The best self help book developmental editing services

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Sandra 5 star rating

Omaha, United States

Skilled nonfiction book editor in business/leadership, true crime, selected memoirs. Get from idea to published. I love first-time authors.

Genres: Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Psychology, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and True Crime.

Work experience:

  • Southeast Community College
  • Self-employed
  • Metropolitan Community College

Jodi 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, United States

Editor with an MFA and a lot of energy. I love to work in memoir, fiction, and humor. My forte: lean prose that moves.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Historical Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Humor & Comedy, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Arnie 5 star rating

Kihei, HI, United States

I edit books on psychology, spirituality, social justice, and wellness. I've worked with Thich Nhat Hanh, Joanna Macy, and Jack Kornfield.

Genres: Health & Wellbeing, Non-Fiction, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Buddhism, Religion & Spirituality, Biographies & Memoirs, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and New Age.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Koa Books
  • Parallax Press
  • Whole Earth Bookstore

Jesse 5 star rating

New York, NY, United States

I'm a New York City-based editorial consultant with expertise in memoir, fiction, humor, narrative nonfiction, and prescriptive nonfiction.

Genres: Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Music, New Age, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and Health & Wellbeing.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Penguin Random House
  • Callisto Media
  • Freelance/Self-Employed

Lisa 5 star rating

Berkley, MI, United States

Every sentence matters! My passion is helping your words shine, whether you're at the beginning of your project or you need a final polish.

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Travel, Home & Garden, Career Guides, Fantasy, Fiction, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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

Kari 5 star rating

Pensacola, FL, USA

I'm a former journalist and unapologetic grammar nerd, and I love working on education, general self-help, and lifestyle-related content.

Genres: Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Computers & Internet, Education & Reference, Health & Wellbeing, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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Emily 5 star rating

Columbia, MD, USA

Nonfiction Editor for Experts | 📚 Let's turn your hard-won knowledge into a captivating book 📚 | Psychology | Self-help | Ecology

Genres: Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences, Math & Science, Nature, Religion & Spirituality, Life Sciences, Sociology, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Psychology.

Work experience:

  • New Degree Press
  • Self-employed
  • LEGACY Magazine
  • The Baltimore Review
  • Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Georgette 5 star rating

Carmel, IN, United States

I'm a freelance editor and proofreader who's committed to helping authors produce the best work possible for their audiences.

Genres: Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Picture Books, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
  • Scholastic Reading Counts!

Adina 5 star rating

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Mining Your Message for Gold: Developmental and Line Editing for Memoir and Fiction

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Judaism, Religion & Spirituality, Non-Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Inspirational, Biographies & Memoirs, Middle Grade, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Baltimore Review

Grace 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Thriller || Mystery || Fantasy || Nonfic -- 10+ years at Big Five and indies with New York Times, USA Today, and Sunday Times bestsellers

Genres: Mystery & Crime, Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Romance, Time Travel, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Piatkus (Little, Brown Book Group)
  • Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen
  • JMH Scouting

Specializing in nonfiction books for both children and adults, I am a friendly and easygoing editor excited to work with you!

Genres: Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Education & Reference, Parenting & Families, Writing & Publishing, Children’s Non-Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Middle Grade, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Ballard & Tighe, Publishers
  • Entrepreneur Press

Jill 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Crime, LGBTQ, memoir, self-help, new age editor. Author: BANG THE KEYS (Penguin), for writers. Here to nail your vision & voice with verve!

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Short Story, Thriller & Suspense, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • New York University
  • The New York City Department of Education

Andy 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

A keen, devoted editor who loves storytelling in all of its forms, with nearly a decade of experience at the center of NYC publishing.

Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Women's Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • The Gernert Company
  • Aram Fox, Inc
  • Self-employed

Laura 5 star rating

New York, NY, United States

Expert developmental and line editor, ghostwriter, and consultant collaborates on all aspects of nonfiction and fiction for adults and kids.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Poetry, Inspirational, Women's Fiction, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Jill Grinberg Literary Management
  • Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
  • Pocket Books
  • Simon & Schuster
  • Penguin USA
  • Theater Communications Group

Evelyn 5 star rating

Stone Ridge, NY, USA

Skilled, experienced nonfiction editor and writer specializing in health, self-help, and plant-related topics

Genres: Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, New Age, Nature, Medicine, Nursing, & Dentistry, Math & Science, Home & Garden, Health & Wellbeing, Religion & Spirituality, and Agriculture.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Aemilia 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Literary Agent representing award winning authors. Query/proposal/manuscript edits, specializing in character driven narratives and pitching

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Cultural & Ethnic, Fiction, Poetry, Contemporary Fiction, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency, Inc.
  • Phelps Media Group
  • The Paris Review
  • La Unidad Latina Foundation

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Hire the best self-help developmental editors

Writing a self-help book is a topical endeavour for an author: you get to share some of the most important lessons you learned, and potentially improve thousands (or millions) of other people's lives with it. But writing a self-help book you can get lost in the the details of balancing scientific research, personal experience, and practical advice — losing sight of the bigger picture. That's why you may want to hire a self-help developmental editor to help you. An editor will help you to make sure that the main idea of your book comes across clearly, and that you only include the necessary bits of research and advice essential for the success of your book.

You can find professional self-help developmental editors at Reedsy, people with decades of experience and who have worked with publishers in the likes of Simon & Schuster and Random House, as well as smaller publishing companies. Pick your favourite editor and request a quote today.

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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.