The best cozy mysteries book developmental editing services

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Patrick 5 star rating

New York, NY, United States

Hands-on, thoughtful editor specializing in memoir, self-help, thriller, mystery, suspense, and YA fiction. Formerly of Simon and Schuster.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Entertainment, Sex & Relationships, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Thriller & Suspense, Cozy Mysteries, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Self-Employed
  • Simon & Schuster / Simon Pulse
  • Simon & Schuster / Simon Spotlight Entertainment (SSE) and Gallery Books
  • International Creative Management (ICM)
  • Matt DeCoursey Enterprises / Realist Books

Maria 5 star rating

Kansas City, MO, United States

Insightful, inspiring Developmental Editor of 25+ years specializing in Historical fiction, Self-Help, Spec fiction. Tailored-to-you edits.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Post-Apocalyptic, Philosophy, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Psychology.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Faith 5 star rating

Lebanon, NJ, United States

Insightful, collaborative editing from an award-winning NYC editor with 20 years experience, formerly of Penguin Random House.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Women's Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, and Historical Mysteries.

Work experience:

  • Berkley Publishing Group - Penguin Group USA
  • Avalon Books
  • Cambridge University Press
  • Severn House
  • Crooked Lane Books
  • Self-employed

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

Holly 5 star rating

East Rutherford, NJ, USA

NYT-bestselling, award-winning editor with over 17 years of industry experience, specializing in mysteries, thrillers, suspense, WF, romance

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

Work experience:

  • St. Martin's Press
  • Self-employed
  • BookEnds, LLC
  • Crooked Lane Books/Alcove Press

Lindsay 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Collaborative and supportive dev. editor with numerous bestsellers in women's fiction & romance at Amazon, Guideposts, and Penguin.

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Chick Lit, Women's Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Freelance
  • Amazon
  • Guideposts Books
  • Penguin

Robyn 5 star rating

Abilene, Texas, USA

Specializing in YA, fantasy, comedy, mystery, and faith-based manuscripts through review, development, content editing, and author coaching.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Non-Fiction, Fantasy, Humor & Comedy, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Business & Management, Christian Non-Fiction, and Religion & Spirituality.

Work experience:

  • (Texas-Based Publishing Service)
  • Creative Word Editing
  • HarperCollins/Blink YA
  • ACU Press & Leafwood Publishers
  • Self Employed

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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

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

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

Shelly 5 star rating

Oklahoma City, OK, USA

Over 15 yrs editing for both new and bestselling fiction authors. I guide and teach, while empowering you to keep your voice. Let's chat!

Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Chick Lit, Women's Fiction, Holiday, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Cozy Mysteries, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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.

Caryn 5 star rating

Elmhurst, IL, USA

An award-winning editor helping writers craft stories of faith (and doubt!) that move readers toward hope and action.

Genres: Inspirational, Non-Fiction, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Contemporary Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Picture Books, Christian Non-Fiction, and Religion & Spirituality.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Christianity Today

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

Shire 5 star rating

Berkeley, CA, USA

A fiction/non-fiction editor with wide-ranging interests, I specialize in refining the elements of good writing: voice, style, and grammar.

Genres: Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Contemporary Romance, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Inkshares
  • Lost Roads Press
  • Farrar, Straus and Giroux
  • New Directions

Marcia 5 star rating

Plymouth, NH, USA

As an experienced story-focused editor and published author, I help bring out your voice and make your writing the best it can be.

Genres: Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Psychology, Business & Management, Children’s Non-Fiction, Education & Reference, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, and Short Story.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Plymouth State University

Kirsiah 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Attentive editor with experience from several NYC publishersin a wide range of commercial fiction genres in adult and young adult novels.

Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Fiction, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Psychological Thriller, Thriller & Suspense, Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Hachette Book Group
  • Penguin Random House

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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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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.