The best short story book developmental editing services

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Julie 5 star rating

New York, United States

I'm an editor with nearly two decades of experience in publishing, most recently at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Short Story, Middle Grade, Children's, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, and Dystopian.

Work experience:

  • Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Susan 5 star rating

Philadelphia, PA, USA

I'm a highly experienced editor and writer specializing in books for children and teens.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Picture Books, Short Story, Young Adult, Women's Fiction, and Parenting & Families.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Little Fox, Inc
  • Editorial Services boutique
  • Bantam Doubleday Dell
  • Simon & Schuster
  • New American Library

Devon 5 star rating

Destin, FL, USA

Editor with 12 years' experience in academic and general audience nonfiction for all ages, as well as fiction, picture books, and memoirs.

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

Work experience:

  • Gibbs Smith
  • University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press
  • Self-employed

Benjamin 5 star rating

Philadelphia, PA, USA

Developmental editor with 10+ years in publishing, helping authors shape clear, compelling manuscripts from concept to final draft.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Steve 5 star rating

Brooklyn Park, MN, USA

Award-winning editor of Esmé Wang, Jamel Brinkley, Anna Burns, formerly at Graywolf Press. Specialties: literary fiction, memoir, and essay.

Genres: Short Story, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Literary Fiction, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Graywolf Press
  • Macalester College
  • Self-employed
  • Normandale Community College

Kirsten 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

I am an award-winning novelist who teaches at Yale Writers' Workshop, with 25 years experience as a writing coach and developmental editor.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Steampunk, Science Fiction, Short Story, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Women's Fiction, and Mashups.

Work experience:

  • Yale Writers' Workshop
  • Self-employed
  • Self employed

I've been a freelance editor for 25 years, working with clients on novels and memoirs later published by Dutton, W.W. Norton, Scribner, etc.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Short Story, Biographies & Memoirs, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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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

Alicia 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

I'm an editor and writer based in NYC. I've edited a variety of genres and material for Disney, DreamWorks, Newsweek and other clients.

Genres: Short Story, Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, History, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Topix Media Lab
  • Paste Magazine
  • Modern Luxury
  • Apartment Therapy Media

Cindy 5 star rating

Slippery Rock, PA, United States

I help make dreams come true – developing a plan after your first draft or polishing with personal care. Lower-cost options available.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Short Story, Cultural & Ethnic, Anthologies, Christian Non-Fiction, and Religion & Spirituality.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Writing Assessment Services
  • Grove City College
  • Veritas Academy Online
  • Florida State University, Auburn University, Tallahassee Community College, Los Positas College

Nicole 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

I'm a copy editor and proofreader with over eight years of experience for major book publishers, magazines, and digital publications.

Genres: Children's, Fiction, Comics & Graphic Novels, Humor & Comedy, Short Story, Thriller & Suspense, Entertainment, Non-Fiction, Technology, and Action & Adventure.

Work experience:

  • Adweek
  • Best Lawyer
  • Scholastic

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

David 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Developmental & Copy Editor for Literary, Horror, SF, and Cross-Genre Fiction | 100+ 5★ Reviews

Genres: Short Story, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Young Adult, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Espionage, Thriller & Suspense, Horror, Literary Fiction, Space Opera, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Freelance
  • Hearst Business Media
  • Sleeping Giant

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

Erin L. 5 star rating

Seattle, Washington, United States

24+ awards in writing and editing • 30+ books edited • Specialties include nonfiction and poetry • Ph.D. student, lit and creative writing

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Short Story, Poetry, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, History, Nature, and Children’s Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Cavendish Square, Wiley, & other publishers
  • Open Books: A Poem Emporium
  • Killer Visual Strategies
  • Various magazines
  • The Kentucky Standard
  • Sarabande Books
  • Entre Ríos Books

Douglas 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Dedicated to clarifying and amplifying the creative voices of emerging and established authors.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Poetry, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Writing & Publishing, Short Story, Biographies & Memoirs, Finance & Accounting, Math & Science, and Computers & Internet.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Rowman & Littlefield
  • TPR Press

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

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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.

How it works

Browse profiles, request quotes, then collaborate.

Step 1

Apply filters

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Step 2

Browse

Then, browse professional profiles to find out more about their personalities and past projects.

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.