The best historical fiction book developmental editing services

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Rachel 5 star rating

New York, United States

Literary agent turned editor of fiction & select memoir where narratives and protagonists have distinct, identifiable voices.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Humor & Comedy, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Middle Grade, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • Dystel & Goderich Literary Management
  • Self-employed

Jessica 5 star rating

Jacksonville, United States

Award-winning freelance editor Jessica provides practical, marketable revision advice to clients on all six habitable continents.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Historical Fiction, Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Women's Fiction, LGBTQ Non-Fiction, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Writers House
  • St. Martin's Press
  • Fox Literary LLC
  • Self-employed

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 . . .

Georgette 5 star rating

Carmel, IN, United States

I'm a freelance editor and proofreader who's committed to helping authors produce the best work possible for their audiences.

Genres: Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Picture Books, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
  • Scholastic Reading Counts!

Bestselling editor with 10+ years experience offering high-end editorial services who aims to amplify and celebrate marginalized voices.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Women's Fiction, Fantasy, LGBTQ Fiction, Young Adult, and Cultural & Ethnic.

Work experience:

  • Girl Friday Productions
  • Self-employed

Alicia 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Editor for romance, mystery, and book club fiction, with over 14 years of publishing experience across three of the largest publishers.

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

Work experience:

  • St. Martin's Press
  • Penguin Random House
  • Amazon Publishing

Jennifer 5 star rating

Lexington, KY, USA

A former academic acquisitions editor and current English teacher, I bring editing experience to your nonfiction and fiction writing.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, and Nature.

Work experience:

  • University Press of Kentucky
  • Fayette County Public Schools

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Lori 5 star rating

Boston, MA, USA

Trad published author of 7 novels inc. KISS, MARRY, KILL (Harper, 4/7/26) & NPR Book of the Day ROMANTIC FRICTION (2025). Query specialist.

Genres: Children's, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Chick Lit, Women's Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • Charlesbridge Publishing
  • Grub Street

I am a fiction editor who specializes in Christian fiction. I love story and helping writers produce the book they envision.

Genres: Women's Fiction, Fiction, Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Christian Non-Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Focus on the Family

Rebecca 5 star rating

San Francisco, CA, USA

Fiction editor. Previously HarperCollins, David Higham Books, Amazon Studios. Offering editorial assessments, developmental edits, and more.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Literary Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy, Romance, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Amazon Studios
  • John Cabot University and British School Group
  • David Higham Associates
  • HarperCollins Publishers
  • Self-employed

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

Linda 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Dev. Editor (contemporary/historical/literary fiction, romcom, speculative/SFF, BIPOC, LGBTQ+) & former Literary Agent. Query help, too!

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Literary Fiction, Cultural & Ethnic, Coming of Age, Time Travel, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Emerald City Literary Agency
  • Highlights Foundation
  • Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency

Lindsay 5 star rating

Seattle, WA, USA

Former Big Five Editor of Thrillers, Self-Help, Book Club Fiction, and Memoirs who specializes in helping authors get a literary agent.

Genres: Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Thriller & Suspense, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, True Crime, Chick Lit, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Simon & Schuster, Inc. - Atria Books & 37 INK
  • Writers House Literary Agency
  • Sourcebooks, Inc.
  • Hugo House

Editor with 24+ years of experience in biography, memoir, history, and fiction for adults and children at various publishing companies.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, True Crime, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Children’s Non-Fiction, Action & Adventure, Historical Mysteries, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Heinemann-Raintree
  • Quarasan
  • McGraw-Hill
  • Publications International, Ltd.
  • Capstone Publishers
  • Self-employed

20 yrs experience editing award-winning and bestselling picture books, MG, and YA. Former Senior Editor at Random House Children’s Books.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Middle Grade Fantasy, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Social & Family Issues, Young Adult, Young Adult Fantasy, Coming of Age, and Historical Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Knopf Books for Young Readers/Penguin Random House

Lisa 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Assistant editor at Macmillan with fiction and nonfiction experience and an agency background.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Romance, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • St. Martin's Press/Thomas Dunne Books

Jodi 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, United States

I have an MFA and a lot of energy. I work in memoir, fiction, & humor. You'll have fun & learn craft as we go. No AI "writing," please.

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

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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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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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