The best manuscript editors for hire near San Diego

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Annie 5 star rating

San Diego, CA, USA

Award-winning children's book editor. Specialties include: picture books, fantasy world building, character development, and multiple POVs.

Genres: Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Picture Books, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Albert Whitman & Company
  • Simon & Schuster
  • Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Self-employed

Lourdes 5 star rating

San Diego, CA, USA

Creative, collaborative editor, with more than 35 years of editing experience in publishing and journalism.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, African American Fiction, Anthologies, Cultural & Ethnic, Mystery & Crime, Science Fiction, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • University of California, San Diego
  • Newsday
  • Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
  • The Miami Herald
  • Chicago Tribune

Nicole 5 star rating

San Diego, CA, USA

Developmental Editor & Coach | 10+ years of experience editing romance at HarperCollins, including a #1 NYT bestseller (Avail: March 2027)

Genres: LGBTQ Fiction, Fiction, New Adult, Young Adult, Romantic Comedy, Romance, Romantic Suspense, Historical Romance, Contemporary Romance, and Dark Romance.

Work experience:

  • The D. E. Shaw Group
  • HarperCollins/Avon Books
  • Self-employed

Jennifer 5 star rating

San Diego, CA, USA

I have 10 years of experience working in publishing in development, editorial, royalties, and literary agenting.

Genres: Literary Fiction and Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency

Kate 5 star rating

San Diego, CA, USA

Current associate publisher at Silver Dolphin Children's Books. 17+ years of experience. Five-star book coach from concept to publication!

Genres: Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Children's, and Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Silver Dolphin Books, Readerlink
  • Klutz, Scholastic
  • Hameray Publishing
  • Houghton Mifflin

Sabine 5 star rating

San Diego, CA, USA

After more than 20 years as a newspaper writer/editor, I can make your book on food, drink, travel, and interior design come to life.

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, and Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Cox Enterprises
  • McClatchy
  • Self-employed

Andrew 5 star rating

San Diego, CA, United States

Former New York trade editor of thrillers, mysteries, science fiction and fantasy, horror, and narrative and military nonfiction/history.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Company Name Redacted. Please contact through Reedsy for editorial service.
  • Berkley Publishing Group, Donald I Fine, Inc, Dell, Avon and Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
  • Scovil Chichak Galen Literary Agency, Inc.
  • The Berkley Publishing Group

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Annie 5 star rating

San Diego, CA, USA

I’m a literary agent w/ over 17 years of experience in the publishing industry. I work on a range of adult and YA fiction and nonfiction.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Margret McBride Literary Agency
  • Zoetrope: All-Story

Bridget 5 star rating

San Francisco, CA, USA

Passionate, collaborative editor with 20+ years experience at Chronicle Books: nonfiction, art, design, creativity, illustrated, photography

Genres: Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Photography, Inspirational, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Architecture, Entertainment, Nature, and Design.

Work experience:

  • Chronicle Books

Kathy 5 star rating

San Diego, United States

Freelance copyeditor and proofreader offering 25 years of experience in scientific and educational publishing

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Medicine, Nursing, & Dentistry, Math & Science, Nature, Action & Adventure, Classics, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, Education & Reference, Science Fiction, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Academic Press (Elsevier Science/Harcourt)
  • Academic Press
  • Brian F. Smith and Associates (Archaeologist)
  • Converse Consultants West
  • Cajon Valley, Mountain Empire, and Palm Middle Schools
  • Self-employed

Olivia 5 star rating

San Francisco, CA, USA

I am a compassionate editor and project manger based in the Bay Area who is eager to bring your story to life!

Genres: Calendars, Non-Fiction, DIY & Crafts, Entertainment, Sex & Relationships, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • Chronicle Books

Melissa 5 star rating

San Diego, CA, USA

Seasoned cookbook and recipe editor passionate about making sure recipes are clear, accurate, and ready for publication.

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Nature, Economics, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Travel.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Oxmoor House Books (Cooking Light magazine)
  • Men's Health magazine (Rodale/Hearst)
  • Hood River Eats

Mary 5 star rating

San Luis Obispo, CA, USA

Writing + story coach to hundreds of authors, I edit fiction, inspy non-fiction, + queries. Bestseller with 17+ years experience.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Christian Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Thriller & Suspense, Biographies & Memoirs, and Inspirational.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Chris 5 star rating

San Diego, CA, USA

Hi, I'm a longtime comic-book/graphic novel editor and editorial director, with 15+ years experience in helping others build their worlds.

Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels, Fiction, Comics Non-Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Deanne 5 star rating

San Francisco, CA, USA

Professional editor with Big Five experience specializing in non-fiction, especially self-help, design, career, parenting, and cookbooks.

Genres: DIY & Crafts, Non-Fiction, Home & Garden, Inspirational, Parenting & Families, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Career Guides, and Nature.

Work experience:

  • Penguin Random House
  • Chronicle Books
  • Ten Speed Press
  • RPX Corporation

Grace 5 star rating

San Francisco, CA, USA

Travel and textbooks are my specialties. An excellent developmental editor, I will think about your work from the perspective of a reader.

Genres: Travel, Non-Fiction, Sports & Outdoors, Sociology, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Moon Travel (Hachette Book Group)
  • Westview Press

Shelly 5 star rating

San Jose, CA, USA

Copyeditor/developmental editor specializing in women’s fiction/historical fiction with clients from Big 5 publishing to indie authors.

Genres: Women's Fiction, Fiction, and Historical Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Biotech and high-tech firms in Silicon Valley

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Hire the best developmental editors in San Diego, California

You may be asking, what’s a developmental editor and why should I hire one? While most editors are known for correcting grammar and punctuation, these editors will work with you to fix up everything from the structure of your story to plot holes and characterization — all while keeping you positive and motivated. They may suggest re-writes or recommend which “darlings” to kill off, as William Faulkner once so famously put it.

Finding the right developmental editor is hard because it depends on trust. It’s not a teacher-student relationship, but more like a co-working situation in which you improvise and feed off each other’s chemistry and excitement for the work. At Reedsy, you can submit offers to up to 5 developmental editors at once and interview them all to be sure you’ve found the right fit. To get started, sign up for a free account today.

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