The best proofreaders for hire near Chicago

Sign up for free to meet top proofreaders on Reedsy

Perrin 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, United States

Cookbooks are my specialty—books I have edited have won or been finalists for James Beard, IACP, and Gourmand awards.

Genres: Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Health & Wellbeing, Home & Garden, Economics, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Agate Publishing
  • Self-employed

Will 5 star rating

Chicago, United States

Trusted copy editor and proofreader for romance, mystery, fantasy, sci-fi, suspense, and all the sub-genres therein.

Genres: Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Romance, Espionage, Thriller & Suspense, Chick Lit, Women's Fiction, Space Opera, Science Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Urban Fantasy, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Berkley Publishing (Penguin Random House)
  • Harlequin Romance (HarperCollins)
  • Orbit Books / Redhook (Hachette)

Nicole 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Former Big 5 editor with 10+ years of experience in fantasy, romance, horror, and any combination therein. Let's get cooking!

Genres: Dark Romance, Romance, Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Romantic Fantasy, Science Fiction, Epic Fantasy, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • InterVarsity Press
  • Del Ray (Penguin Random House)
  • Self-employed

Joe 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Fast. Friendly. Experienced. Thorough. I'm here to help you be your best. Sample edits available.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Entertainment, Sex & Relationships, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Solution Tree Press
  • Self-employed

Natalie 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

I bring thoughtful, thorough, and professional edits and feedback to copyediting or proofreading lifestyle and business projects.

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Health & Wellbeing, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Psychology, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Educational Publisher
  • Science Connected Magazine

Lillian 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Experienced full-service editor specializing in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and romance. Let's take your book to the next level!

Genres: Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Romance, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Time Travel, Post-Apocalyptic, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Internet Brands

Cassie 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Experienced fiction, nonfiction, and YA editor focused on precision, constructive criticism, and lots of Parks and Rec references.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, True Crime, Romance, Children’s Non-Fiction, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Sourcebooks
  • Open Road Integrated Media
  • Macmillan

📞 Chat with our team

Need a hand finding the perfect professional? Our team is here to help. Get in touch for recommendations.

Rebecca 5 star rating

Chicago, Illinois, USA

200+ books in print & 13+ years in publishing. I help storytellers turn messy drafts into page-turners that readers can’t put down.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Sourcebooks
  • Integra

Proofreader for light novels, manga, graphic novels, and children's fiction with experience at Macmillan Children's and Yen Press.

Genres: Middle Grade Fantasy, Children's, Fiction, Middle Grade, Comics & Graphic Novels, Young Adult, and LGBTQ Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Yen Press
  • Macmillan Children's Publishing Group

Editor, published writer (10+ years), multilingual creative, experienced in publishing, line/developmental editing, creative coaching.

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, DIY & Crafts, Art, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • New Harbinger Publications
  • Page Street Publishing
  • The Nasiona
  • Reckoning Press
  • Strange Horizons
  • FLAPPERHOUSE
  • Self-employed

Allison 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Nonfiction copy editor and proofreader with 20+ years in the publishing biz. Music, memoir, and mind/body/spirit titles are my jam!

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Entertainment, New Age, and Religion & Spirituality.

Work experience:

  • Synergetic Press
  • Chicago Review Press & Triumph Books
  • Chicago Review Press
  • No Starch Press
  • Self-employed

Deborah 5 star rating

Woodstock, United States

I have over 20 years' experience editing popular nonfiction and fiction, with a recent focus on psychology, philosophy, and current affairs.

Genres: Political Science & Current Affairs, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Nature, Philosophy, Psychology, Economics, Biographies & Memoirs, Health & Wellbeing, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • The Communication Initiative
  • Freelance
  • Alan Bernhard Creative Enterprises (ABCE)

10+ years in children’s publishing. Former executive editor at Albert Whitman & Co.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Social & Family Issues, Young Adult, and Coming of Age.

Work experience:

  • Albert Whitman & Company
  • Red Line Editorial
  • Self-employed

Ray 5 star rating

Northampton, United States

Developmental editing and copy editing for the nonfiction world: health, nutrition, fitness, tech, and entrepreneurship.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Health & Wellbeing, Sports & Outdoors, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Business & Management, Computers & Internet, and Technology.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Winning Edits
  • Rocket Code
  • Amazon Services (Amazon.com)
  • Smart Passive Income
  • Buy Box Experts
  • The Storied Future

Nathan 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Writer and editor with 7+ years of experience. Has worked at the Kenyon Review, Tin House Books and Scholastic, among other publications.

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

Work experience:

  • Tin House Books
  • MAYDAY Magazine
  • Agate Publishing House
  • The Kenyon Review
  • Scholastic Inc. (Tangerine Press Imprint)

Dave 5 star rating

Seattle, United States

Experienced copyeditor, proofreader, and fact checker proficient with Chicago style. I specialize in literary and historical fiction.

Genres: Action & Adventure, Fiction, Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Music, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Fantasy, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and True Crime.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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

Browse 2,000+ additional profiles

Create your free Reedsy account and begin requesting free quotes.

Hire the best proofreaders in Chicago

As an author, you’ve taken a great deal of time and care to craft your book, but you may not realize how many mistakes can still crop up. Even as you re-read it, it's easy for your mind to skip over familiar sentences and miss out on small but crucial mistakes.

Failing to notice and fix these can make you look unprofessional as an author, plus it’s an expensive headache to correct errors post-publication. That’s why you need a proofreader to help you on your self-publishing journey. A professional proofreader will find even the most microscopic errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation in your book. More importantly, they can give you peace of mind to know that your work has been thoroughly checked by a second pair of eyes, and will be spotless when it’s finally published.

Our Chicago proofreaders are some of the most experienced professionals in the industry — they’ve been screened individually and only the top 3% are accepted onto Reedsy. Don’t waste your time with inexperienced freelancers; join Reedsy today to find the best proofreaders in Chicago.

How it works

Browse profiles, request quotes, then collaborate.

Step 1

Apply filters

Reedsy is home to thousands of professionals. Select the specific services you need and narrow your search based on your book’s genre and requirements.

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.