The best romance book developmental editing services

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Mary-Theresa 5 star rating

New York, United States

Award winning editor with 25+ years in traditional publishing. Specializing in genre fiction. Looking to help make good stories well told.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Young Adult, Action & Adventure, Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Science Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, and Paranormal Romance.

Work experience:

  • Harlequin

Chersti 5 star rating

Provo, United States

20yrs editing with NYT/international/indie bestsellers such as Brandon Sanderson and Tricia Levenseller. Adult Fantasy/SF/Suspense + all YA.

Genres: Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Mystery & Crime, Gaming & LitRPG, Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Dystopian, Science Fiction, and Space Opera.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Cedar Fort
  • Leading Edge

Karli 5 star rating

Clarksville, TN, United States

Editor who specializes in developing manuscripts and is passionate about helping authors craft their best stories!

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • HarperCollins Christian Publishing

Tera 5 star rating

South Bend, United States

Editor with 10+ years of experience specializing in developmental edits and copy editing, with a focus on romance and all romance subgenres.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Young Adult, LGBTQ Fiction, Women's Fiction, Fantasy, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Entangled Publishing
  • Samhain Publishing
  • Kensington Lyrical
  • Self-employed

Daniel 5 star rating

Spokane, WA, USA

Seasoned and highly attentive. I really just love to learn and experience new stories, but I am most interested in education and history.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Education & Reference, Non-Fiction, Historical Romance, Romance, Gaming & LitRPG, Fantasy, Legal Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics, Math & Science, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Brown Books Publishing Group
  • Irving ISD

Miranda 5 star rating

Saugerties, NY, USA

Editor with ten-plus years of experience in projects published by Avon, Berkley, Oxford University Press, Quirk Books, and others.

Genres: History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Historical Romance, Romance, Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Renaissance Quarterly
  • Modernism/modernity
  • Alliance for Young Artists & Writers
  • 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

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Jennifer 5 star rating

Randolph, MA, USA

I'm a 30-year professional word nerd! Let me help you polish your prose into a sparkly, irresistible gem.

Genres: Entertainment, Non-Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Romantic Comedy, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Hollan Publishing/Literary Partners Group
  • Self-employed

Joy 5 star rating

Houston, TX, USA

Seasoned developmental editor in multiple genres who's also authored YA, picture books, and horror stories. Ready to make your book shine!!

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Young Adult, Romantic Suspense, Romance, and Contemporary Romance.

Work experience:

  • Harper Collins, Sourcebooks, Soho Press, Chronicle Books, Lerner/Kar Ben
  • Lone Star College
  • Writespace Houston
  • JBP Editing
  • Conroe ISD

Fran 5 star rating

New York, United States

Results driven editor, formerWriters House Bridgerton agent, edited major award winners, working from slush pile to success in publishing.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, Thriller & Suspense, Historical Romance, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Writers House
  • youbloom music festival

Carrie 5 star rating

Orlando, FL, USA

I work on inspirational (mind/body/spirit), as well as fiction and non-fiction for kids. Worked at Hallmark and Ripley's Believe It or Not!.

Genres: Inspirational, Non-Fiction, Children's, Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Education & Reference, Contemporary Romance, Romance, and Health & Wellbeing.

Work experience:

  • Ripley's Believe It or Not!
  • Hallmark Cards, Inc.
  • Self-employed

Jennifer 5 star rating

Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Bestselling Editor of PICTURE BOOKS, MG, and YA like The Hunger Games! Excited to help make your story stand out, shine and be market-ready!

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Middle Grade Fantasy, Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Scholastic
  • Self-employed
  • Joseph-Beth Booksellers

Elizabeth 5 star rating

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Don't Let Your Story Die Inside You. I'm an editor with 20+ years of experience, specializing in memoir, and I'm here to help.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • ServiceScape
  • becker&mayer!/Quarto Publishing Group
  • Writer's Digest

Rose 5 star rating

Philadelphia, PA, USA

Book doctor, editor, researcher. I love romance and historical fiction! (Areas of expertise: Regency, queer, Revolutionary War, Jewish.)

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Historical Fiction, and LGBTQ Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Ann Leslie 5 star rating

New York City, NY, United States

Over 25 years' editorial experience at a Big 5 publisher and a literary agency, specializing in commercial fiction and narrative nonfiction.

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

Work experience:

  • Harlequin Books
  • Dystel, Goderich & Bourret

Melody 5 star rating

Jacksonville, FL, USA

Award-winning author. DE for publishers of romance, inspirational, YA, MG, HF, and NF. Edited books for two authors who got TEDx Talks.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Fiction, Historical Romance, Romance, Historical Fiction, Chick Lit, Women's Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Mashups, Christian Non-Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Brands Through Books
  • Clean Reads Publishing
  • Creator Institute
  • 5-Star rated

Mireya 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

I’m an editorial professional with five years experience, having worked at a top-five publishing company, HarperCollins Publishers.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Military Science Fiction, Science Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Historical Romance, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • HarperCollins Publishers (William Morrow/Harper Voyager)
  • HarperCollins Publishers

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Hire the best romance developmental editors

So you’ve outlined your characters, written a couple of drafts, and finally have a manuscript, complete with a happy ending? To make sure that everything is jiving in your newest romance title, hire a romance developmental editor who can help you sort out your narrative structure, fill any plot holes, and make sure there’s chemistry between your characters.

The editors at Reedsy have years of experience working with indie authors and in traditional publishing alike. With a finger on the pulse, they keep up with current trends and demands of the market. Sign up for a free account today to browse and shortlist editors — some of whom have worked with popular romance authors like Jill Mansell and Cecilia Ahern, to name just a couple.

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