Josiah Davis

Josiah Davis – Editor

Epic Fantasy/LitRPG-focused editor with 9 years' experience and 500 novels under my belt. Do you want to grow? Let's talk.

Overview

Are you looking to actually grow and improve as a writer? Working for me isn’t for the faint of heart, but my goal is to guide authors to better tell the story they want to tell. I focus my efforts on teaching through the edits, so that each book gets better and better as you go. If you’re looking for an an editor whose sole purpose is to go through your manuscript, make it “correct,” and then send you on your way, I’m not the editor for you. If you’re looking for someone to make all the changes for you, so you don’t have to think about the writing rules, I’m not the editor for you. However, if you’re looking for an editor who will push you to become a better writer, I am the editor for you.

My approach focuses on a comment-based approach to editing, which will usually require more work in the revision process, but will leave you stronger for it. You'll grow through the revisions and become far more familiar with the rules or concepts you weren't aware of before, in a way that just hitting "accept changes" can't accomplish.

I tend to book out pretty far in advance. If you're looking for an editor who has an immediate opening, I'm likely not the person for you. But I'm in demand for a reason, so if you want to really invest in your growth as an author, it's worth the wait.

I'm here to help you tackle big-picture developmental editing, or writing-and-flow-focused line editing. Are you an author who truly cares about your craft? Let's talk.

Services
Fiction
Epic Fantasy Gaming & LitRPG Horror Urban Fantasy Young Adult Fantasy
Languages
English (CAN) English (UK) English (US)

Work experience

Self-employed

Jan, 2023 — Present
Editor specializing in developmental editing for LitRPG/Progression Fantasy projects for Podium Entertainment.

Self-employed

Nov, 2016 — Present
I started my editing business 8 years ago when I saw a need in the industry not just for someone to edit well, but for someone who could help teach authors how they could better their skills as a whole. I personally specialize in Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Progression Fantasy, and LitRPG.

Portfolio

Tormented

Lee Mountford

Lee Mountford

Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Perron Manor: Haunted, Book 1

Lee Mountford

Broken Sky Media

Copy Editing
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Atlas Fallen (Cyber Crown)

Jessica Pierce

Lost City Publishers

Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Ascension: Astra Epsilon, Book 1

Brayden Dodge

Podium Audio

Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Developmental Editing Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
PLAY

Cooksey, Elijah

Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
Copy Editing

Josiah has 20 reviews

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Aldo P.

Aldo P.

Mar, 2026

Pinned
Working with Josiah was an exceptional experience. As a Latino author writing a novel deeply rooted in Mesoamerican mythology and cultural perspectives, I was genuinely impressed by how well he understood my world, my characters, and the voice behind the story. He approached the manuscript with r...
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Marcos L.

Marcos L.

Dec, 2025

Pinned
Josiah was my first hire for my first book, and though I was skeptical about hiring an editor at first, he has shown me that the price is well worth it. From the moment he gave me an example of his work, I knew this was the correct choice, and after receiving the final draft and his input on how ...
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George L.

George L.

Jul, 2025

Pinned
Josiah was nothing short of incredible. He thought deeply about everything and really challenged me to do so as well! If you can take criticism and are committed to really digging into your work, go with Josiah! He was polite, professional, and very knowledgeable. Would definitely come back again...
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Ali K.

Ali K.

May, 2026

I regret not vetting this editor more carefully before hiring him. What I received was not, in my view, a true editorial pass so much as an extremely hyper-literal “reader friction” report. That may genuinely be useful for some authors, and I think that approach should be disclosed more clearly ...
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Debanjan M.

Debanjan M.

May, 2026

Josiah went well beyond what I had imagined as the scope for a copy/line editor. Not only does he provide extremely detailed edits, he also explains the reasoning behind each of his comments. He also managed to somehow address larger story mechanics and character arc suggestions even while editin...
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