The best fantasy book developmental editing services

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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

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

Jim 5 star rating

Tigard, OR, United States

An editor with over twenty years of publishing experience at major houses, who has a sweet spot for genre fiction and comic books.

Genres: Action & Adventure, Fiction, Comics Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Plays & Screenplays, Comics & Graphic Novels, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Kirkus Media, LLC
  • Hachette Book Group
  • Time Warner Book Group/Hachette Book Group
  • DC Comics

Stephen 5 star rating

Maplewood, United States

Top editor for 30+ years, novelist, sf/f story writer, poet. Specializes in NF and SF/F. I'll help you write a book you're proud of. No AI.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Sports & Outdoors, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Avon Books
  • Wiley
  • Amacom
  • Thomas Dunne Books

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

Rachel 5 star rating

New York, NY, United States

Editor experienced in creative development, visual storytelling, and licensed publishing. I solve problems.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Action & Adventure, Anthologies, Comics Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Entertainment, Middle Grade, Children's, Mystery & Crime, Comics & Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • DC Entertainment
  • Self-employed
  • Little Bee Books
  • Emergents Universe

Andrew 5 star rating

San Diego, CA, United States

Former New York trade editor of thrillers, mysteries, science fiction and fantasy, horror, and narrative and military nonfiction/history.

Genres: Action & Adventure, Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Entertainment.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Company Name Redacted. Please contact through Reedsy for editorial service.
  • Berkley Publishing Group, Donald I Fine, Inc, Dell, Avon and Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
  • Scovil Chichak Galen Literary Agency, Inc.
  • The Berkley Publishing Group

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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

Jasmine 5 star rating

Beaverton, OR, USA

As a fantasy author with a Master of Arts in Book Publishing, Jasmine knows the editorial process from every angle.

Genres: LGBTQ Fiction, Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Literary Fiction, Writing & Publishing, Non-Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Ooligan Press
  • Altonimbus Entertainment (dba Kumoricon)

Autumn 5 star rating

Trinity, FL, USA

Manuscript Assessment: $500 (up to 60k words) Development editor specializing in horror, speculative fantasy, poetry, memoir & business.

Genres: Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, DIY & Crafts, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Urban Fantasy, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Random House
  • Inkwell
  • Tomasino Agency

Karen 5 star rating

Akron, Ohio, USA

Former editor with Writer's Digest books and magazine, now of Future Perfect Editing. Bring me your fantasy novels, MG/YA fiction, and more!

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Writing & Publishing, History, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Writer's Digest
  • Etruscan Press
  • Disney Publishing
  • Penn State Harrisburg Russell E. Horn Sr. Learning Center
  • Miami University Howe Writing Center
  • Cincinnati Opera

Oren 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

I'm an editor for a wide range of books across many genres, including NYT and WSJ bestsellers, sci-fi/fantasy/horror novels, and more.

Genres: Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance, Mystery & Crime, Young Adult, and Action & Adventure.

Work experience:

  • Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
  • Self-employed

Experienced science fiction and fantasy editor in love with the art and science of editing. I'll help you tell your story, your way.

Genres: Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, Space Opera, Romantic Fantasy, Romance, and Gaming & LitRPG.

Work experience:

  • Mandala Publishing / Earth Aware Editions / Insight Editions
  • Self-employed

Darryl 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Experienced editor with an excellent editorial eye for plot, pacing, dialogue, and character development.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, African American Fiction, Romance, Mystery & Crime, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Biographies & Memoirs, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Penguin Random House
  • Kimball Publishing
  • La Salle High School
  • Orange Media Network
  • MasterClass
  • The Muse
  • Getty Publications (J. Paul Getty Museum)

Aja 5 star rating

Austin, United States

Making sure your prose sings, your facts and story are straight, and your unique voice shines through.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Music, Entertainment, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Simon & Schuster
  • on my porch, at a coffee shop, in far-flung places . . .

Developmental, copy editor, and publishing coach, who works with hundreds of motivated authors to produce professional and polished books.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Children's, Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Mystery & Crime, and Urban Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Lauren 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Peripatetic editor of genre and literary fiction since 2015, with clients, publishers, and imprints under Macmillan, Penguin, and Tor.

Genres: LGBTQ Fiction, Fiction, Women's Fiction, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Historical Romance, Romance, Science Fiction, LGBTQ Non-Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Hamilton College

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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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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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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.