The best cozy mysteries book developmental editing services

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Ann Leslie 5 star rating

New York City, NY, United States

Over 25 years' editorial experience at a Big 5 publisher and a literary agency, specializing in commercial fiction and narrative nonfiction.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Women's Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Historical Romance, Contemporary Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Romantic Comedy, Psychological Thriller, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Harlequin Books
  • Dystel, Goderich & Bourret

Megan 5 star rating

New York, NY, United States

Former Kensington editor with 17 years' experience, specializing in romance, mystery, fantasy, sci-fi, & YA. Let's make your project shine!

Genres: Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Fantasy, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Fantasy, Romantic Comedy, Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, and Historical Romance.

Work experience:

  • Kensington Publishing
  • Harlequin
  • Kaplan
  • Self-employed

Rob 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Bestselling mystery/thriller author with a love for working with other writers and a keen eye for storytelling mechanics.

Genres: Technothriller, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Espionage, Psychological Thriller, Horror, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, and Historical Mysteries.

Work experience:

  • MysteriousPress.com
  • Self
  • Seton Hill University

Heather 5 star rating

Loveland, OH, USA

I am an editor specializing in romance of all subgenres, including Contemporary, Fantasy, and Urban Fantasy. Worked at Tor/Forge, Macmillan.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Romantic Comedy, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Romantic Suspense, Dark Romance, and Romantic Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Samhain Publishing
  • Tor Books
  • Ellora's Cave Publishing
  • Self-employed

Erin 5 star rating

Framingham, MA, USA

20+ years of experience guiding picture book, middle grade, and YA authors. I'm a professor, author, and your creative cheerleader.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Contemporary Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Young Adult, and Coming of Age.

Work experience:

  • Montserrat College of Art
  • The Highlights Foundation
  • The Wrtiers' Loft

David 5 star rating

Richmond, VA, USA

Editor of 500+ books (SF/F and thriller/mystery), for bestsellers including Hugh Howey (Silo), AG Riddle, Anne Frasier, Nick Cole & more.

Genres: Military Science Fiction, Science Fiction, Fiction, Technothriller, Thriller & Suspense, Action & Adventure, Contemporary Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Space Opera, and Post-Apocalyptic.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • WarGate Books

Laurie 5 star rating

Charleston, SC, USA

A professional non-fiction editor for over 7 years, I also have experience in law enforcement. True crime, mystery, and romance welcome!

Genres: Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Romance, True Crime, Non-Fiction, and Contemporary Romance.

Work experience:

  • Arcadia Publishing and The History Press

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Jim 5 star rating

Tigard, OR, United States

An editor with over twenty years of publishing experience at major houses, who has a sweet spot for genre fiction and comic books.

Genres: Action & Adventure, Fiction, Comics Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Plays & Screenplays, Comics & Graphic Novels, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Cozy Mysteries, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Kirkus Media, LLC
  • Hachette Book Group
  • Time Warner Book Group/Hachette Book Group
  • DC Comics

Steve 5 star rating

South Orange, New Jersey, USA

Former agent and developmental editor specializing in Thrillers and Mysteries. Will get you ready for publication!

Genres: Legal Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Fiction, Historical Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Cozy Mysteries, Psychological Thriller, and Espionage.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Curtis Brown, Ltd.

Jamie 5 star rating

Pocatello, Idaho, USA

Enthusiastic editor of Children's and Adult Fiction/Nonfiction. MFA Grad. Trad. published author. Freelancer for Penguin Random House.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Picture Books, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Young Adult, Inspirational, Non-Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Biographies & Memoirs, and Health & Wellbeing.

Work experience:

  • Playful Learning Press
  • Self-employed
  • Idaho State University, Continuing Ed
  • Kelly Yang
  • Vermont College of Fine Arts
  • Gibbs Smith Publishing
  • Penguin Random House
  • Hares & Hatter Bookshop

Developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading of fiction and memoir. Authors of all experience levels welcome!

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Dark Romance, Romance, New Adult, Young Adult, Cozy Mysteries, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Elite Editing, New York City
  • Self-employed

Melissa 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Collaborative developmental editing from a publishing professional of 7+ years

Genres: Historical Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Thriller & Suspense, Romantic Fantasy, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Crooked Lane Books

Misty 5 star rating

Nashville, TN, USA

Veteran editor specializing in inspiring stories about religious deconstruction, deconversion, and narcissistic abuse recovery

Genres: New Age, Non-Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Poetry, Young Adult, Fantasy, and Inspirational.

Work experience:

  • HarperCollins
  • Self-employed
  • 2CGaming

Sandra 5 star rating

Port Hadlock, WA, United States

Developmental Editor assisting active/retired professionals write award-winning, best selling mysteries, military SF and medical thrillers.

Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Historical Mysteries, Romantic Suspense, Romance, Espionage, Thriller & Suspense, Military Science Fiction, and Medical Thriller.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Writers' International Forum
  • BAE Information Systems Technology
  • Manufactured Homes Magazine
  • Crooked Lane Books

Leslie 5 star rating

Sequim, WA, USA

I specialize in fast, high-quality editing and coaching for professional and high-output authors and publishers in commercial fiction.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Gaming & LitRPG, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • The Bellingham Review
  • Washington State Kappan
  • The Buccaneer, Peninsula College

Ashley 5 star rating

Jersey City, NJ, USA

A supportive and collaborative editorial professional with 10+ years’ experience across print and digital—and a total bookworm.

Genres: Women's Fiction, Fiction, Business & Management, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Literary Fiction, and Short Story.

Work experience:

  • Prairie Schooner, University of Nebraska
  • History Press
  • Publishers Weekly
  • CreateSpace, an Amazon.com Company
  • Milkweed Editions
  • Yemassee Journal
  • Self-employed
  • Compose.ly
  • Turner Publishing
  • The Book Incubator

MJ 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

Fiction editor at top trade publisher with over 9 years of experience editing debuts and bestsellers across genres - collaborative and kind!

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Romantic Comedy, Romance, Thriller & Suspense, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Sourcebooks

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Hire the best cozy mystery developmental editors

Finished putting pen to paper for the first manuscript of your cozy mystery book? You might want to consider sleuthing out a developmental editor next. A cozy mystery developmental editor can see your work in the same way a detective fresh on the case might see a problem better than a DC who’s worked on it for years — free of bias.

These literary investigators step back and analyze the big picture to identify problems in your structure, characterization, and pacing. This can even lead to intensive rewrites, so you’ll want to be sure your cozy mystery developmental editor has professional experience and knowledge of cozy mystery books to back up their proposals. At Reedsy, we assure that quality. All of our professionals are vetted thoroughly, we only accept the strongest portfolios. So, why wait? Sign up for free to connect today.

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Apply filters

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Step 2

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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.