The best short story book developmental editing services

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Matthew 5 star rating

New York, United States

Editor and writing coach specializing in literary fiction, thrillers, memoir and other narrative nonfiction, business books, and self-help.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Short Story, Mystery & Crime, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Science Fiction, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Graduate Writing Program, Columbia University
  • Self-employed

Anne 5 star rating

New York, United States

Experienced freelance book editor with a particular interest in literary fiction and memoir.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Women's Fiction, Fiction, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Short Story, Coming of Age, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Counterpoint/Soft Skull Press
  • Massie & McQuilkin Literary Agency
  • Library Journal
  • Freelance

Edie 5 star rating

Tucson, AZ, USA

Travel editor at Fodor's, Frommer's, and Rough Guides, memoir and food writing aficionado, love to nurture good writing in all genres.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Travel, Writing & Publishing, Literary Fiction, Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Short Story, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Madden Preprint Media

Emma 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Dedicated, creative editor with an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop and years of experience at a top New York City literary agency.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Short Story, Young Adult, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Political Science & Current Affairs, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • McCormick Literary
  • The Iowa Writers' Workshop
  • Atheneum (a division of Simon & Schuster)

Lindsay 5 star rating

New Jersey, United States

I'm an enthusiastic freelance editor with experience across the industry--bookselling, marketing, publicity, agency, editorial, and writing.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Picture Books, Children's, Christian Fiction, Women's Fiction, Short Story, Middle Grade, Dystopian, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency
  • Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Margaret K. McElderry Books at Simon & Schuster's Children's Publishing Division
  • Abrams Books for Young Readers/Amulet Books
  • Candlewick Press
  • Borders Books and Music
  • Verily Magazine

Ann 5 star rating

Duluth, MN, USA

Book editor and award-winning writer who works on fiction and nonfiction, with special expertise on books in translation.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Literary Fiction, Short Story, Middle Grade, Children's, and Business & Management.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Willie 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Editor with an MFA from the Michener Center specializing in literary fiction, commercial fiction and short stories.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Short Story, Humor & Comedy, LGBTQ Fiction, and Plays & Screenplays.

Work experience:

  • American Short Fiction
  • Michener Center for Writers
  • Heidi Pitlor Editorial

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Ezra 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

A deeply collaborative editor with 5+ years of experience working at HarperCollins Publishers.

Genres: Short Story, Fiction, Literary Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, LGBTQ Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • HarperCollins Publishers
  • Agate Publishing

Warren 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

PhD with 15+years as editor and proofreader for nonfiction and plays. Author of three successful books and four plays.

Genres: Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, History, Religion & Spirituality, Cultural & Ethnic, Fiction, LGBTQ Non-Fiction, Entertainment, Plays & Screenplays, and Short Story.

Work experience:

  • Philadelphia Theatre Company
  • The Gershman Y
  • Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
  • Association for Jewish Studies

Ashley 5 star rating

Jersey City, NJ, USA

A supportive and collaborative editorial professional with 10+ years’ experience across print and digital—and a total bookworm.

Genres: Women's Fiction, Fiction, Business & Management, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Literary Fiction, and Short Story.

Work experience:

  • Prairie Schooner, University of Nebraska
  • History Press
  • Publishers Weekly
  • CreateSpace, an Amazon.com Company
  • Milkweed Editions
  • Yemassee Journal
  • Self-employed
  • Compose.ly
  • Turner Publishing
  • The Book Incubator

Jenna 5 star rating

Boston, MA, USA

NYT bestselling author, 27-year novel workshop leader, and editor dedicated to helping get your book published! #BookWhisperer #QueryQueen

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, and Short Story.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Mike 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

A publishing veteran working on fiction, nonfiction, and memoir, I have sharp storytelling instincts and an ear for the perfect word.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Sports & Outdoors, Literary Fiction, Fiction, Short Story, Entertainment, Contemporary Fiction, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Northwestern University Press
  • Self-employed

Travis 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Specializing in sports-themed novels, memoirs, and nonfiction narratives, Travis has been developing drafts into publications for 20+ years.

Genres: Sports & Outdoors, Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Short Story, Inspirational, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Beijing Language and Culture University
  • Sports Publishing LLC
  • TrueHoop

Lee 5 star rating

Portland, Oregon, USA

A sharp, sensitive editor of fiction and creative nonfiction with twenty-five years of experience in publishing.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Anthologies, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, & Dentistry, Math & Science, Writing & Publishing, Coming of Age, and Short Story.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Tin House Books
  • Tin House magazine
  • SheBooks
  • The Santa Monica Review
  • Dove Books
  • The Iowa Review

Tracy 5 star rating

Baltimore, MD, United States

Passionate about helping writers realize their visions. I love picture books (especially rhyme!), young adult, fantasy, memoir, and more.

Genres: Short Story, Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Biographies & Memoirs, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Agent Carrie Pestritto (formerly of Prospect Agency, now with LDLA)
  • Marketing Agency
  • University of Baltimore
  • SCBWI MD/DE/WV
  • Self-employed

Laird 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Editor with 8+ years of experience (5+ @ Farrar, Straus and Giroux [FSG]), expertise in award-winning and bestselling fiction and nonfiction

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Short Story, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Computers & Internet, Philosophy, Humanities & Social Sciences, History, and Psychology.

Work experience:

  • Farrar, Straus and Giroux
  • Center for an Urban Future

Daniel 5 star rating

Cambridge, MA, USA

Former New Yorker editorial staff, interested in literary fiction and nonfiction. Bylines in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, GQ, and NYT.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Literary Fiction, Fiction, and Short Story.

Work experience:

  • The New Yorker
  • Columbia University
  • Parsons School of Design
  • University of Cambridge

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Hire the best short story developmental editors

Writing and publishing a short story might seem easier than writing a novel, but in truth they can still be very hard to put together. A short novel means you've got to play your cards (or better say, words) right. That's why you should consider to hire a short-story developmental editor to revise your structure, form, plot, and character development.

At Reedsy, you can find thoughtful, experienced professional short story developmental editors who have worked with publishing companies and published short stories themselves. If you want your short-story to meet the industry standards and expectations, sign up to and request a quote today.

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Step 3

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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.

Step 4

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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.

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