance.

Work experience:

Kensington Publishing
Harlequin
Kaplan
Self-employed

Maria

Kansas City, MO, United States

Insightful, inspiring Developmental Editor of 25+ years specializing in Historical fiction, Self-Help, Spec fiction. Tailored-to-you edits.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Post-Apocalyptic, Philosophy, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Psychology.

Work experience:

Self-employed

Robyn

Abilene, Texas, USA

Specializing in YA, fantasy, comedy, mystery, and faith-based manuscripts through review, development, content editing, and author coaching.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Fantasy, Humor & Comedy, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Business & Management, Christian Non-Fiction, and Religion & Spirituality.

Work experience:

(Texas-Based Publishing Service)
Creative Word Editing
HarperCollins/Blink YA
ACU Press & Leafwood Publishers
Self Employed

Anja

Long Beach, NY, USA

25 years' experience editing nonfiction—including food/drink, memoirs, history, wellness—and fiction. Efficient, timely, and professional.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, DIY & Crafts, Health & Wellbeing, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, LGBTQ Non-Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

Tiller Press/Simon & Schuster
Time Inc. Books/Oxmoor House
Kyle Books/Quarto Books
DK Publishing Inc./Penguin Random House
Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins
Self-employed

Jen

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

Work experience:

Hallmark Publishing
Self-employed

MJ

Chicago, IL, USA

Fiction editor at top trade publisher with over 9 years of experience editing debuts and bestsellers across genres - collaborative and kind!

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Romantic Comedy, Romance, Thriller & Suspense, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

Sourcebooks

Holly

East Rutherford, NJ, USA

NYT-bestselling, award-winning editor with over 17 years of industry experience, specializing in mysteries, thrillers, suspense, WF, romance

Genres: Women's Fiction, Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Historical Romance, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Suspense, and Historical Mysteries.

Work experience:

St. Martin's Press
Self-employed
BookEnds, LLC
Crooked Lane Books/Alcove Press

Lynsey

Missoula, United States

(She/they.) Over a decade of in-house and freelance editorial work for Big 5 publishers & private clients across genres.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Women's Fiction, Science Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Biographies & Memoirs, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

Penguin Random House
Fordham University Press
City College of New York
Skadden-Arps Legal Studies Program at City College of New York
WHACK! Magazine
Penguin Group (USA)
Self-employed

Martin Roy

San Diego, CA, USA

Professional editor and national award-winning author with a wide range of experience in fiction and nonfiction publishing.

Genres: Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Action & Adventure, Historical Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Cozy Mysteries, Military Science Fiction, Science Fiction, Short Story, and Writing & Publishing.

Work experience:

Self-employed
Naval Health Research Center
San Diego Business Journal
San Diego Magazine
The Log Newspapers
Palm Springs Desert Sun

Melissa

New York, NY, USA

Collaborative developmental editing from a publishing professional of 7+ years

Genres: Historical Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Thriller & Suspense, Romantic Fantasy, and Romance.

Work experience:

Crooked Lane Books

Shannon

Seattle, WA, USA

Experienced, encouraging developmental + copy editor to help you get one step closer to publishing. I love romance, fantasy, and mystery!

Genres: Women's Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy, and Romantic Fantasy.

Work experience:

Self-employed
Various

Ashley

Jersey City, NJ, USA

A supportive and collaborative editorial professional with 10+ years’ experience across print and digital—and a total bookworm.

Genres: Women's Fiction, Fiction, Business & Management, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Literary Fiction, and Short Story.

Work experience:

Prairie Schooner, University of Nebraska
History Press
Publishers Weekly
CreateSpace, an Amazon.com Company
Milkweed Editions
Yemassee Journal
Self-employed
Compose.ly
Turner Publishing
The Book Incubator

Bryn

Chicago, IL, USA

Former executive editor in publishing, specializing in romance and mystery. I give detailed but encouraging edits, and I help with querying!

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, and Romantic Comedy.

Work experience:

Self-employed
Hallmark Publishing at the Hallmark Channel

Laura

Westfield, NJ, USA

Romance and Mystery/Thriller Editor prev. at Penguin Random House (Berkley), Hachette (James Patterson), and Hooked. Let's perfect a story.

Genres: Romantic Suspense, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Espionage, Historical Romance, Paranormal Romance, and Romantic Comedy.

Work experience:

Penguin Random House
Hachette, James Patterson's BookShots
Hooked
Self-employed

Robert

Ocala, FL, USA

Developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading of fiction and memoir. Authors of all experience levels welcome!

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Dark Romance, Romance, New Adult, Young Adult, Cozy Mysteries, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

Elite Editing, New York City
Self-employed

Lindsay

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: