The best manuscript editors for hire in the United States

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Andrea 5 star rating

Birmingham, United States

Editor and food writer with over 10 years of experience creating cookbooks on a wide range of cooking subjects.

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, and Writing & Publishing.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Time Inc Books

Holly 5 star rating

Springfield, United States

Experienced fiction editor, formerly with Samhain Publishing. I specialize in romance and other genre fiction.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Romance, LGBTQ Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Psychological Thriller, New Adult, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Samhain Publishing, Ltd
  • Self-employed
  • Mundania Press
  • Lyrical Press

Eliza 5 star rating

Maplewood, NJ, United States

I'm a detail-oriented editor, specializing in children's nonfiction, with 10 years of experience at publishing houses and literary agencies

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Education & Reference.

Work experience:

  • Diversion Books
  • Self-employed
  • Leigh Feldman Literary
  • The Bent Agency
  • Callisto Media
  • Rebel Girls

Emily 5 star rating

New York, United States

Bestselling nonfiction book editor. Formerly at Penguin Random House, Macmillan, and Callisto Media.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, True Crime, Political Science & Current Affairs, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences, Math & Science, and Sports & Outdoors.

Work experience:

  • Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press, Macmillan
  • Portfolio/Sentinel/Current, Penguin Random House

Joanna 5 star rating

Oak Park, IL, United States

Seasoned publishing industry professional with agency experience and a keen eye for detail who embraces all aspects of the editorial process

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Young Adult, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Thriller & Suspense, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Browne & Miller Literary Associates
  • The Parlor
  • Literary Agency

Ronit 5 star rating

Detroit, MI, United States

20+ years in publishing including 10+ years at Penguin Random House. Literary and book club fiction and memoir.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Historical Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Women's Fiction, and Humor & Comedy.

Work experience:

  • Penguin Random House Inc.
  • Random House Inc.
  • Detroit Metro Times
  • The Daily Orange (Syracuse University)

Erik 5 star rating

Minneapolis, MN, United States

Editor with years of in-house experience. Founder of a literary agency. Writer. Host of Print Run Podcast.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Career Guides, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Nature, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Sports & Outdoors, Life Sciences, and Math & Science.

Work experience:

  • Red Sofa Literary Agency
  • Self-employed
  • The Overlook Press
  • Oxford University Press
  • Headwater Literary Management

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Julia 5 star rating

Charleston, SC, United States

Line and copy editor, with content capabilities. I have the most experience in nonfiction, but my favorite edits are middle grade and YA.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • The History Press
  • Newgen KnowledgeWorks
  • Amnet

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

Stephanie 5 star rating

Schwenksville, PA, United States

Editor, proofreader, reader. Wrangler of run-away trains of thought and foxhound puppies.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Religion & Spirituality, Education & Reference, and Parenting & Families.

Work experience:

  • Temple University Press
  • Penn State Press
  • ASTM International
  • Self-employed

Estelle 5 star rating

New York, United States

Agent/Senior Content Development Editor at one of New York's top agencies, specializing in YA, MG, picture books, and women's literature.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Middle Grade Fantasy, Coming of Age, Contemporary Fiction, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Folio Literary Management
  • Self-employed

Kate 5 star rating

Cleveland, OH, United States

Versatile, collaborative nonfiction editor with a master's degree in creative writing and seven years' experience editing education books.

Genres: Education & Reference, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, and Parenting & Families.

Work experience:

  • Solution Tree
  • Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
  • Solution Tree Press

Nevin 5 star rating

Portland, OR, United States

My goal is to guide writers to their best work, to coach them in eloquence and clarity, to lead them to their best stories and storytelling.

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

Work experience:

  • Scholastic
  • Penguin Random House
  • Government Technology magazine
  • Self-employed
  • Green Bean Books
  • Portland State University

Anne 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, United States

I'm a former LGBTQ+ Editor in Chief with a film background and years of success nurturing star writers and beginners. Let's tell your story!

Genres: LGBTQ Fiction, Fiction, Plays & Screenplays, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, LGBTQ Non-Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Historical Fiction, Inspirational, and Entertainment.

Work experience:

  • The Advocate
  • Senior Arts & Entertainment Editor
  • Well Again
  • self
  • Self-employed

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

Jim 5 star rating

Tigard, OR, United States

An editor with over twenty years of publishing experience at major houses, who has a sweet spot for genre fiction and comic books.

Genres: Action & Adventure, Fiction, Comics Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Plays & Screenplays, Comics & Graphic Novels, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Kirkus Media, LLC
  • Hachette Book Group
  • Time Warner Book Group/Hachette Book Group
  • DC Comics

Jerry 5 star rating

Live Oak, FL, United States

An editor with more than 20 years of experience in books, covering a variety of genres in fiction and nonfiction.

Genres: Political Science & Current Affairs, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Action & Adventure, Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Science Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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Hire the best manuscript editors in the United States

Finally finished the first draft of your book, and ready to enlist manuscript editing services? If you’re about to embark on your very first round of editing, look for a developmental editor — someone who will look beyond surface errors like typos and perform a “big picture” edit, offering suggestions for a coherent plot structure and intuitive flow. Put simply, they’ll assess your manuscript on a whole-book and chapter level.

Once you’ve worked with a developmental editor, it’s time to move on to a copy edit, or the section/paragraph level, where your editor will closely review tone and language style, offering feedback and advice on how you can best revise your own work. They’ll closely examine the text and point you toward helpful resources like a style guide that can help the quality of your writing remain consistent.

Finally, we advise all authors to work with a proofreader. The last round of manuscript editing before publication, proofreading serves as quality control that confirms the readability and presentation of your project, getting rid of any remaining spelling or grammar mistakes.

Wondering where you can hire a manuscript editor in the United States? Right here on Reedsy. We have hundreds of top-notch American manuscript editors who have experience working with bestselling authors like Stephen King and Neil Gaiman. Sign up and start browsing their portfolios today, or simply request a quote from any editor who looks like the right fit for your book. You can also contact our professionals directly to ask any questions you have about the manuscript editing services they offer.

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