The best horror 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

James 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Developmental editor with wide ranging experience in genres from middle grade to adult, including books by NY Times best sellers.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Contemporary Fiction, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Literary Fiction, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Promethean - The City College of New York's Literary Journal
  • The Bent Agency

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

Kristen 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Former Big 5 editor. Most manuscript are close. I push them to publishable.

Genres: Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Suspense, Legal Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Medical Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Women's Fiction, and Horror.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • New American Library, Penguin Random House
  • Mysterious Press, Warner Books

Kirsten 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

I am an award-winning novelist who teaches at Yale Writers' Workshop, with 25 years experience as a writing coach and developmental editor.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Steampunk, Science Fiction, Short Story, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Women's Fiction, and Mashups.

Work experience:

  • Yale Writers' Workshop
  • Self-employed
  • Self employed

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

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Hugo-nominated and 12 time #1 bestselling author and editor of 21 anthologies, and over 200 novels—let’s make a great story together!

Genres: Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Technothriller, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Writing & Publishing, Non-Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • 25 and Y
  • Wordfire Press
  • Top Shelf Editing

Jesse 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

I'm a passionate editor with a decade of experience in NYC publishing.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Romance, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Psychological Thriller, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Flatiron Books / Macmillan
  • Ballantine Books / Penguin Random House

Harrison 5 star rating

Washington D.C., DC, USA

The world's most thorough content editor. Expert in fiction and memoir. More than 80 books and 60 authors guided toward publication.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Humor & Comedy, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Action & Adventure, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Women's Fiction, Plays & Screenplays, Short Story, Middle Grade, Children's, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Freelance Editorial Boutique
  • Really Good Editing
  • Bancroft Press

John G. 5 star rating

Charlotte, NC, USA

John has written over 40 novels of his own and edited well over 100 novels ranging from debut authors to NY Times bestsellers.

Genres: Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Paranormal Romance, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Erin 5 star rating

Birmingham, AL, USA

Former literary agent with 15+ years of experience, specializing in developmental & copy edits for MG, YA, horror, mystery, & magic realism

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Young Adult, Middle Grade Fantasy, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Howland Literary
  • The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency
  • Dotdash Meredith
  • Self-employed

Hannah 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Traditionally Published Author * Former Senior Literary Agent * 10 years editing and selling highly reviewed and bestselling books.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, and LGBTQ Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • KT Literary
  • Trident Media Group

Paula 5 star rating

Akron, Ohio, USA

I'm an experienced, award-winning editor of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. I'd like to help you make your novel the best it can be.

Genres: Paranormal Romance, Romance, Fiction, Science Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, and Historical Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Prime Books
  • Juno Books / Simon & Schuester

Kathy 5 star rating

New York City, NY, USA

Former children’s book publisher at PRH, hands-on editor of 3 Newbery Honors, 2 Printz Honors, and several NYT bestsellers.

Genres: Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, LGBTQ Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Magical Realism, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Penguin Random House imprint (Eponymous)
  • Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House
  • Self-employed

Scott 5 star rating

Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Developmental and copy editor specializing in speculative fiction. I love helping writers bring their imaginative worlds to life!

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Dystopian, Space Opera, Short Story, Horror, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Outland Entertainment

Paul 5 star rating

Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA

Editor with twenty years' experience at Tor Books and Donald Maass Literary Agency. I specialize in science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Horror, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Donald Maass Literary Agency
  • Tor Books

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Hire the best horror developmental editors

Do you know what’ll send a shiver down your spine more than any horror book? Avoidable mistakes tainting readers’ views of your work and distracting from the story you want to tell. If you felt the hairs on the back of your neck rise at the thought, don’t worry. There’s a way to save yourself: hire a horror book developmental editor.

They’ll analyze your horror book to identify (and fix) issues with your pacing, structure, and character building. While changing large aspects of something you’ve spent hours working on might haunt you at first at first, these large-scale rewrites are a literary life saver.

You’ll want to hire a developmental editor with specialism in horror books, who won’t be spooked by genre nuances — and we’ve got your back. The Reedsy Marketplace is home to the top editors in the industry, who’ve worked with bestselling horror authors like Stephen King, so you can always trust their expertise. What are you afraid of? Join us and connect with them today.

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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.

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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.

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