Science fiction has been shaped as a literary genre by both science fiction authors and science fiction editors.
Notable science fiction editors have included:
- Jim Baen, former editor at Ace Books, founded Baen Books
- Kyril Bonfiglioli
- Ben Bova, (born 1932), successor to Campbell at Analog, later became the editor of Omni magazine
- Anthony Boucher, (1911-1968), editor of the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
- Marion Zimmer Bradley, (1930-1999), editor of Sword and Sorceress anthologies and Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine
- Charles N. Brown, editor of Locus magazine (NB: Locus carries news, not fiction)
- John W. Campbell Jr., (1910-1971), editor of Analog Science Fiction magazine
- John Carnell, edited New Worlds Science Fiction for its first 18 years.
- Terry Carr, (1937-1987), former editor at Ace Books, founder odf Ace Specials line, noted anthologist, editor of original anthology series Universe
- Lin Carter, (1930-1988), fantasy anthologist, editor at Ballantine Books
- Groff Conklin, (1904-1968) noted anthologist
- Kathryn Cramer
- Jack Dann, (born 1945)
- Ellen Datlow, editor at Omni, Event Horizon, SCIFICTION, Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, and several other anthologies
- Avram Davidson, (1923-1993), editor of the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
- Lester del Rey, (1915-1993), noted anthologist and author, co-founded Del Rey Books
- Judy-Lynn del Rey, (1943-1986), beloved editor, noted anthologist, co-founded Del Rey Books
- August Derleth, (1909-1971), H.P. Lovecraft's literary executor, and founder of Arkham House
- T. E. Dikty, (1920-1991)
- Tom Doherty, former editor at Ace Books, founded Tor Books
- Gardner Dozois, (born 1947), current editor, Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine
- Harlan Ellison, (born 1934), editor of Dangerous Visions anthologies
- Roger Elwood, (born 1933), who produced so many paperback original anthologies in the 1970s that he saturated the anthology market for several years.
- Andreas Eschbach
- Edward L. Ferman, editor of the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
- Eric Flint, (born 1947)
- David S. Garrett
- Hugo Gernsback, (1884-1967), editor of Amazing Stories magazine
- Vic Ghidalia
- H. L. Gold, (1914-1996), editor of Galaxy magazine
- Cele Goldsmith Lalli, editor of Amazing Stories and Fantastic magazines
- Charles L. Grant, (born 1942), horror anthologist
- Martin Harry Greenberg, (born 1942), prolific anthologist
- Marcus Hammerschmitt
- David G. Hartwell, (born 1942), noted anthologist,senior editor Tor Books
- Robert Hoskins
- Toni Jerrman, editor of influential Finnish Science fiction magazine Tähtivaeltaja
- Damon Knight, (1922-2002), editor of the Orbit series of original anthologies
- Warren Lapine, editor and publisher of Absolute Magnitude and DNA Publications
- Kurd Laßwitz
- Stanislaw Lem, (born 1921)
- Leo Margulies, (1900-1975)
- Shawna McCarthy, editor of Realms of Fantasy, one-time editor of Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine 1981-1985
- J. Francis McComas
- Judith Merril, (1923-1997), edited the increasingly eclectic "Best SF" anthologies in the 1960s
- Michael Moorcock, (born 1939), editor of New Worlds magazine in the 1960s, instigator of the so-called "New Wave"
- Patrick Nielsen Hayden, editor at Tor Books
- Raimo Nikkonen, editor of major Finnish Science fiction magazine Portti
- Raymond A. Palmer, Amazing editor in the 1930s and 1940s; influential in the popularization of the UFO phenomenon
- Kuczka Péter, (1923-1999), Hungarian, editor of Galaktika from 1972-1995, the "Father of the Hungarian Sci-Fi"
- Frederik Pohl, (born 1919), edited Galaxy magazine, and a series of original anthologies Star Science Fiction
- David Pringle
- Arthur W. Saha, fantasy anthologist
- Karl-Herbert Scheer
- Stanley Schmidt, (born 1944), editor of Analog, 1977 to present.
- George Scithers, (born 1929), initial editor of Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine 1976-1981; editor Amazing, mid-1980s
- Robert Silverberg, (born 1935)
- T. O'Conor Sloane, Amazing editor in the 1930s
- Roy Torgeson
- Gordon van Gelder, current (as of 2003) editor and publisher of Fantasy and Science Fiction
- Jules Verne, (1828-1905)
- Terri Windling, (born 1958), fantasy anthologist
- Donald A. Wollheim, (1914-1990), editor at Ace Books, later the founder of DAW Books
- and others...
