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 resource many years ago after reaching out to trusted writing experts for their recommendations of freelance book editors. I also encouraged readers to share their own suggestions in the comments. Today’s is the latest in a series of updates I’ve made to keep the post current—and I plan to continue revisiting it regularly to ensure the information stays helpful and relevant.

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’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. New names will be included in the list when I update it again in the future, so in the meantime be sure to check the comment section for more resources!

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.

Services: Line editing, proofreading, developmental editing, comic book editing.

Rates: 1¢–1.5¢ per word

Specialities: Science fiction, fantasy, slice of life, historical fiction, memoir, non-fiction.

Services: Developmental edit, editorial assessment, line editing, copyediting.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialities: Fiction, memoir, flash fiction, academic articles.

Services: Editing, consulting.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialities: Unspecified.

Services: Editing, consulting.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialities: Unspecified.

Services: Developmental editing, copyediting, proofreading, sensitivity reading, beta reading.

Rates: 1.3¢–2¢ per word.

Specialities: Tales set in immersive worlds, stories inspired by S.E. Asian folklore, and slow-burn romantic subplots.

Services: Content editing.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialities: Unspecified.

Services: Line editing and copyediting.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialities: PG-13 material.

Services: Content editing, copyediting, proofreading.

Rates: 1¢–4¢ per word.

Specialities: Fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, memoir, short stories.

Services: Developmental editing, copyediting, content editing, manuscript evaluation, academic editing, indexing.

Rates: $.50–$1.20 per 100 words.

Specialities: Long-form fiction.

Services: Line Editing, Developmental Editing, Proofreading.

Rates: $3–$30 per 1,000 words.

Specialties: Science Fiction, Fantasy.

Services: Development Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading, Indexing.

Rates: £10–£45 per 1,000 words or £1,00–£2,000 per 100,000-word book.

Specialties: Fiction, especially for independent/self-publishing writers.

Services: Coaching.

Rates: $1,200–$6,500.

Specialities: Diversity.

Services: Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialties: Crime and Mystery, Thriller, Romance, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Memoir.

Services: Coaching.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialities: Fiction, creative and narrative non-fiction, memoir, devotionals.

Services: Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading.

Rates: 1¢–4¢ per word.

Specialties: Science Fiction and Fantasy, Mystery and Crime, Romance, Literary Fiction.

Services: Developmental editing, coaching, book mapping, line editing, ghostwriting.

Rates: $.0175–$.0375 per word.

Specialities: Unspecified.

Services: Developmental Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading, Manuscript Evaluation, Query Editing, Academic Editing, Non-Fiction Editing.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialties: Plot structure.

Services: Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading, Manuscript Critique.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialties: Unspecified, but seems to lean toward Christian Fiction.

Services: Developmental editing, line editing, proofreading.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialities: Unspecified.

Services: Developmental Editing, Line Editing.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialties: Genre Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror.

Services: Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Manuscript Assessment, Proposal Crafting and Editing, Ghostwriting.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialties: Unspecified.

Services: Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Appraisals.

Rates: £275–£800+, depending on service and length of project.

Specialties: Unspecified.

Services: Comprehensive editing.

Rates: $425–$3,875 per 1,000–100,000 words.

Specialities: Fiction, picture books.

Services: Critiquing, copyediting, proofreading, substantive editing.

Rates: $7–$9.50 per page.

Specialities: Christian fiction.

Services: Coaching, developmental editing.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialities: Non-fiction.

Services: Developmental editing, line editing, copyediting, manuscript evaluation, coaching.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialities: Non-fiction, memoir, biography, historical fiction, literary fiction, thriller, mystery, science fiction, fantasy, Christian, young adult, children’s fiction, women’s fiction.

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.

Services: Developmental Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading, Manuscript Evaluation.

Rates: $2–$3 per standard page.

Specialties: History, Humor, Writing Instruction, Memoir, Literary Fiction, Paranormal Romance.

Services: Developmental Editing, Coaching, Outline Evaluation, Manuscript Evaluation.

Rates: $249–$3,999.

Specialties: Children’s Literature.

Services: Coaching.

Rates: $125–$1,025.

Specialties: Unspecified.

Services: Developmental Editing, Proofreading, Coaching.

Rates: $8-$10 per page.

Specialties: Fiction, Non-Fiction.

Services: Proofreading, Copy Editing, In-Depth Editing, Developmental Editing

Rates: 1.4¢–4¢ per word

Specialties: Romance, Mystery, Memoir, Non-Fiction, Spanish to English books

Services: Developmental Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading, Coaching. 

Rates: Contact for rates

Specialties: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry

Services: Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Manuscript Evaluation, Coaching.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialties: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopian, Romance.

Services: Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialties: Unspecified but seems to favor Romance.

Services: Developmental Editing, Copyediting, Mentoring.

Rates: $30–$40 per hour.

Specialties: Unspecified but seems to favor Christian Fiction and Non-Fiction.

Services: Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Synopsis Editing.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialties: Novel, Short Story, Narrative Non-Fiction, Memoir.

Services: Developmental Editing, Coaching.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialties: Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction.

Services: Developmental Editing.

Rates: £70 per 1,000 words.

Specialties: Fiction, Memoir, Non-Fiction

Services: Developmental Editing, Line Editing, Proofreading, Manuscript Evaluation, Coaching.

Rates: $2–$7 per page.

Specialties: Unspecified but seems to favor Christian Fiction.

Services: Developmental editing, manuscript evaluation.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialities: Unspecified.

Services: Developmental Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading, Indexing, Fact Checking.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialties: Unspecified.

Services: Coaching, manuscript evaluation.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialities: Fiction.

Services: Manuscript evaluation, beta reading, line editing, copyediting, proofreading, coaching, outline evaluation, blurb revision.

Rates: 1.5¢–3¢ per word.

Specialities: Unspecified.

Services: Developmental Editing, Copyediting, Ghostwriting, Short Story Review.

Rates: 1¢–5¢ per word.

Specialties: Unspecified but seems to favor Science Fiction.

Services: Proofreading, copyediting, developmental editing, ghostwriting.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialities: Unspecified.

Services: Manuscript, appraisal, developmental editing, copy editing, query assistance.

Rates: 1.2¢–1.8¢ per word.

Specialities: Romance, women’s fiction, historical, cosy mysteries.

Services: Line editing, copyediting, proofreading, developmental editing, coverage editing.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialities: Unspecified.

Services: Developmental Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading, Manuscript Evaluation.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialties: Unspecified but seems to favor Science Fiction.

Services: 1:1 Coaching.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialities: Unspecified.

Services: Developmental Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading, Manuscript Evaluation.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialties: Graphic Novels, Comics, Children’s Fiction, Picture Books, Young Adult.

Services: Developmental Editing.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialties: Unspecified but seems to favor Science Fiction.

Services: Manuscript evaluation, developmental editing, line editing, copy editing.

Rates: Contact for rates.

Specialities: Unspecified.

Services: Proofreading.

Rates: 2¢ per word.

Specialities: Unspecified.

Services: Development editing, line editing, manuscript evaluation, manuscript review, coaching.

Rates: 2.4¢–1.2¢ per word.

Specialities: Speculative fiction, historical fiction, mystery, literary, flash fiction, southern themes.

Services: Developmental Editing, Copyediting, Proofreading, Manuscript Evaluation, Coaching.

Rates: $3–$4 per page.

Specialties: Fiction and Non-Fiction.

Services: Developmental Editing, Coaching.

Rates: 2.5¢–3.5¢ per word.

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!

The post Need a Good Book Editor? Top Up-to-Date Recommendations appeared first on Helping Writers Become Authors.