The best fantasy book developmental editing services

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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

Steven 5 star rating

Vermont, United States

Intuitive, expert editor with 30 yrs experience teaching fiction writing at a major university. Well-published, knowledgeable, honest, kind.

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

Work experience:

  • Miami University, Oxford, OH
  • Colby College, Waterville,ME
  • Self-employed

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

Megan 5 star rating

New York, NY, United States

A 20 year veteran of the publishing industry, Megan spent a decade at Simon & Schuster and has acquired and edited many bestsellers.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Thriller & Suspense, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, and Paranormal Romance.

Work experience:

  • Simon & Schuster
  • Freelance

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

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: Young Adult, Fiction, 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

Jim 5 star rating

Perry Hall, MD, United States

Crafting a work of fiction is a gloriously arduous process. With over twenty years of experience at one of the big NYC houses, I can help.

Genres: Action & Adventure, Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Middle Grade Fantasy, Coming of Age, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Random House

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Holly 5 star rating

Springfield, United States

Experienced fiction editor, formerly with Samhain Publishing. I specialize in romance and other genre fiction.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Romance, LGBTQ Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Psychological Thriller, New Adult, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Samhain Publishing, Ltd
  • Self-employed
  • Mundania Press
  • Lyrical Press

Kathy 5 star rating

San Diego, United States

Freelance copyeditor and proofreader offering 25 years of experience in scientific and educational publishing

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Medicine, Nursing, & Dentistry, Math & Science, Nature, Action & Adventure, Classics, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, Education & Reference, Science Fiction, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Academic Press (Elsevier Science/Harcourt)
  • Academic Press
  • Brian F. Smith and Associates (Archaeologist)
  • Converse Consultants West
  • Cajon Valley, Mountain Empire, and Palm Middle Schools
  • Self-employed

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

Shire 5 star rating

Berkeley, CA, USA

A fiction/non-fiction editor with wide-ranging interests, I specialize in refining the elements of good writing: voice, style, and grammar.

Genres: Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Contemporary Romance, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Inkshares
  • Lost Roads Press
  • Farrar, Straus and Giroux
  • New Directions

Kelly 5 star rating

Springfield, OR, USA

I invest my experience in editing your book and show you how to write tighter while retaining your voice. It’s still your story—only better!

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade Fantasy, Children's, Time Travel Romance, Dark Romance, Dystopian, Science Fiction, and Romantic Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • The Wild Rose Press

Gill 5 star rating

Arlington Heights, IL, USA

Developmental editor and copy editor specializing in romance and fantasy novels and fast-turnaround work. Experience with Hallmark.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Hallmark Cards
  • National Catholic Reporter
  • St. John LaLande Catholic School

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

Philip 5 star rating

Seattle, WA, USA

Former managing editor at Wizards of the Coast, working for 30+ years in fantasy, SF, horror, thriller, literary, and narrative non-fiction.

Genres: Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Gaming & LitRPG, Space Opera, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Wizards of the Coast
  • Self-employed

Oksana 5 star rating

Las Vegas, NV, USA

Bestselling author & editor helping writers craft compelling, publishable books across literary and genre fiction.

Genres: Cultural & Ethnic, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Literary Fiction, Fantasy, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Central European University, Critical Romani Studies Journal
  • University of Nevada, Las Vegas
  • Netflix
  • Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
  • University of Leipzig, Germany
  • Library of Congress
  • Inanna Publications

Jenny 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Expert editor of genre and literary fiction as well as creative nonfiction, including work with NYT bestselling authors.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Thriller & Suspense, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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Hire the best fantasy developmental editors

There are a lot of moving parts for authors to juggle in the fantasy genre. It’s a genre that requires rich and original imagination, and requires its writers to think carefully about setting, characterization, and wielding the two in parallel to craft an intriguing and satisfying narrative arc.

From identifying redundant scenes to spotting crucial transitions currently lacking, a fantasy developmental editor can help you deal your story’s big picture. Is the plot’s resolution plausible and persuasive? Have you left any loose threads? Does the beginning hook the reader in enough?

Hiring one of our fantasy developmental editors can help you answer all of these questions. The professionals on our marketplace have been carefully vetted, and have extensive experience working with Big 5 publishers and bestselling authors. Sign up to Reedsy today to browse their profiles and talk to them about your project.

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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

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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.