The best horror book developmental editing services

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Beth 5 star rating

Maineville, United States

Seasoned editor and proofreader with more than 20 years of experience in multiple genres. I have worked with several best-selling authors!

Genres: Health & Wellbeing, Non-Fiction, Action & Adventure, Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, LGBTQ Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Science Fiction, and Dystopian.

Work experience:

  • Self-Employed

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

Tamara 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

10 years experience at top NYC agencies editing proposals, manuscripts, queries. Specialty in speculative, genre fiction, & comics

Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels, Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Space Opera, Science Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Horror, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • DeFiore & Company
  • CAA

Sarah 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Manuscript Assessments and Developmental Edits for YA and Adult Fiction *Please read AI Policy in bio before reaching out*

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Science Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Contemporary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Literary Fiction, and Psychological Thriller.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Bradford Literary Agency
  • Curtis Brown, Ltd.

Mischa 5 star rating

Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Fiction editor of 15+ years, trusted by bestselling authors. Highly selective, meticulous in approach, devoted to preserving your voice.

Genres: Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Fiction, Time Travel, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery & Crime, Horror, Medical Thriller, Technothriller, and Action & Adventure.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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

Leticia 5 star rating

The Woodlands, TX, USA

I am an Editor-at-Large for Kensington Publishing Corp. and founder of a literary agency that champions culturally diverse voices.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, True Crime, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Kensington Publishing Corp.
  • Dafina/Kensington Publishing Corp.
  • Self-employed
  • Ascendant Entertainment

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Taz 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Award–winning editor at Soho Press, working on literary crime and horror fiction. Let's tell the story you've always wanted to tell!

Genres: Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Literary Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Soho Press

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

Literary Agent and Freelance Editor with over a decade of experience in traditional publishing, specializing in dev editing + query review.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Romance, and Mashups.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Jeff 5 star rating

Clifton Park, NY, USA

Author, editor, consultant. Fifteen years in publishing. Specializing in fantasy, sci-fi, horror, YA, and the genre-defying.

Genres: Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Gaming & LitRPG, Contemporary Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Action & Adventure, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Amanda 5 star rating

Charlottesville, VA, USA

Independent press cofounder, experienced editor, insightful reader. Edits literary and genre fiction at all stages of development.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Poetry, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Psychological Thriller, LGBTQ Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Coming of Age, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Independent Press
  • C&R Press
  • Virginia Tech
  • Freelance

Lindsay 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Freelance editor specializing in YA, SFF, and query packages. Former literary agent with 20 years of experience in NYC publishing.

Genres: Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, LGBTQ Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Middle Grade, Children's, Science Fiction, Young Adult, and Action & Adventure.

Work experience:

  • Sanford J. Greenburger Associates

Benjamin 5 star rating

Philadelphia, PA, USA

Developmental editor with 10+ years in publishing, helping authors shape clear, compelling manuscripts from concept to final draft.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction, and Short Story.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Ken 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Experienced ms. editor who has worked with NYT bestselling authors of thrillers and romance. I'm also a published author and ghostwriter.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Romance, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Technothriller, Thriller & Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Legal Thriller, and Horror.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

David 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Developmental & Copy Editor for Literary, Horror, SF, and Cross-Genre Fiction | > 125+ 5★ Reviews

Genres: Short Story, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Young Adult, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Espionage, Thriller & Suspense, Horror, Literary Fiction, Space Opera, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Freelance
  • Hearst Business Media
  • Sleeping Giant

Rebecca 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Former Penguin editor of Fantasy, SF, and Horror who worked with Guy Gavriel Kay, Christina Henry, Ilona Andrews, Pirateaba, and others.

Genres: LGBTQ Fiction, Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Gaming & LitRPG, Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Space Opera, Science Fiction, and Time Travel.

Work experience:

  • Ace/Roc/Berkley at Penguin Random House
  • Science Fiction Book Club
  • Peter V. Brett
  • Self-employed

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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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Step 2

Browse

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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

Collaborate

Once you agree on terms and a timeline, you’ll start collaborating using the many communication and editing tools available on Reedsy.

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.