The best romance book developmental editing services

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Lara 5 star rating

New York, NY, United States

A consummate professional with over 20 years experience in the publishing industry, specializing in genre fiction and pop culture.

Genres: Women's Fiction, Fiction, Entertainment, Non-Fiction, Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Time Travel Romance, and Historical Romance.

Work experience:

  • The Lotts Agency
  • Trident Media Group
  • HarperCollins Publishers
  • Various

Kate 5 star rating

Baltimore, United States

Former S&S editor w/20 years of experience editing NYT bestselling & award-winning authors such as Nova Ren Suma & Kekla Magoon.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Simon & Schuster Children's Books

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

Laura 5 star rating

Denver, CO, USA

Editor and published author (Penguin Random House, Simon and Schuster) with over a decade of experience. Expert in novel and query edits.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Women's Fiction, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Romance, Middle Grade, Children's, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Workman, Sourcebooks

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

YA and MG specialist. Author of 5 published books and 2 forthcoming (Simon and Schuster, Norton). Former editorial assistant at Entangled.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Romance, Action & Adventure, Middle Grade Fantasy, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Entangled Publishing
  • Simon and Schuster, Norton
  • Self-employed
  • Nimrod International Journal

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)

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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

Sean 5 star rating

Denton, TX, United States

Editor of bestselling, award-winning middle grade, YA, and adult books, specializing in fantasy and sci-fi. Let's make your book stand out!

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade Fantasy, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Romantic Fantasy, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Andrea Hurst and Associates, LLC
  • Andrea Hurst and Associates
  • Self-employed
  • Relay Publishing, LLC
  • The Editorial Department

Leslie 5 star rating

Sequim, WA, USA

I specialize in fast, high-quality editing and coaching for professional and high-output authors and publishers in commercial fiction.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Gaming & LitRPG, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • The Bellingham Review
  • Washington State Kappan
  • The Buccaneer, Peninsula College

Katie 5 star rating

Lewiston, ID, USA

Literary agent specializing in women's fiction, romance, and fantasy.

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

Work experience:

  • Andrea Hurst and Associates, LLC
  • Self-employed
  • Hurst and Reed Editorial

Katherine 5 star rating

Philadelphia, PA, USA

Seasoned novel editor with a passion for powerful storytelling. I'll help polish your plot, deepen your characters, and elevate every page.

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Fiction, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Mira 5 star rating

River Edge, NJ, USA

Editor for NYT bestselling cookbooks, romance, and devotionals | Specializing in polished, publishable prose—including AI-assisted drafts

Genres: Women's Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Christian Non-Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, and Inspirational.

Work experience:

  • Radish Fiction
  • Avalon Books
  • John Wiley & Sons
  • Dorchester Publishing Company
  • Self-employed

Emily 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Polishing prose since 2009, including NYT bestsellers and Edgar Award winners. My film background gives me unique insight as an editor.

Genres: History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Plays & Screenplays, Historical Romance, Romance, True Crime, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Penguin Random House
  • The Firm/Firm Films
  • Brooklyn Films

Marissa 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Veteran editor, agent, game developer. Making stories sharper and intelligent people more intelligible for over a decade in NYC publishing.

Genres: Gaming & LitRPG, Fantasy, Fiction, Math & Science, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Philosophy, Technology, LGBTQ Non-Fiction, Entertainment, Romantic Fantasy, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • The Curious Minds Literary Agency
  • Basic Books, Hachette
  • Wiley
  • Tapas Entertainment, Inc.

Carrie 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Professional editor (Hachette, HarperCollins) w/ 12+ years of award winners and New York Times bestsellers who can help your work stand out!

Genres: True Crime, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Biographies & Memoirs, Entertainment, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Romance, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Hachette Books / Grand Central Publishing (Hachette Book Group)
  • Basic Books (Hachette Book Group)
  • Oxford University Press
  • Dey Street Books (HarperCollins)

Parisa 5 star rating

Brooklyn, NY, United States

Former Simon and Schuster editor with 15+ years of experience, specializing in all fiction genres. I’d love to help get your MS in shape!

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Young Adult, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self Employed
  • Simon & Schuster

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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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Step 2

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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.