The best horror book developmental editing services

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Angela 5 star rating

Los Angeles, United States

Editor of more than 800 books. I specialize in sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural, horror, mystery, thriller, YA, and dystopian fiction.

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

Work experience:

  • Alyson Books
  • Self-employed

Adrienne 5 star rating

West Hartford, CT, USA

Former Amazon Publishing editor w/15 yrs experience, specializing in SFF and nonfiction pop culture. Query review, assessments, dev editing.

Genres: Coming of Age, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Entertainment, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Insight Editions
  • Amazon Publishing
  • Trident Media Group

Lindsay 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Freelance editor specializing in YA, SFF, and query packages. Former literary agent with over 15 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

Lyndsey 5 star rating

Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA, USA

Professional editor of horror/fantasy with over five years' experience helping authors and traditional publishers elevate their novels.

Genres: Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Historical Romance, Romance, and Urban Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Eerie River Publishing (Indie Publishing House)
  • Turner Publishing (Established Traditional Publishing House)

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

Kerry 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

I'm interested in thoughtful, voice-driven manuscripts. I especially love stories that include queer characters and/or speculative elements.

Genres: LGBTQ Fiction, Fiction, Time Travel, Science Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Contemporary Fiction, and Coming of Age.

Work experience:

  • Henry Holt & Company
  • Curtis Brown, Ltd.
  • One Story Magazine
  • JMH Scouting

Kevin 5 star rating

Idaho Falls, ID, USA

Fiction writer and editor with nearly years in the industry. I love weird writing and anything pushing boundaries. Don't send me AI stuff.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, and Action & Adventure.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Eraserhead Press

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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

Sarah 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Full Manuscript Assessments and Developmental Editing for YA and Adult Fiction ***Currently scheduling for Fall 2025***

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.

Rob 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Bestselling mystery/thriller author with a love for working with other writers and a keen eye for storytelling mechanics.

Genres: Technothriller, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Espionage, Psychological Thriller, Horror, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, and Historical Mysteries.

Work experience:

  • MysteriousPress.com
  • Self
  • Seton Hill University

Josiah 5 star rating

Louisville, KY, USA

Progression Fantasy/LitRPG-focused editor with 8 years' experience and 500 novels under my belt. Do you want to grow? Let's talk.

Genres: Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Gaming & LitRPG, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, and Urban Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Literary Agent and Freelance Editor with over a decade of experience in traditional publishing, specializing in manuscript development.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Women's Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Maria Carvainis Agency
  • Self-employed

Sara 5 star rating

Nashua, NH, USA

Flexible, fierce, efficient editor with decades of experience in editing everything from horror to science fiction to literary fiction.

Genres: Short Story, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Contemporary Fiction, Time Travel, Science Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Military Science Fiction, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Ascend Learning
  • Jones & Bartlett Learning
  • Self-employed

Matt 5 star rating

Evanston, IL, USA

NYC-trained editor (Doubleday) specializing in manuscript assessments and developmental editing for crime/mystery, and daring genre fiction.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Action & Adventure, Fiction, True Crime, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Horror, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Doubleday & Co.
  • The Carol Mann Agency

Isabella 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Experienced freelance editor specializing in SFF, horror, and speculative fiction for Adults and YA. Formerly with S&S.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Simon & Schuster, Touchstone/Atria
  • Self-employed

Greg 5 star rating

Lancaster, PA, USA

Greg has worked as an editor for Tor Books and William Morrow. He specializes in science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

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

Work experience:

  • Tor Books
  • Arbor House/William Morrow

Ross 5 star rating

Baltimore, MD, United States

Editor w/20+ yrs exp committed to nurturing authors' voices, refining narrative vision and elevating storytelling with empathy and precision

Genres: Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Coming of Age, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Horror, and Legal Thriller.

Work experience:

  • University of Maryland, College Park
  • Towson Univeristy
  • Gotham Writing Workshop, New York City
  • Self-employed
  • University of Maryland College Park

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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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