The best historical fiction book developmental editing services

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Home > United States > Developmental Editors > Historical Fiction

Anne 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, United States

I'm a former LGBTQ+ Editor in Chief with a film background and years of success nurturing star writers and beginners. Let's tell your story!

Genres: LGBTQ Fiction, Fiction, Plays & Screenplays, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, LGBTQ Non-Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Historical Fiction, Inspirational, and Entertainment.

Work experience:

  • The Advocate
  • Senior Arts & Entertainment Editor
  • Well Again
  • self
  • 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

Julie 5 star rating

New York, United States

I'm an editor with nearly two decades of experience in publishing, most recently at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Short Story, Middle Grade, Children's, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, and Dystopian.

Work experience:

  • Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Marcy 5 star rating

Montclair, NJ, United States

I am a published novelist. I want you to become one, too. I specialize in literary fiction, YA, women's fiction, thrillers and memoir.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopian, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Knopf
  • Dow Jones
  • About.com

Erik 5 star rating

Minneapolis, MN, United States

Editor with years of in-house experience. Founder of a literary agency. Writer. Host of Print Run Podcast.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Career Guides, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Nature, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Sports & Outdoors, Life Sciences, and Math & Science.

Work experience:

  • Red Sofa Literary Agency
  • Self-employed
  • The Overlook Press
  • Oxford University Press
  • Headwater Literary Management

Beth 5 star rating

Guilford, Connecticut, USA

Experienced editor of award-winning fiction and non-fiction with a keen eye for detail and 15+ years of industry experience.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Romance, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Chick Lit, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Penguin Random House (South Africa)
  • Private
  • Self-employed
  • Random House Struik

Eve 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Award-winning Simon and Schuster author. Former lit agent. Polishing manuscripts to perfection for 20 years. Specialize in queries/synopses.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, True Crime, Non-Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Jill Corcoran Literary Agency (Now part of Transatlantic Agency)
  • Simon and Schuster/Simon Pulse
  • University of California (UCLA and UCSD)

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Leslie 5 star rating

New York City, NY, USA

I'm an editor of award-winning children's books, with over twenty years of experience working on picture books, middle grade, and YA novels.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Middle Grade Fantasy, Picture Books, Social & Family Issues, Young Adult, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • Scholastic
  • Freelance

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)

Jodi 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, United States

Editor with an MFA and a lot of energy. I love to work in memoir, fiction, and humor. My forte: lean prose that moves.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Historical Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Humor & Comedy, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Chris 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Former Big 5 editor with 10+ years of experience in publishing/media. Fave genres: romance, sci-fi, fantasy, YA, historical

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Romance, Middle Grade, Children's, Coming of Age, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Realm (formerly Serial Box)
  • Macmillan
  • McGraw-Hill Education
  • The Fordham Ram
  • Condé Nast
  • WFUV (90.7 FM)

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

Andrea 5 star rating

Raleigh, NC, USA

25 years editing/agenting debut and bestselling commercial fiction. Penguin/RH, St. Martins, Amazon. Expert eye for story and market.

Genres: Women's Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Mystery & Crime, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • 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

Jennifer 5 star rating

Yucaipa, California, USA

Developmental editor with over 19 years of experience specializing in Christian fiction and sweet romance in all forms. Worked at Zondervan.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction, Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Christian Non-Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, and Writing & Publishing.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Zondervan/HarperCollins

Sarah 5 star rating

Bainbridge Island, WA, USA

Efficient, thorough, and highly experienced editor with freelance and in-house background in educational publishing.

Genres: Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences, Math & Science, Non-Fiction, Education & Reference, Career Guides, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Historical Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Proof Positive/Farrowlyne Associates

Samantha 5 star rating

White Plains, NY, USA

Literary Agent at Thompson Literary with more than a decade of industry experience. I love finding creative solutions to elevate a story!

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Contemporary Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Thompson Literary Agency
  • Writers House LLC
  • Writers House LLC.

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Hire the best historical fiction developmental editors

Historical fiction relies on creativity and a grounding in historical accuracy in equal measure. Want to make sure you’ve nailed both? You’re in the right place, we recommend you hire a developmental editor — and we can help you find one.

Developmental editors are like expert historians, stepping back and analyzing each piece of your manuscript as a whole. They’ll look at the wider picture and identify problems in your structure, characterization, and pacing, prompting rewrites if they spot something awry.

Given that, you’ll want to hire a historical fiction developmental editor whose expertise and knowledge of the historical fiction genre you trust. That’s why we’ve curated the Reedsy Marketplace — a community of thoroughly vetted professionals, with years studying and working for Big 5 publishers under their belts to back up their critiques. Want to connect with them? Join us to start requesting free quotes today.

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