Book Editing for Speculative Fiction Authors

I'm a developmental editor, line/copyeditor, and revisions coach. Projects I’ve worked on include books by New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors, Hugo Award finalists, and a collection of fairy tales by a Nobel Prize for Literature nominee.

I have a trusted network of editors who can help you if you're looking for proofreading or book formatting, and we can offer a one-stop shop if you are looking to self-publish.

Book an editorial assessment

Hi, I'm Andy J. Hodges, founder of Second World Editorial.

I specialize in all genres of speculative fiction, with particular expertise in queer narratives, worldbuilding, cultural depth, and character-driven storytelling. Speculative fiction with horror or thriller aspects is a particular passion of mine, and I cover audiences from YA and commercial through to literary.

Services for Speculative Fiction Authors

Editorial Assessment

We read your novel once and deliver editorial feedback either as a report or on a call.

Developmental Editing

In-depth content feedback on your novel. You receive a longer report, manuscript comments, and a feedback call.

Line/copyediting

A combined line and copyedit focusing on clarity, flow, consistency, and correctness at sentence level. It includes targeted light stylistic refinements, and a full read-through of your novel before beginning the main edit.

"Andy was a pleasure to work with, responsive, quick, and thorough in his feedback. His critique and suggestions have definitely helped me improve my novel and to deepen the story I wanted to tell."

Robert Winter, Fantasy and Romance Author

Full Developmental Edit of Falconsaga.

Our speculative fiction editing and writing is grounded in the following principles:

Human creativity rules—no generative AI in our writing and editing workflows
Being honest about the publishing industry and not overpromising is key: Publishing can be liberating and exciting, but it is often elitist and capitalist, too, and this situation sucks for many authors—let's change it!
Anyone can learn to write well—writing is not a “natural gift”
Stories, like people, are social and live in ecosystems
Words and tropes can cause harm, and so we should choose them carefully