The best self help book developmental editing services

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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!

Sandra 5 star rating

Omaha, United States

Skilled nonfiction book editor and book coach in business, true crime, self-help. Get from idea to published. I love first-time authors.

Genres: Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Psychology, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and True Crime.

Work experience:

  • Southeast Community College
  • Self-employed
  • Metropolitan Community College

Lisa 5 star rating

Berkley, MI, United States

Every sentence matters! My passion is helping your words shine, whether you're at the beginning of your project or you need a final polish.

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Travel, Home & Garden, Career Guides, Fantasy, Fiction, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Beth 5 star rating

Maineville, United States

Seasoned editor and proofreader with more than 20 years of experience in multiple genres. I have worked with several best-selling authors!

Genres: Health & Wellbeing, Non-Fiction, Action & Adventure, Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, LGBTQ Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Science Fiction, and Dystopian.

Work experience:

  • Self-Employed

Katie 5 star rating

New York, NY, United States

Nonfiction editor with an intuitive knack for storytelling & published author who has seen the industry from every possible angle

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Amazon Publishing
  • HarperCollins Publishers
  • Book of the Month
  • William & Park
  • Audible
  • Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House

Kent 5 star rating

Fresno, CA, USA

Nonfiction developmental editor, copy editor, and author coach with 20 years of experience at a traditional book publishing company.

Genres: Business & Management, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Parenting & Families, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • 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

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Laura 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

I am a developmental editor, copy-editor, and proofreader specializing in narrative and prescriptive nonfiction and commercial fiction.

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Humanities & Social Sciences, Parenting & Families, Children’s Non-Fiction, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • St. Martin's Press
  • Callisto Media
  • Crooked Lane Books/Alcove Press
  • Insight Editions

Lanette 5 star rating

South Hadley, MA, USA

Do you have a story to tell? I have 35+ years of professional editing experience and amazing reviews. (Scroll to the bottom to read them.)

Genres: Parenting & Families, Non-Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Sex & Relationships, Poetry, Fiction, Literary Fiction, and Coming of Age.

I'm your partner in self-help and wellness publishing success, with 20 years of experience in the transformative nonfiction genre.

Genres: Health & Wellbeing, Non-Fiction, Psychology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Writing & Publishing, Sex & Relationships, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Home & Garden, Nature, and New Age.

Work experience:

  • New Harbinger Publications
  • Self-employed

Megan 5 star rating

Raleigh, NC, USA

Lifelong word magician/former literary agent with a passion for working with authors to make their memoir, self-help & business books shine!

Genres: Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Inspirational, Photography, Biographies & Memoirs, and Business & Management.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Keller Media, Inc.
  • The Script Medic

Karen 5 star rating

Columbus, Ohio, USA

Former editor with Writer's Digest books and magazine, now of Future Perfect Editing. Bring me your fantasy novels, MG/YA fiction, and more!

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Writing & Publishing, History, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Writer's Digest
  • Etruscan Press
  • Disney Publishing

Emily 5 star rating

Columbia, MD, USA

Nonfiction Editor for Experts | 📚 Let's turn your hard-won knowledge into a captivating book 📚 | Humanities | Sciences | Self-help

Genres: Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences, Math & Science, Nature, Religion & Spirituality, Life Sciences, Sociology, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Psychology.

Work experience:

  • New Degree Press
  • Self-employed
  • LEGACY Magazine
  • The Baltimore Review
  • Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Casey 5 star rating

St. Louis, MO, USA

Developmental editor/copy editor/proofreader with 7+ years of experience. Specializing in memoirs and self-help, but open to all genres.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, and Inspirational.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Marah 5 star rating

Washington, DC, United States

Incisive editor and collaborative, results-oriented project manager of health, food, and lifestyle books

Genres: Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Simon & Schuster Trade Paperbacks
  • Scribner

Author, Editor, Storytelling Coach. Making a difference one word at a time.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • G. Elizabeth Kretchmer

Lyric 5 star rating

Colorado Springs, CO, USA

Experienced developmental editor specializing in books on spirituality, philosophy, ancestral wisdom, and personal development.

Genres: Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Inspirational, New Age, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Sounds True

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Hire the best self-help developmental editors

Writing a self-help book is a topical endeavour for an author: you get to share some of the most important lessons you learned, and potentially improve thousands (or millions) of other people's lives with it. But writing a self-help book you can get lost in the the details of balancing scientific research, personal experience, and practical advice — losing sight of the bigger picture. That's why you may want to hire a self-help developmental editor to help you. An editor will help you to make sure that the main idea of your book comes across clearly, and that you only include the necessary bits of research and advice essential for the success of your book.

You can find professional self-help developmental editors at Reedsy, people with decades of experience and who have worked with publishers in the likes of Simon & Schuster and Random House, as well as smaller publishing companies. Pick your favourite editor and request a quote today.

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Apply filters

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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.