The Costs of Professional Editing
How much does editing cost? It’s a common question for writers to ask, with an answer that can be frustrating. Like many things in life, it depends. I’ve touched on editing costs before, but I explore it in more depth in this post.
The costs of editing
Professional editing is a service, so just like when you talk to different hairdressers and plumbers, you’ll find that editors charge rates specific to their businesses. Editors set prices differently and charge by the hour, by the project, or by the word.
The Editorial Freelancers Association’s editorial rates chart estimates the following hourly rates:
Type of work / Range of fees per hour
Developmental editing / $50 to $82
Copyediting / $38 to $60
Proofreading / $35 to $60
The Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading lists the following suggested minimum rates as of 3/1/2024:
Type of work / Suggested minimum hourly rate in British pounds (converted to US dollars at 3/27/2024 exchange rate)
Substantial editing, rewriting, developmental editing / £39.90 ($50.37)
Copyediting / £34.70 ($43.81)
Proofreading / £29.85 ($37.68)
These are all guidelines, not facts. You’ll find editors who charge more than, less than, or within these ranges. Newer editors may charge lower rates to secure clients and gain experience. Seasoned editors with impressive portfolios may charge well above the average rates because they’re in demand. Whatever the reason, these are business decisions that editors make.
Variables that may affect cost
Regardless of how much editors charge, below are some of the considerations they may take into account when determining a project’s cost.
Word count: The word count is one of the biggest factors used when determining costs. Some editors calculate the project price solely based on word count by multiplying a fixed rate by the word count. If editors charge by the hour or quote a fixed fee, the word count is still used as part of the calculation. Most editors know the general pace at which they can work, so they can estimate how long it will take them to complete an edit on a manuscript with X number of words.
State of the manuscript: Manuscripts are submitted for editing in various states. Some are fairly polished when it comes to grammar, spelling, and punctuation, whereas others aren’t. Some have been self-edited by the writer five times before seeking professional editing, whereas others are first drafts. The state of the manuscript is also a possible contributing factor when editors quote project costs. The amount of work needed for a fairly polished manuscript will be significantly different from the amount of work needed for one that requires more intervention.
Turnaround time: If you ask for a copy edit on an 80,000-word manuscript to be returned in three days, editors will have to work overtime or on the weekend to meet the deadline, and they’ll charge for it.
Number of passes desired: If you want editors to do more than one editing pass on your manuscript, that may cost more. Some editors include multiple passes in a fixed project fee.
Document type: Most editors work in MS Word. Occasionally writers will want markup done on a Google Doc, PDF, or paper, which may be a slower process and result in a higher fee.
The value for the cost
I’m guilty of usually going for the cheapest option when comparing products or services. The thing is, as most of us know, the cheapest one isn’t always the best purchase for me. Maybe the item breaks or wears sooner, meaning I have to replace it more often. Maybe the person delivering the service isn’t as thorough or works at a slower pace. Maybe the product doesn’t have all the features I want or isn’t the design I really like, so I'm not as happy with it, even though my wallet is a bit fuller. It’s the IKEA mentality. I love IKEA, but I definitely know that I get what I pay for. The same goes for editing too. Oftentimes writers will look at the price tag as the primary (or only) determining factor when hiring an editor. Don’t get me wrong—for some this is the only consideration because the budget is fixed with no wiggle room. For others, though, there may be other important considerations that get pushed aside when the focus is on cost.
What’s the value of having an editor who
has experience with your genre or even specializes in it?
is efficient with their process and returns your manuscript ahead of schedule?
gives you resources, such as a style sheet or editorial report, in addition to the edited manuscript?
uses tools for extra quality control, such as consistency-checking software or macros?
pursues continuing education and training to stay up-to-date on the latest changes in editing and publishing?
has a personality that’s compatible with yours?
takes the time to explain terms or processes that are unfamiliar to you?
You can’t put a price tag on these intangibles, and for some, they may be worth paying extra for. A cheap edit may be cheap in price but also in quality. Be sure to ask the editors you’re talking to what you get for the price they're charging. It could be that the one who matches your desired budget can meet all your needs and bring the value you want, which is great. It could be that it's worth paying more to get more.
Ways to potentially reduce editing costs
Are there ways to save money when seeking a professional edit? The short answer is yes, possibly. The reality is that you’ll have to do most of the legwork; after all, it’s your manuscript. It reminds me of when my husband and I worked with a moving company to move to our new house. I knew we could’ve left everything in our current house as it was and had the movers do all of the packing, disassembling of furniture, and loading and unloading. My priority was reducing costs, though, so we spent time slowly packing, disassembling unessential furniture, and moving as much as we could into the front area of the house. This increased the movers’ efficiency and reduced our costs, but it took time and effort on our part to make it happen.
This mentality can work with editing costs as well. If you invest energy into preparing your manuscript to be professionally edited, it may save you some money in the end. Please note that these strategies are merely suggestions and are not guaranteed to save you money.
Understand the type of editing you need.
In my Myths about Editing post, I talked about three different levels of editing (developmental editing, copy editing, and proofreading). It’s important to know what type of editing you need so you know what to ask for. If you’re unsure, editors should be able to help you determine what’s appropriate. At times, though, editors are hired under the impression that a certain type of editing is needed, but as they get further into the edit, it’s discovered that something else is more appropriate (usually copy editors finding out a developmental edit is needed, or proofreaders finding out a copy/line edit is needed). If editors have to stop mid-edit and you have to pay for a different type of service, that’s extra money leaving your pocket that you weren't anticipating. Knowing the type of edit you need from the start reduces the likelihood of this happening.
Self-edit your manuscript, multiple times if possible, before hiring a professional editor.
Self-editing your manuscript before submitting it to a professional editor results in a cleaner story and manuscript. Writers have different methods of self-editing, such as printing the manuscript and editing by hand, reading the manuscript aloud and making changes accordingly, or using editing software. Regardless of the methods, submitting the cleanest version of your manuscript to editors may mean that their calculated fees for the project are lower than they would've been for an earlier draft. Also, from a probability standpoint, the more errors that are in the manuscript to begin with, the more that will slip through during the edit.
Use beta readers.
Also in my Myths about Editing post, I talked about the important role beta readers can play in offering valuable feedback to writers, which can be incorporated into the manuscript. Writers can engage beta readers at different stages in the process, but one thing to keep in mind is that any changes you make to the manuscript after it's been edited may introduce errors and potentially result in the need for another edit.
Format your manuscript before submitting it to editors.
Again, this goes back to my story about moving. The more you can do yourself, the less time editors will need to intervene. First impressions matter. Editors aren’t going to read your entire manuscript before quoting fees. They have to make judgment calls based on some initial impressions. If editors see a manuscript with multiple font colors, weird spacing, tabs instead of first-line indents, and double spaces after periods, they may worry what else they’ll find within. Also, if your manuscript isn’t already in MS Word, transfer it into a Word doc. As mentioned earlier, editors won’t balk at using MS Word, but using another format may increase costs. The quote may be lower if editors see a clean, formatted manuscript, and it means less time they'll have to spend making these changes.
Talk to editors early in the process so you don’t end up paying rush fees.
Editors have different schedules and work at different speeds. If possible, don’t wait until your manuscript is ready for editing to start the process of talking to editors. Start engaging them earlier so they can get your project on their schedule ASAP. Otherwise, you may have to choose between not working with the editor you want or paying higher fees if you’re asking them to squeeze you in or to meet a tighter deadline.
Ask for sample edits to compare approaches by different editors.
Many editors offer to do sample edits of your manuscript. These are usually between 500 and 2,000 words, and some editors do this for free and some charge a small fee. If you’re talking to several different editors, sample edits are often the deciding factor because you can see who best meets your needs. It’s important to provide editors with the same excerpt from your manuscript so you can compare apples to apples. This also gives you insight into the personalities and communication styles of each person. Why might sample edits reduce your costs? There are times when writers hire editors without knowing how the editors work. If the editor finishes the job but doesn’t meet your needs, you may end up having to hire another editor, therefore paying for services that could’ve been avoided.
Create a style sheet and share it with your editor.
To be fair, many writers don’t create style sheets for their manuscript, so style sheets aren’t absolutely necessary but are tremendously helpful to editors. For more details on what these are, visit my post about style sheets. Even if you don’t have a style sheet, share with your editor any notes you have on world-building, character names, spellings, and stylistic preferences. This will help them fill in their own style sheet more quickly and aids in overall consistency.
Let your editor know if you don’t need them to do certain things.
If there are certain things you don’t care about or you don’t need an editor to do, let them know ahead of time. For example, one of the authors I proofread for uses a program to format their books, so I was told I didn’t need to change straight quote marks to curly ones or to remove additional spaces at the ends of paragraphs. While these small changes may not add up to a lot of time saved, it certainly doesn’t hurt, and it allows the editor to focus on other things.
What if you can’t afford the editor you want?
If you want to work with a certain editor but can’t pay their rates, there are a few options that might still allow you to work with them.
Ask about a payment plan.
Some editors offer payment plans, which will still allow you to get the edit you want, and the editor will get paid at their standard rate.
Exchange a different service for payment.
If you have a special skill or service, ask if the editor is interested in an exchange. Maybe you’re a graphic designer, an SEO specialist, or a photographer. The editor may want a new logo, website optimization, or headshots.
Hire for a less expensive service.
Some editors offer different types or levels of services. If you can’t afford an editor’s full service package, maybe they offer different levels of editing. If an editor usually includes multiple rounds of editing in one package, ask if they can do one round of editing for a lower price. Some editors offer services where they edit the first X number of words of your manuscript and write a report summarizing what they noticed based on that. While this doesn’t get you a full edit, it will supply you with professional editing feedback you can implement on the rest of your manuscript.
Save up for the future.
If you plan to continue writing in the future, you can start saving for the editing costs so you can afford the editor you want to use.
Keep in mind that, at the end of the day, the editor is providing a service and has set their rates accordingly. If you can’t afford their rate, you may have to look elsewhere and find an editor within your budget.
Final thoughts
There are many factors to consider when hiring a professional editor, and cost is one of them. Editors charge the rates that work for them, and not every editor is the right fit for every writer and vice versa. By figuring out what your priorities are in an edit, you can ask the necessary questions to find the right editor for you, your manuscript, and your budget.
