The best historical fiction book developmental editing services

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Jodi 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, United States

Editor with an MFA and a lot of energy. I love to work in memoir, fiction, and humor. My forte: lean prose that moves.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Historical Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Humor & Comedy, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Julie 5 star rating

New York, United States

I'm an editor with nearly two decades of experience in publishing, most recently at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Short Story, Middle Grade, Children's, Mystery & Crime, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, and Dystopian.

Work experience:

  • Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Rachel 5 star rating

New York, United States

Literary agent turned editor of fiction & select memoir where narratives and protagonists have distinct, identifiable voices.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Humor & Comedy, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Middle Grade, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • Dystel & Goderich Literary Management
  • Self-employed

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

Geoffrey 5 star rating

D.C., DC, United States

20 years experience editing nonfiction books for publishers (Thomas Nelson and Running Press). I love helping authors tell their story.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Christian Non-Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Political Science & Current Affairs, Humanities & Social Sciences, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Running Press
  • Self-employed
  • Thomas Nelson Publishers

John 5 star rating

Kahului, Maui, HI, USA

Developmental and copy editor who delves into the heart and soul of an author’s writing to help them reach their greatest potential.

Genres: Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Fiction, Espionage, Thriller & Suspense, Historical Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Inspirational, and New Age.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Inner Ocean Publishing
  • Blessingway Books
  • Bear & Company
  • Hampton Roads Publishing

Jessica 5 star rating

Jacksonville, United States

Award-winning freelance editor Jessica provides practical, marketable revision advice to clients on all six habitable continents.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Historical Fiction, Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Women's Fiction, LGBTQ Non-Fiction, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Writers House
  • St. Martin's Press
  • Fox Literary LLC
  • Self-employed

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Abby 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

After 30 years as an acquiring editor for Big 5 publishers, I now edit romance, women's fiction, suspense, memoir, and more.

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Fiction, Historical Romance, Romantic Fantasy, Women's Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Historical Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, and Entertainment.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Gallery Books, Simon & Schuster
  • HQN, Harlequin Books
  • Bantam Dell, PRH

Emily 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Polishing prose since 2009, including NYT bestsellers and Edgar Award winners. My film background gives me unique insight as an editor.

Genres: History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Plays & Screenplays, Historical Romance, Romance, True Crime, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Penguin Random House
  • The Firm/Firm Films
  • Brooklyn Films

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

Georgette 5 star rating

Carmel, IN, United States

I'm a freelance editor and proofreader who's committed to helping authors produce the best work possible for their audiences.

Genres: Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Picture Books, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
  • Scholastic Reading Counts!

Paula 5 star rating

Madison, WI, USA

Meticulous, passionate copy and developmental editor with 20+ years working with leading NYC publishers and award-winning authors. Let's go!

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Cultural & Ethnic, Historical Fiction, Political Science & Current Affairs, Literary Fiction, and Coming of Age.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Allison 5 star rating

Indianapolis, IN, USA

Detail-driven, dedicated editor (for 15+ years) with a passion for helping writers of literary fiction bring their work to the next level,

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, and Historical Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • MFA Program, Butler University

Vaneesa 5 star rating

Milwaukee, WI, USA

A PhD historian offering editing and indexing. I am a scholar at your service with the skills of an editor and the mind of a historian.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Religion & Spirituality, Political Science & Current Affairs, Sociology, Philosophy, Historical Fiction, and Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Society for Historians of Foreign Relations (SHAFR)
  • UW-Madison

An editor with eight years of experience who has worked on projects from Amazon Publishing, National Geographic, Disney, and more.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Science Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Historical Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, and Travel.

Work experience:

  • Editorial and publishing services company
  • Allegory Ridge
  • Kaiser Permanente
  • Red City Review
  • Becker & Mayer
  • Expedia
  • Dorrance Publishing

Lauren 5 star rating

Atlanta, GA, USA

Editor, previously of the Big 5, guiding writers to 6-figure deals in the US and UK. Keen eye for narrative potential and standout debuts.

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

Work experience:

  • Scribner
  • Weinstein Books
  • Self-employed

Chris 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Former Big 5 editor with 10+ years of experience in publishing/media. Fave genres: romance, sci-fi, fantasy, YA, historical

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Romance, Middle Grade, Children's, Coming of Age, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Realm (formerly Serial Box)
  • Macmillan
  • McGraw-Hill Education
  • The Fordham Ram
  • Condé Nast
  • WFUV (90.7 FM)

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Hire the best historical fiction developmental editors

Historical fiction relies on creativity and a grounding in historical accuracy in equal measure. Want to make sure you’ve nailed both? You’re in the right place, we recommend you hire a developmental editor — and we can help you find one.

Developmental editors are like expert historians, stepping back and analyzing each piece of your manuscript as a whole. They’ll look at the wider picture and identify problems in your structure, characterization, and pacing, prompting rewrites if they spot something awry.

Given that, you’ll want to hire a historical fiction developmental editor whose expertise and knowledge of the historical fiction genre you trust. That’s why we’ve curated the Reedsy Marketplace — a community of thoroughly vetted professionals, with years studying and working for Big 5 publishers under their belts to back up their critiques. Want to connect with them? Join us to start requesting free quotes today.

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