The best cozy mysteries book developmental editing services

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Madison 5 star rating

Lawrence, KS, USA

Developmental editor and copyeditor with experience in memoir/biography, adult/YA/middle grade fiction, romance, and trade nonfiction.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Middle Grade Fantasy, Children's, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Young Adult, Gaming & LitRPG, Fantasy, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Romantic Fantasy, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Ooligan Press
  • Self-employed

Kristen 5 star rating

San Francisco, CA, USA

PhD-trained editor helping experienced fiction writers elevate their craft with kind, insightful feedback and strategic guidance

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Women's Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Historical Romance, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, and Coming of Age.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Chronicle Books
  • Columbia University

Celia 5 star rating

Boston, MA, USA

Mystery/suspense/true crime editor, over a decade of experience at major houses, New York Times bestselling and award-winning titles.

Genres: True Crime, Non-Fiction, Legal Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Medical Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, and Historical Mysteries.

Work experience:

  • Grand Central Publishing
  • Random House
  • Slice Literary
  • Self-employed

Stacey 5 star rating

Arvada, CO, USA

Twenty+ years editing cozies, mysteries, sci fis, and more. I edit more than I'm paid for! Gentle, professional, detailed for your success.

Genres: Humor & Comedy, Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Science Fiction, Coming of Age, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Rozi 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Too many words? Not enough? A subplot that wandered off like a Roomba? I refine structure & polish prose so your story can shine. | PRH alum

Genres: Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Women's Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, and Urban Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Time Inc.
  • Penguin Random House
  • The Developmental
  • EFA

Heather 5 star rating

Loveland, OH, USA

I am an editor specializing in romance of all subgenres, including Contemporary, Fantasy, and Urban Fantasy. Worked at Tor/Forge, Macmillan.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Romantic Comedy, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Romantic Suspense, Dark Romance, and Romantic Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Samhain Publishing
  • Tor Books
  • Ellora's Cave Publishing
  • Self-employed

Wendy 5 star rating

Lowell, MA, USA

Skilled developmental and copy editor specializing in middle grade and YA, especially the dark stories. Let's roll up our sleeves!

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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Julia 5 star rating

Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY, USA

Developmental editor and book coach. I help fellow novelists turn their drafts into publishable manuscripts.

Genres: Women's Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Legal Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, and Psychological Thriller.

Work experience:

  • CBS News
  • St Martins/Minotaur
  • NYU
  • Self-employed

Vanessa 5 star rating

Seattle, WA, USA

15+ years as an enthusiastic editor, helping authors polish prose, sharpen storytelling, and prepare manuscripts for successful publication.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Historical Mysteries, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Military Science Fiction, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Indie Owl Press
  • SAGA Egmont
  • The Louisville Review
  • Dzanc Books
  • Self-employed

Ashley 5 star rating

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

With 15 years of experience as an editor and agent, I can help you polish and prepare your work to catch the eye of industry professionals!

Genres: Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Humanities & Social Sciences, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Chick Lit, Women's Fiction, Magical Realism, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Crooked Lane Books
  • Keen Editorial and Literary Services
  • Skyhorse Publishing
  • HarperCollins Publishers
  • Copps Literary Services
  • Manuscript Academy

Rebecca 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Editor specializing in science and business nonfiction and genre fiction. Experience in-house at HarperCollins and Kensington and agencies.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Women's Fiction, Medicine, Nursing, & Dentistry, and Math & Science.

Work experience:

  • Kensington Books
  • Folio Literary Management
  • HarperCollins
  • Self-employed

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

I edit fiction and nonfiction. Anne Perry, Caroline Leavitt, Robb Forman Dew are among my clients. I do not edit sci-fi or fantasy novels.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Historical Mysteries, and Anthologies.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Melissa 5 star rating

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

Lyndsey 5 star rating

Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA, USA

Professional editor of horror/fantasy with over five years' experience helping authors and traditional publishers elevate their novels.

Genres: Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Historical Romance, Romance, and Urban Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Eerie River Publishing (Indie Publishing House)
  • Turner Publishing (Established Traditional Publishing House)

Megan 5 star rating

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

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Hire the best cozy mystery developmental editors

Finished putting pen to paper for the first manuscript of your cozy mystery book? You might want to consider sleuthing out a developmental editor next. A cozy mystery developmental editor can see your work in the same way a detective fresh on the case might see a problem better than a DC who’s worked on it for years — free of bias.

These literary investigators step back and analyze the big picture to identify problems in your structure, characterization, and pacing. This can even lead to intensive rewrites, so you’ll want to be sure your cozy mystery developmental editor has professional experience and knowledge of cozy mystery books to back up their proposals. At Reedsy, we assure that quality. All of our professionals are vetted thoroughly, we only accept the strongest portfolios. So, why wait? Sign up for free to connect today.

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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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Once you agree on terms and a timeline, you’ll start collaborating using the many communication and editing tools available on Reedsy.