The best manuscript editors for hire near Kansas City

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Maria 5 star rating

Kansas City, MO, United States

Insightful, inspiring Developmental Editor of 25+ years specializing in Historical fiction, Self-Help, Spec fiction. Tailored-to-you edits.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Post-Apocalyptic, Philosophy, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Psychology.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Lisha 5 star rating

Kansas City, MO, USA

I am a fiction, nonfiction, and technical editor and proofreader. I am also a traditionally published author of children's books.

Genres: Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Olsson
  • Self-employed

Jen 5 star rating

Kansas City, MO, USA

Thorough and encouraging editor of fantasy, romance, and mystery. 10+ years editing for indie authors. 3+ years at Hallmark Publishing.

Genres: Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Fantasy, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Hallmark Publishing
  • Self-employed

Claire 5 star rating

Kansas City, MO, USA

17+ years building USA Today/NYT/Bestselling/Award-Winning careers in sci-fi, fantasy, and romance. I'm thorough and kind, with short waits.

Genres: Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Historical Romance, Paranormal Romance, and Romantic Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Wordfire Press
  • The Wild Rose Press
  • Entangled Publishing

Allison 5 star rating

Jersey City, NJ, United States

Jack-of-all-trades editor specializing in literary fiction and academic work (journal articles, book chapters, dissertations).

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Life Sciences, Math & Science, Writing & Publishing, Sports & Outdoors, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Wiley

RuthAnne 5 star rating

Salt Lake City, UT, USA

Editor specializing in romance and YA, with additional copyediting and proofreading experience. Published author with Sky Pony Press.

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Fiction, Coming of Age, Young Adult, and Romantic Comedy.

Work experience:

  • Deseret Book/Shadow Mountain Publishing
  • University of Utah
  • Blue Ocean Brain
  • Salt Lake City Weekly
  • Policy Institute for Children
  • Pitch Wars

Elisabeth 5 star rating

Iowa City, IA, United States

Award-winning and New York Times bestselling editor of nonfiction and memoir.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Nature, Travel, Entertainment, Sex & Relationships, Sports & Outdoors, and Religion & Spirituality.

Work experience:

  • University of Iowa Press
  • University of Nebraska Press
  • Self-employed

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Cynthia-Marie 5 star rating

New York City, NY, USA

Award-winning writer and experienced editor who is passionate about helping others perfect projects, whether generating or polishing ideas.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Contemporary Fiction, and Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Sophia 5 star rating

New York City, NY, USA

I'm currently an editor at HarperCollins. I love working collaboratively with writers at all stages of the process!

Genres: Coming of Age, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Romantic Comedy, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • HarperCollins Publishers
  • The Paris Review
  • Book Culture

Peter 5 star rating

New York City, NY, USA

Ex-UK journalist (Fleet St, BBC Radio), living in New York. Former NYC book editor now lit agent, book coach, author of fiction+nonfiction.

Genres: Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Fantasy, Children's, Thriller & Suspense, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Writing & Publishing, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Business & Management.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Sam 5 star rating

New York City, NY, USA

Former literary agent specializing in genre fiction - especially fantasy, science fiction, and horror. Here to help you find your voice!

Genres: Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Romantic Fantasy, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Space Opera, Science Fiction, and Time Travel.

Work experience:

  • Various Literary Agencies

Howard 5 star rating

Traverse City, MI, USA

I specialize in editing fiction and nonfiction with Jewish themes, helping authors find their unique voices in these challenging times.

Genres: Political Science & Current Affairs, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Writing & Publishing, Life Sciences, Math & Science, Business & Management, Judaism, Religion & Spirituality, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • Alliance of Independent Authors
  • Self-employed
  • Foreword Reviews
  • Vine Leaves Press

T.S. 5 star rating

New York City, NY, USA

A NYT bestselling and award-winning editor of children's and YA/teen fiction with 16 years of experience at Top 5 publishing imprints.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Middle Grade Fantasy, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, LGBTQ Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Azantian Literary Agency
  • Jimmy Patterson Books/Little, Brown (Hachette Book Group)
  • Inkyard Press/Harlequin Teen (Harper Collins)
  • Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Hachette Book Group)

Stephen 5 star rating

Maplewood, United States

Top editor for 30+ years, novelist, sf/f story writer, poet. Specializes in NF and SF/F. I'll help you write a book you're proud of. No AI.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Sports & Outdoors, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Avon Books
  • Wiley
  • Amacom
  • Thomas Dunne Books

Nancy 5 star rating

New York City, NY, USA

Experienced developmental editor, coach, and agent, specializing in spirituality and religion, particularly from a progressive perspective.

Genres: Christian Non-Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Children's, Fiction, Music, Humanities & Social Sciences, LGBTQ Non-Fiction, and Children’s Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Church Publishing Incorporated
  • Self-employed

Robert 5 star rating

New York City, NY, USA

Editor and publishing consultant based in NYC. Owned and operated a literary agency and an Indie publisher. Hardwired for storytelling.

Genres: History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Action & Adventure, Medical Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Young Adult, Mystery & Crime, Biographies & Memoirs, and Business & Management.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Astor + Blue Editions
  • Robert A. and Associates Literary

Diane 5 star rating

Lawrence, Kansas, United States

My sweet spot is MG and YA fiction. I'll help you find your story (ornery manuscripts don't scare me!) and figure out how to tell it.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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Hire the best developmental editors in Kansas City, Missouri

Every manuscript has to be edited before publication. The developmental edit is the first part of this process, and the one that most drastically changes a manuscript, as it involves extensively evaluating plot development, character arcs, pacing, and story structure. From changing the order of events to rewriting entire scenes or condensing action for a faster pace, a manuscript emerges on the other side of developmental editing as a much sharper version of itself.

A developmental editor in Kansas City will be able to use their inside understanding of publishing trends and genre tropes to advise you on the specific areas that need improvement in your own project. This is a collaborative process, where you and your editor work consider solutions to problems together, and arrive at a tighter, more controlled manuscript.

Hire a developmental editor in Kansas City today to give your book its best chance of success. Reedsy has a large selection of talented and experienced editors, all individually vetted, so why not sign up and request a free 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.