Where do I find a good book editor?
This is without doubt the question I receive most frequently from fellow writers. It’s a hard question to answer because, while finding an editor is easy, finding a good book editor is something else again.
I originally published this post a few years ago after asking other writing experts, whose opinions I trust, for their recommendations of freelance book editors. I then suggested readers post their own recommendations in the comments. In the intervening years, the comment section grew tremendously, while a few of the originally published editors went out of business.
So I decided it was high time I update the post.
The following editors are in alphabetical order, with their names linked to their websites, so you can do further research to discover which is best suited to your needs. I’ll continue adding to the list whenever an appropriate new name comes to my attention (you can always find the list on the Start Here! page—accessible from the site’s top toolbar).
If you you’ve personally worked with a good book editor, please feel free to add his or her name and URL in the comments. (If you’re an editor yourself and would like to be included, please ask one of your satisfied clients to nominate you.) The goal is to make this as useful a resource for everyone as possible.
The Top Recommended Freelance Book Editors
Marlene Adelstein
Services: Developmental Editing, Publishing Consultations, Screenplay Editing.
Rates: Contact for rates.
Specialties: Commercial Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Women’s Fiction, Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Memoir, and Screenplay.
Jennifer Blanchard
Services: Developmental Editing.
Rates: $.03 per word.
Specialties: Fiction and Non-Fiction.
Grace Bridges
Services: Line Editing, Developmental Editing, Proofreading.
Rates: $3–$30 per 1,000 words.
Specialties: Science Fiction, Fantasy.
Averill Buchanan
Services: Development Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading, Indexing.
Rates: £8–£35 / €12–€45 per 1,000 words or £800–£1,200 / €950–€1,500 per 100,000-word book.
Specialties: Fiction, especially for independent/self-publishing writers.
Kelly Byrd
Services: Developmental Editing, Copyediting, Line Editing, Proofreading.
Rates: $12–$27 per 1,000 words.
Specialties: Crime and Mystery, Thriller, Romance, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Memoir.
Sherry Chamblee
Services: Developmental Editing, Proofreading, Transcription.
Rates: Contact for rates.
Specialties: Christian Fiction, Christian Non-Fiction, Children’s Fiction, Middle Grade Fiction.
Lauren Chasen
Services: Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Manuscript Evaluation, Non-Fiction Proposal Editing.
Rates: Contact for rates.
Specialties: Literary Fiction, Young Adult, Upmarket Women’s Fiction, Memoir.
Dario Ciriello
Services: Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading.
Rates: 1.25¢–1.5¢ per word.
Specialties: Unspecified, but seems to lean toward Science Fiction and Fantasy.
Rochelle Deans
Services: Developmental Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading, Manuscript Evaluation, Query Editing, Academic Editing, Non-Fiction Editing.
Rates: Varies by word, 1,000 words, hour, or project.
Specialties: Plot structure.
Harry DeWulf
Services: Developmental Editing, Story Consultation, Editorial Assessment.
Rates: $3,000–$5,000 for full novel edit.
Specialties: Unspecified, but seems to lean toward Science Fiction and Fantasy.
Christy Distler
Services: Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading, Manuscript Critique.
Rates: Contact for rates.
Specialties: Unspecified, but seems to lean toward Christian Fiction.
Jill Domschot
Services: Developmental Editing, Proofreading.
Rates: ½¢–1¢ per word.
Specialties: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Literary, Poetry, Non-Fiction.
Joshua Essoe
Services: Developmental Editing, Line Editing.
Rates: Contact for rates.
Specialties: Genre Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror.
Elizabeth Evans
Services: Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Manuscript Assessment, Proposal Crafting and Editing, Ghostwriting.
Rates: Contact for rates.
Specialties: Unspecified.
Lorna Fergusson
Services: Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Appraisals.
Rates: £275–£1280, depending on service and length of project (could be more).
Specialties: Unspecified.
Savannah Gilbo
Services: Manuscript Evaluation.
Rates: $497-$1,497 depending on length.
Specialties: Story Grid.
Dori Harrell
Services: Developmental Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading.
Rates: $2 per page–$2,800 per 100,000 words (depending on service).
Specialties: Novel, Novella, Non-Fiction, Children’s Fiction, Memoir, Short Story, Website Content, Newsletter.
Jon Hudspith
Services: Developmental Editing.
Rates: Contact for rates.
Specialties: Novel, Novella, Short Story, Flash Fiction.
Caroline Kaiser
Services: Developmental Editing, Copyediting, Line Editing, Proofreading, Manuscript Evaluation.
Rates: Contact for rates.
Specialties: Mystery, Thriller, Historical Fiction, Children’s Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction.
Nicole Klungle
Services: Developmental Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading, Manuscript Evaluation.
Rates: $2–$3 per standard page.
Specialties: History, Humor, Writing Instruction, Memoir, Literary Fiction, Paranormal Romance.
Mary Kole
Services: Developmental Editing, Coaching, Outline Evaluation, Manuscript Evaluation.
Rates: $199–$3,999.
Specialties: Children’s Literature.
Ann Kroeker
Services: Coaching.
Rates: $125–$1,025.
Specialties: Unspecified.
C.S. Lakin
Services: Developmental Editing, Proofreading, Coaching.
Rates: Contact for rates.
Specialties: Fiction, Non-Fiction.
Steve Mathisen
Services: Developmental Editing Copyediting, Proofreading.
Rates: $1.75–$5.75 per page.
Specialties: Unspecified.
Katie McCoach
Services: Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Manuscript Evaluation, Coaching.
Rates: $300–$3,200.
Specialties: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopian, Romance.
Leslie McKee
Services: Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading.
Rates: Contact for rates.
Specialties: Unspecified but seems to favor Romance.
Andrea Merrell
Services: Developmental Editing, Copyediting, Mentoring.
Rates: $30–$40 per hour.
Specialties: Unspecified but seems to favor Christian Fiction and Non-Fiction.
Victoria Mixon
Services: Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Synopsis Editing.
Rates: Contact for rates.
Specialties: Novel, Short Story, Narrative Non-Fiction, Memoir.
Ginger Moran
Services: Developmental Editing, Coaching.
Rates: Contact for rates.
Specialties: Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction.
Roz Morris
Services: Developmental Editing.
Rates: £60 per 1,000 words.
Specialties: Fiction, Memoir, Non-Fiction
Robin Patchen
Services: Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Proofreading, Manuscript Evaluation, Coaching.
Rates: $2–$7 per page.
Specialties: Unspecified but seems to favor Christian Fiction.
Anastasia Poirier
Services: Developmental Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading.
Rates: 1¢–3¢ per word.
Specialties: Unspecified.
Arlene Prunkl
Services: Developmental Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading, Indexing, Fact Checking.
Rates: Contact for rates.
Specialties: Unspecified.
Lauren I. Pruiz
Services: Developmental Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading, Manuscript Evaluation, Coaching.
Rates: 1¢–8¢ per word.
Specialties: Unspecified.
Bryan Thomas Schmidt
Services: Developmental Editing, Copyediting, Ghostwriting, Short Story Review.
Rates: $30-$50 per hour.
Specialties: Unspecified but seems to favor Science Fiction.
Crystal Watanabe
Services: Developmental Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading, Manuscript Evaluation.
Rates: Contact for rates.
Specialties: Unspecified but seems to favor Science Fiction.
Lara Willard
Services: Developmental Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading, Manuscript Evaluation.
Rates: Contact for rates.
Specialties: Unspecified.
Ben Wolf
Services: Developmental Editing.
Rates: Contact for rates.
Specialties: Unspecified but seems to favor Science Fiction.
Linda Yezak
Services: Developmental Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading, Manuscript Evaluation, Coaching.
Rates: $30 per hour.
Specialties: Fiction and Non-Fiction.
Services: Developmental Editing, Coaching.
Rates: $8–$18 per page.
Specialties: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Web Content, Devotional, Query or Cover Letter, Book Proposal, Fiction Synopsis.
***
In today’s market, getting feedback from a skilled editor is crucial—especially if you’re planning to publish independently. If you’ve yet to find a good book editor, start with the names here and get ready to transform your story.
Wordplayers, tell me your opinions! Have you ever worked with a good book editor? Can you add to the recommendations here? Tell me in the comments!
The post Need a Good Book Editor? Top Up-to-Date Recommendations appeared first on Helping Writers Become Authors.
Go to Source
Author: K.M. Weiland | @KMWeiland