Book Editors

Fantasy Editors: 11 Professionals to Give Your Book That Magic Touch

Fantasy writing is a complex endeavor’: from crafting new worlds, to balancing tropes and originality, developing multi-dimensional characters, making sure your storytelling is cohesive, well-paced, and 一 of course 一 grammatically impeccable, it can be a lot to juggle on your own.

If you’re looking to hire a fantasy editor to lend a helping hand and bring your story to the next level, here’s a list of recommended professionals who all know their Gandalfs from their fairy princes, and who can help you iron out the wrinkles of your drafts.

1. Chersti Nieveen

Based in Provo Utah, Chersti is a freelance editor with over fifteen years in the publishing game. She has worked in various capacities for NYT bestselling authors like Brandon Sanderson (The Mistborn series) and Dan Wells (I Am Not a Serial Killer). Her passion for fantasy fiction extends beyond editing — she is an author of YA fantasy fiction and has been a guest lecturer in college writing courses.

Services: Developmental Editing, Editorial Assessment

Specialty subgenres: Coming-of-age Stories, Epic Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Magical Realism.

Fun fact: Her name is pronounced share-stee neh-vene. Not so much a ‘fun’ fact and more of an ‘important point of clarification.’

2. Michelle Hope

Formerly of Seattle-based publisher Sasquatch Books, Michelle Hope is an editor who has turned her hand to a range of fiction genres, including fantasy. A quick look at her CV will reveal that she’s worked on titles by fantasy titans George R.R. Martin and Terry Brooks — though she’s just as passionate about working with new authors. If you’re looking for an editor who can take your book into outer space, take a look at what Michelle has to offer.

Services: Copy editing, Proofreading

Specialty genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance

Fun fact: Michelle once appeared on PBS NewsHour to discuss the future of fantasy fiction.

3. Brett Savory

Fantasy editors rarely come as decorated as Brett Savory’s. His bookcase features not only a small library’s worth of titles he’s edited, but also a bounty of awards including the World Fantasy Award, British Fantasy Award, and Bram Stoker Award for editorial excellence. Having run a small speculative fiction press for over 10 years, Brett knows what it takes to create a fantasy book that publishers will love and readers will devour.

Services: Developmental Editing, Copy Editing, Editorial Assessment, Proofreading, Query Letter Review

Specialty genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Magical Realism

Fun fact: His favorite drink is Bumbu rum. If you run into him at a bar, you’ll know what to order!

4. Christine Crabb

If you’re looking for an attentive and experienced copy editor or proofreader for your epic fantasy, or your Gaming & LitRPG texts, Christine Crabb has the eye of a hawk and will make sure your manuscript comes back clean as it can be. But don’t take my word for it. Her curriculum vitae sports names such as Harvard and Cambridge University Press, as well as an extensive portfolio that even includes Microsoft Office’s user manual so, rest assured that you’ll be putting your work in capable hands, no matter how technical or complex.

Services: Copy Editing, Proofreading

Specialty genres: Epic fantasy, Gaming & LitRPG, Horror, Computers & Internet

Fun fact: Christine has edited an impressive amount of Star Wars products, Arkham novels, and Genesys sourcebooks.

5. Rebecca Brewer

Former Penguin editor Rebecca Brewer has worked with industry big hitters like Guy Gavriel Kay and Ilona Lewis, and knows a thing or two about what it takes to make a fantasy story, well, fantastic. As a lover of anything speculative, she works widely across the fantasy and sci-fi genres, but holds a special place in her heart for “projects that are quirky, unusual, dark, queer, or ones that [she needs] to read fanfiction of immediately.”

Services: Developmental Editing, Editorial Assessment, Query Letter Review

Speciality genres: Historical Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Fairytale Retellings, Urban Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy

Fun fact: Rebecca has previously worked as an author’s assistant for novelist Peter V. Brett which helped her understand the inner workings of being an author.

6. Lindsay Ribar

The question on most author’s minds is probably “what does it take to get signed?” After working as a literary agent in New York for 9 years and working with both Big 5 authors like Jay Kristoff and Patrick Rothfuss, as well as New York Times bestselling self-published authors, Lindsay Ribar may just have the answer you’re looking for. If you hire her, she’ll assess your manuscript, offer developmental edits, or review your query letter to make sure it’s up to industry standards.

Services: Developmental Editing, Editorial Assessment, Query Letter Review

Specialty genres: Epic Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, LGBTQ Fiction, YA, Speculative Fiction

Fun fact: There are no fun facts about Lindsay. Which probably means she’s seriously dedicated to her craft.

7. Claire Ashgrove

If you’re looking for a specialist in worldbuilding, building conflict, and crafting three-dimensional characters, you’ve come to the right place. That just happens to be what Claire Ashgrove does best. Having edited genre fiction for over 15 years — both fantasy and romance — she loves anything dragon-related or a brooding hero. Perhaps your story has both? Either way, she’ll be able to whip it into shape.

Services: Developmental Editing, Copy Editing, Editorial Assessment, Proofreading, Query Letter Review

Specialty genres: Epic Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

Fun fact: Claire has worked on over 150 novels as an editor, and is also an award-winning author herself, published by houses such as TOR and Entangled.

8. Amie Norris

Amie Norris is a certified copy editor and proofreader whose sweet spot is “great stories,” but especially those in the fantasy and memoir genre. Her aim is to preserve her authors’ voices, while making their work shine and she follows The Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary to achieve consistent results. With over 20 years of experience, this is no crutch, but the practice of a consummate professional.

Services: Copy Editing, Proofreading

Specialty genres: Epic Fantasy, Dystopian, Middle Grade Fantasy, YA Fantasy

Fun fact: Amie not only has a bachelor’s degree in sociology but used to work as a childbirth educator and is a board-certified lactation consultant.

9. Julie Holderman

It goes without saying that an editor needs to have a good understanding of the art of storytelling. But Julie Holderman takes it one step further, and studying storytelling has become her obsession, from Aristotle’s Poetics to Scott McLoud’s Understanding Comics. She’ll help you crystalize your theme, clarify your tone, and cover any plot holes you might have. Why not ask New York Times bestselling author, Tamora Pierce, who recommends Julie for her “on-point creative critiques” and “the sharpness of her editing.”

Services: Developmental Editing, Editorial Assessment

Specialty genres: Epic Fantasy, LGBTQ Fiction, Urban Fantasy, and YA Fantasy.

Fun fact: Julie is also a published author with Tortall: A Spy’s Guide, which was released by Penguin Random House Children’s Books.

10. Misha Kydd

Misha Kydd is a copy editor and proofreader with extensive experience editing children’s and YA literature. But she also loves adult fiction. In fact, she has a soft spot for “quirky fantasy, out-of-the-box romance, creative gaming/RPGs, and projects with queer themes” so if your work fits any of those descriptions, Misha might just be the editor you’re looking for.

Services: Copy Editing, Proofreading

Specialty genres: Epic Fantasy, Gaming & LitRPG, LGBTQ Fiction, Middle Grade fantasy, YA Fantasy

Fun fact: Besides freelancing, Misha also works as a production editor (which means she copy edits and proofreads) for Penguin Young Readers.

11. Sandra Ogle

With over 15 years of experience working as an editor for various major publishers, including senior production editor for Penguin, Sandra Ogle has worked with some of the best in the industry. Her sharp eye and keen sense for detail aside, Sandra will bring valuable insights from the publishing industry to your manuscript, making sure it’s ready to hit the market whether you choose to query agents and publishers, or whether you go down the self-publishing route.

Services: Developmental Editing, Copy Editing, Editorial Assessment, Proofreading, Query Letter Review

Specialty genres: Dystopian, Post-apocalyptic, Time Travel, Fantasy, YA

Fun fact: Besides a Bachelor’s in English, Sandra also has an MA in Journalism!

Hiring an editor is a publishing investment well worth its weight in gold! Whether you’re building entirely new worlds or are simply injecting magical, fantastical elements into a version of our own world, there’s an editor out there who can help you tie it all together and elevate your story to new heights. Best of luck!