Finished Your Novel? Good. Now You Need An Editor – Here’s A Convenient List of NaNo-Friendly Editors


So you finished your novel, and you’ve paid enough attention to know that you need an editor to help whip that puppy into shape. You did pay that much attention, right?

Exactly.  Revise.  And then get an editor to make that book as good as it can be.   (Yes, you need to invest in an editor, just like you need to invest in cover art.  You are investing in your own work.  Don’t you think you are worth investing in?!?!?!?!!)

I put out a call for freelance editors who are ready and willing to work with NaNo writers (or anyone else).  I’ve worked with a few of these folks, but not all of them (and some of them in different capacities than as editors).  Take a look at what they have to offer.   If you’re an editor just finding this post, please feel free to add in your information in the comments.

Lillian Cohen-Moore

Contact Info: https://www.lilliancohenmoore.com/contact/
Experience:  I do edit NaNo books, and I’m currently open to take
on new clients. I edit non-NaNo manuscripts as well; I edit short stories,
anthologies, roleplaying games, non-fiction, memoirs, how-to/advice, and 
genre fiction.  I do anything from proofing to developmental editing, am
a strict fact checker.
Nonfiction editing includes creative/narrative nonfiction, nonfiction
books, blog posts, essays, articles,  academic papers, white papers,
thesis work and dissertations. My projects and publications page
lists all of publicly known, credited work.
Rates:

Hourly: 30.00
By word: 2.5 cent minimum.
Block fees: I will do them, often for projects with small budgets.
Sample edits: $100.00, length dependent on project. If I go ahead with a client after a sample edit, I subtract the sample edit cost from their editing costs with me.
Short story or book proposal/novel synopsis critique: $100, up to 5, 000 words for a short story. If over 5K, will discuss how to handle it on case by case basis.

All of these rates do scale up (and even down) when projects get particularly complex, and I’ve scaled some rates down when I felt strongly about working on a project with a small budget. Genre:  I edit mystery, thriller, sci-fi, horror, fantasy, urban fantasy, YA, willing to give romance books a whirl, though I readily admit to having very little experience editing romance.

Nayad Monroe

Contact E-mail: [email protected]
Experience: Editor of What Fates Impose, and three years as a slush reader at Clarkesworld Magazine
Rates (roughly): $1/page (double spaced, 12pt font)
Preferred genres: science fiction, fantasy, horror

Matthew Wayne Selznick

Contact Info: [email protected]
Experience: Author of two novels, one anthology, and several short stories / non-fiction works. Award nominated (Parsec, KeyArt, ENNie, Origins); Amazon.com Bestseller (#53 on overall chart). References available.
Rates: $1,000 ~ $1,500 for novels up to 100,000 words (estimate — actual amount may be less depending on work involved)
Prefered Genres: Specializes in developmental editing. Any genre.

Neal Litherland

Contact info: [email protected]
Experience: Edited for Jupiter Gardens Press, and freelance editor
Rates: $200 per 50k words (price is negotiable, varies based on time and thoroughness required)
Preferred Genre(s): Prefer horror, fantasy, and science fiction, but willing to read for any genre.

Savannah Armstrong

Contact Info: [email protected]
Experience:  I have been freelancing for about four years now. I have edited four novels that are currently in print, and about half a dozen that have yet to be published. I was a Senior Editor for TM Publishing for about two years, and during that time I worked on quite a few short stories as well, though I prefer larger works. I have also been a contest judge for the League of Utah Writers for the last two years. I specialize in substantive editing (coherency, plot, character development, etc.).
Rates:  I charge $35 per hour, averaging 3-8 pages per hour, depending on the manuscript. I’m happy to do an initial read through of the first 1-3 chapters and offer a quote at no charge.
Areas of Expertise: My preferred genres are sci-fi/fantasy, mystery, and thrillers.

Daniel Friend

Contact Info:  [email protected]
Experience: degree in editing; ran and edited two short fiction SF/F publications, editing pieces by award-winning authors Dan Wells, David Farland, Mary Robinette Kowal, and Eric James Stone; edited several novels. 
Rates:  $25/hour
Areas of Expertise:  I specialize in SF/F but am willing to take on other genres as well.

Jim White

Contact Info: [email protected]
Experience: Mostly RPG rulebooks and supplements at this point, but I’m excited to work with fiction. RPG Editor CV available at www.twwombat.com
Rates: $0.01/word
Preferred Genres: SF, Cyberpunk, Sword & Sorcery, Fantasy.

RJ Blain

Contact Info: https://rjblain.com/editorial-services/
Experience:  I’m a developmental editor. I’ve been working for 10 years editing and writing for businesses, but started developmentally editing for clients at the start of 2013. Here is my page about my rates and services, which answers most of your questions: https://rjblain.com/editorial-services/  I have references and samples available. I’m currently booked up to July, but quite a few of my early 2014 clients are having nanos from 2012 edited, so it’s not uncommon for authors to work on their nano before having it worked on by an outside editor.
Rates: https://rjblain.com/editorial-services/

E. Catherine Tobler

Contact Info:  https://ecatherine.com/editing/
Experience:  Editing at Shimmer magazine for the past seven years, and is also a Sturgeon nominated author with her first two books came out this year.
Rates:  $20 to $45/hour, depending on the type of editing.

Stephanie Lorée

Contact info: [email protected]
Experience: Anthology editor, editorial assistant, and proofreader; worked on several professional magazines and anthologies including: Lightspeed, Nightmare, Wastelands 2, Triangulation, Dead Man’s Hand, Fantasy Magazine (ebook conversion). Full bio and testimonials available on website: https://stephanieloree.com/ (to launch January 2014).
Rates: $0.01 / word base, negotiable
Preferred genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, & Romance; short fiction welcome!