The best horror book developmental editing services

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Angela 5 star rating

Los Angeles, United States

Editor of more than 1,000 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
  • New York Book Editors

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

Philip 5 star rating

Seattle, WA, USA

Former managing editor at Wizards of the Coast, working for 30+ years in fantasy, SF, horror, thriller, literary, and narrative non-fiction.

Genres: Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Gaming & LitRPG, Space Opera, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Wizards of the Coast
  • Self-employed

With 15 years of experience as an editor and agent, I can help you polish and prepare your work to catch the eye of industry professionals!

Genres: Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Humanities & Social Sciences, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Crooked Lane Books
  • Keen Editorial and Literary Services
  • Skyhorse Publishing
  • HarperCollins Publishers
  • Copps Literary Services
  • Manuscript Academy

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

James 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Comic book editor, specializing in LGBT+ rep, horror, sci-fi, and supernatural stories. Worked at Marvel, Mad Cave Studios, and 451 Media.

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

Work experience:

  • Mad Cave Studios
  • Marvel Entertainment
  • 451 Media
  • Good Hero

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

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Patrick 5 star rating

Saint Paul, MN, USA

Accomplished writer/editor with 19+ years of progressive publishing experience focused on developmental editing & pitch consultation

Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels, Fiction, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Comics Non-Fiction, Entertainment, Humor & Comedy, Horror, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Ten Speed Press / Penguin Random House
  • Watson-Guptill Publications / Penguin Random House
  • Oxford University Press

Emily 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

I'm a kids book editor at Chronicle Books with more than six years of experience who specializes in middle-grade and YA fiction.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Coming of Age, Young Adult, LGBTQ Fiction, Horror, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • The Manuscript Academy
  • Abrams Books
  • Magic Cat Publishing
  • NBC Universal
  • Chronicle Books

Chris 5 star rating

Philadelphia, PA, USA

I am an expert in genre fiction, with years of experience evaluating short fiction. I want your wildest stories to find a published home.

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

Work experience:

  • Clarkesworld Magazine
  • Geekadelphia

Rachel 5 star rating

Albuquerque, NM, USA

I am a writer, a life-long educator, and an editor who works to help other writers find their voice.

Genres: Coming of Age, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Short Story, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Biographies & Memoirs, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Narrative Magazine
  • Antioch Review
  • Antioch College

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

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

Ashley 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

An editor with over ten years experience in prose and video games. When not reading or writing, she's skating or hunting for a good mead.

Genres: Gaming & LitRPG, Fantasy, Fiction, Anthologies, Short Story, Horror, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Electronic Arts
  • 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

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

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 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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Reedsy | Developmental editing — find the gem | 2024-09

Find the gem in your early draft

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