How to Find a Book Editor

Type “professional book editor” into Google, and the results are overwhelming. Indie publishers! Freelance editors! BookBaby! Reedsy! Greenleaf! Gah!

How are you supposed to know which one to choose? Whom can you trust? Which editor is right for your book? This blog post will give you practical steps on how to find your right-fit book editor.

First, an FYI: Many editors are booked out in advance. As I write this, my next opening is April of 2026. (I know! It’s crazy!) Some editors will have immediate availability, but most need some advance warning. It’s best to reach out to editors when you’re at the tail end of self-editing your manuscript and aren’t in an urgent rush to get it published. The more rush and urgency, the more limited your options, and likely the more expensive the edit will be.

Got it? K, let’s tackle the how of finding your editor.

Finding Your Book Editor

Step One: Get Clear on Genre and Timeline

Most editors specialize in different genres. Some will only work on creative nonfiction. Others will edit romance and historical fiction. Others will do any fiction but romance and horror (like me!). In order to know which editors to research and reach out to, you have to know what your genre is. Memoir or biography? (Those are not the same things.) Literary fiction or mainstream? Maybe it’s a hybrid of self-help and memoir, which is becoming more popular lately. Whatever it is, that’s valuable information in narrowing down whom you want to work with. Ideally, you want to find an editor who has experience with your genre.

And then there’s the timeline. As I said above, many editors are booked out in advance. Are you trying to get this family history book published by the next family reunion? In that case, you’ll want to try to find an editor with sooner availability. If you still need to pass the manuscript through beta readers and then do another round of revisions, it could be you’ll want an editor who can book your spot in four or five months from now.

In short, knowing your genre and timeline are two crucial points in finding an editor who can work on your project.

Step Two: The Search Begins!

This is when the search begins. For the sake of example, let’s say you want to find an editor who specializes in fantasy. Here are your options:

• If you have any author friends or a writing group, ask anyone if they know or have worked with a fantasy editor whom they recommend. Personal referrals always feel more trustworthy than a Google search, y’know?

• Do a Google search. 😄 Many names and websites will come up.

• Then there are platforms like Reedsy, where professionals are vetted for you and can be narrowed down based on genre, location, experience, etc. (Those platforms do take a cut, though, so be aware of that.)

• The Editorial Freelancers Association has a directory that allows you to search for editors. So does ACES: The Society for Editing, and CIEP, the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading.

• You can also type “fantasy editor” into the search bar on LinkedIn, and many options will come up there as well. The benefit of looking for editors on LinkedIn is that you can then read their posts and interactions with others and get a feel for their style and process. (And read the recommendations on their page.)

Step Three: Make a Spreadsheet

I know this seems a little over the top, but you are trying to find someone you can trust with the book you put your heart and soul into. If the editors show prices on their websites, you can compare those. Do they have testimonials or past clients you can reach out to? What’s their experience like? And very importantly, do they offer the editing service you need? If you want to start with developmental editing, make sure the editors on your list offer that as a service; some editors only do copyediting and proofreading. Others only do big-picture editing.

I know there are a lot of editors out there, so try to focus on making a list of just five or ten names who seem like a good fit.

(Not a list like this one. 👇)

Step Four: Whittle It Down

Choose your top three or four editors to contact. (You can always come back to the list if these don’t work out.) Now it’s time to message the editors, either through their website, LinkedIn, Facebook, whatever. You can ask for a chat to hear more about their process, their availability, and to see if it’s a personality fit. (Believe me, personality match can play a big role in the enjoyment of the editing process.)

Step Five: The Sample Edit

The most important step of this entire process is to ask for a sample edit. This allows you to see the editor’s work on your writing, and it allows the editor to see what level of editing is needed and if it’ll be a good fit. (Just because they work with your genre doesn’t mean they’ll love the topic or writing style. Those are important factors as well. You want an editor who is gung-ho about your book.)

The great thing about a sample edit is that you can get a little taste of how the working relationship will be like without having to commit to an entire edit first. It’s the first step of my process with every author, and I also do it for writers who just want some feedback on an excerpt of their book.

Please note that different editors charge different prices for samples, and they will ask for different sample sizes as well. This does not necessarily reflect more/less experience, simply a different way of handling the process. I know editors who don’t charge for samples and they have loads of experience. I personally charge for a sample edit given the time it takes and the amount of value I’m giving in a 20-30 page sample. But pretty much every editor I know will do a sample edit for you. It’s just about the best way to see if both sides will be a good fit.

Analyzing the Samples

Once you get a sample edit back, what are things you should look out for that tell you this is a good editor to work with?

I know there are horror stories out there, but rest assured, 99.9% of professional editors you encounter will not treat your work like trash and will not equate poor writing with poor human. You’re safe. So if you’re not getting crazy comments like “Your writing is bad,” how else can you know if this is a good editor for your book?

For starters, ask yourself the following:

1. Do you feel they upheld your voice or changed it?

2. Do you feel they “got” your writing style?

3. Did they completely miss the point you were trying to make? (And if they did, is it possible your point was unclear? See if they asked questions or left comments to gain clarity, or if they just edited according to their interpretation.)

4. Did their questions feel on-point and open up different options in your head? Did the questions feel respectful and insightful?

5. Did they explain reasoning behind certain edits?

6. Did you appreciate/understand any comments they left, even if some of them were hard to hear?

7. Did they return the sample in a timely manner?

8. How was their communication throughout the process?

9. Would you feel safe giving the rest of your manuscript into their hands?

Those are just some indicators as to whether this author-editor relationship would be a good one.

If you get two or three samples from different editors, you can compare to see which experience sits better with you.

If the sample shows it’s not a good fit, remember to ask the editor for referrals. Since the editor has now seen your work, they’ll have a better idea as to which editors would be better suited to the project. I promise you, we don’t get offended when authors ask for referrals. We like to help.

If you want to learn more about the sample edit process and what it looks like, check out my Sample Edit page.

Step Six: The Decision

Based on the knowledge available to you and some gut instinct, pick an editor. If you connect with their style and process, the decision shouldn’t be too difficult!

One thing is for sure: Once you decide on one editor, let the other editors know you found someone. I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that I’m so happy and grateful when an author says they found someone who works for them. Clarity is huge, and I don’t take it lightly. If an author realized we’re not a good fit, that’s a blessing, and I want to know. (Otherwise I will assume you died and I will google your name to see if there’s an obituary. I’m not joking.)

And that’s all, folks! It can be an overwhelming process to find your right-fit editor, but take it one step at a time, and if you ever have a question or need some guidance . . . hey, that’s what I’m here for. Reach out anytime.

About Adina

Adina Edelman is a book editor who works with authors of memoir and fiction, especially historical, mystery, sci-fi/fantasy, literary, and middle-grade fiction. She’s all about mining your message, unearthing the gold in your story—not just the grammar errors.

Adina has worked on over 130 titles in the past five years (and published one of her own). She offers 30-minute coaching sessions alongside her editing services.

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