Estimated Cost for Freelance Editting Service?

As a point of comparison (I am not soliciting the business and probably would not take it anyway), I might charge $3 - $5 per standard page for copy editing/proofing, depending on how much work is needed. I've heard fees of $100 an hour for larger-scale editing (no idea how that translates to per-page). For technical editing, my fee has been $75/hour but I'm overdue to raise the rack rate.

You might look in the classifieds in the back of Writer's Digest or The Writer to see what is offered.

Others might chime in.

--Ken

Don't do it. If you actually need to pay for such services, such services will do nothing for you except empty your pockets.

The sole exception to this is if you make no pretense of being a writer, and simply have a book idea you think the world should read. In this case, you need a ghostwriter, not an editorial service.

Jamesaritchie said:

Don't do it. If you actually need to pay for such services, such services will do nothing for you except empty your pockets.. . . .

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As someone who sells editing services, I respectfully disagree. I can guarantee you that my clients get not only what they pay for, but usually a lot more.

(And no, I am not soliciting business here. I have plenty to keep me busy already, and most clients are . . . problematic.)

--Ken

PhyliA_Dobe said:

...I would like to know where to find this sort of professional, preferably from a credible source...

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I believe our Birol, who is also a mod here, offers such services. Give her a shout, and tell her I said that you deserve a steep discount from her normal rates.

I'm looking for someone who is able to do everything from big picture evaluation of my story

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Ask around here for beta readers to do that job.

Content evaluation is a subjective process and getting feedback from other writers is the best way to go. That way you can have several opinions, not just one. They will point out weaknesses, things that didn't work for them, and spelling/grammar probs as a matter of course.

And it's free here on AW. This place is all about writer's helping other writers.

You can ask if a few people would just look at the first five pages of your book. Or, if you get enough posts out, you can put those 5 pages here in the Share Your Work forum and get feedback from dozens.


If you're looking for a professional editor to take care of the rest, then I'll assume you're planning to self-publish. There are several here on AW who do that, also places like http://www.book-editing.com/.

The 2011 WRITER'S MARKET has a section in the front that lists suggested pricing guidelines for freelance editorial services. That can give you a ballpark on how much it might cost. It will be in the library in the 808 section.

There are a number of copy editing services that charge so much per page. They do basic corrections for grammar, syntax, word reps, etc. The job is different from content (big picture evaluation) editing.


If you plan to send the final product in to a commercial publishing house, then spinning eyes or not, learn to do line edits yourself. You don't have to hire an editor to go over your MS before sending it in. If they buy the book the publisher will do all that for you.

Besides, you could spend thousands on editing and either never sell the book or never make back the money, even if it does sell.

Yes, line edits are a pain in the eye, but no writer escapes. It's part of your craft and it can make or break a sale. Learn it.

As an editor, I'll let you know now that the writers I keep on my speed dial are the ones who take pride sending in a clean manuscript. The less work I have to do the better.

As a writer, I assume my editor is overworked, bleary-eyed, and tired. The less work I give her, the easier it is to make a sale. She's in a better place to spot content issues when she's not distracted by spelling and grammar issues.

Count me in as one of the nitpickers who takes pride sending in a clean page!

Jamesaritchie said:

Don't do it. If you actually need to pay for such services, such services will do nothing for you except empty your pockets

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Sir, I really wish you would stop saying such things. I am not an editor and have been slightly impoverished for paying editors their professional fees but at the same time I have benefitted hugely from their services. I also believe I can write but at that time, I was aware of the unknowns and felt a pro editor would give me some clarity. They did.

If you feel strongly about not using editors, then it is just an opinion and you're entilted to it.

To be so admant about not using an editor and quite harsh in your judgement is unkind, uncharitable and unhelpful to the number of editors on AW who have been supremely generous in sharing their expertise with countless aspiring writers on these forums.

We should be more respectful to editors - a significant part of the writing world - and to fellow AWers.

PhyliA_Dobe said:

Suggesting I have a story I just want the world to see, and need a ghost writer instead of an editor is silly. Not only that, it's condescending and bizarre.

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No, it isn't. If a friend, someone who knew your work, suggested you need a ghost writer, it might be an insult, but from a stranger on a board, it's just an idea.

I don't do the kind of overall editing you're looking for; I do line editing. But I have been sent work I couldn't do, simply because the author was really looking for a ghost writer.

As to whether it's worth the money, I'm never sure. How much money do you have, and how many calls on it? Some people pay $50 for a massage. Personally, I'd pay more than that to get out of a massage. Which of us is right?

What about a haircut? Is that worth the money? I can be pretty sure the haircut will make my hair look better. But it won't change me into Halle Berry; nor will it (probably) get me a job interview and make money for me.

If I edit a manuscript, the manuscript is improved. That's all I can be sure of. My hope is that the writer will learn from the experience and not need my services next time. (Some writers come back over and over, though.)

And whether it's worth the money or not is up to them, not to me.

BUT, it's certainly not required to have someone else edit your manuscript. If you're good at it yourself, you'd be crazy to hire someone. Why would a chicken pay for eggs?

Dear PyliA-Dobe,

Here is my two cents. Producing a viable writing product takes time and hard work - as we all know. I love the idea of having someone look over my manuscript for errors, and content issues. At the same time, I've grown as a writer to understand that I must be experienced at editing for my own sake. Most editors are writers. The editors at Pulsar (in 1999) were writers also and they did good work to edit my manuscript for publishing. It was a long process and I learned much from them - but at the same time I learned that if I don't know what I'm doing, edit mistakes can slip through. So, edit your own work, step away for a while (1-3 months) come back to it and re-read it, find more changes, re-work, and repeat. This works for me, and I find many places to improve the work by doing so. May not work for everyone - but seems to work for me. Editing services can do wonders, but it is my opinion that each writer has an obligation to themselves to be good editors too.

Sorry if I bored anyone with my long winded diatribe. :O)
Law900

Maybe hire a writing tutor. Or an editor willing to tutor you.

But imagine if an agent wants your work and asks for rewrites but you can't do them yourself so you have to go buy services again for the rewrites (i don't think it's like Orkin and covers touch ups)... what if they're busy and can't take your project on for some time. it doesn't change the project for them if your agent is waiting.

if you had a tutor for these edits you could learn and then even work with them on the rewrites and then eventually branch out on your own.

you don't even need them to hand hold you through the whole book. it's like SYW forums, you can listen to what you're consistently hearing and apply it all over the project as needed.

Jamesaritchie said:

Don't do it. If you actually need to pay for such services, such services will do nothing for you except empty your pockets.

The sole exception to this is if you make no pretense of being a writer, and simply have a book idea you think the world should read. In this case, you need a ghostwriter, not an editorial service.

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No, and no.

Now back to the OP: It depends on the type of editing you need. I think a proofreader would charge something like $2 a page, give or take. More in-depth editing (some may call it book doctoring, but I think that's a "loaded" categorization) may run up to $10 a page depending on the amount of work involved. Of course, if the work is completely unsalvageable, the right thing for the editor to do is simply decline or suggest something else (such as hiring a ghostwriter).

Some editors also charge by the hour or by project. This is usually negotiable between client and editor. There's a cutoff point when it's probably cheaper to do it by project than by page or hour.


Before you pay for any service, ask for references, credentials, and sample edits. It's very important to request sample edits, and most professional editors would gladly provide it (up to 5 double-spaced pages). Look at it as an audition or interview: even if the editor is good, it may not be a good fit for the writer. You need to find an editor who works well with you.

There should be clear communication on what kind of editing the clients need and what level of services the editor can provide. Also, please understand this is a collaborative endeavor. Just because you're paying for editing services doesn't mean you can just dump it on the editor and expect a publishable manuscript at the end of the day. There's no guarantee of anything. As long as you know what you're paying for, you can at least manage the expectations.

Ask around here for beta readers to do that job.

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It's no different than asking for an editor's help, except here we're asking for the good will of our friends and people we know. Without paying a dime.

I look at it as like asking my lawyer friend for legal advice without paying them. Or my doctor friend to look at a boil on my ass. Or my geek friend to fix my computer. To a certain extent, you're taking advantage of the good will of your friends. And that's to assume that these people actually know what they're talking about. A random beta reader may not be professional to give you sound advice.

Neither would ANY professional editor. Your mileage may always vary. Still, paying for editing service is no different than paying for a doctor's visit or an attorney's consultation. I hardly see why there's such bad attitude toward professional editors, many of whom are members of this board, too.

Hiring editing - whether to improve a submission for trade publishing or to prepare your work for self-publishing is a very good idea. Here is what I suggest....

Take your first few pages and put some errors in. Then take out a $25 ad on Craig's list for wanting to hire editors.

For eveyone who responds give them the few pages ask them to edit the sample. Ask them to give you a price based on this sample and the total word count.

Rate each editing job as A, B, C rate each price as A, B, C. Make your decision from there.

rsullivan9597 said:

. . .Take your first few pages and put some errors in. . . . .

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No. Not that. Pick typical, sample pages (a chapter, say). Don't "put some errors in." I can pretty much guarantee you that it will need editing. And most writers overlook their errors (whether simple typos or poor word choices or larger scale). You want response to your real writing, not to a sample that has been phonied up in any way.

--Ken

I think that getting an editor for new writers is a good idea. An editor will help in cleaning up the stuff. Look at the work being done in SYW thread. The editing done by the peers in that forum cleans up the work in quite a good way.

There's been a lot of good advice here, but I do think you should be aware that there are a number of agents out there who would be wary of taking on work that's been professionally edited. They want to know what you can do.

There's also a danger in having only one outside opinion. One of the great things about having a group of beta readers is that you have several opinions to weigh. If one person tells you a scene sucks and you disagree, that's fine. If three people tell you that scene sucks and you disagree... then you probably want to look at that scene a little closer.

Having critique partners has other upsides, too: It's free, and you'll have a chance to critique *their* work. You'd be surprised at how much you can learn from that.

I'm not saying hiring an editor is automatically a bad idea. Like you say, you can learn a lot from an editor. Just consider the alternatives and pitfalls, as well.

From a post by literary agent Rachelle Gardner:

Many agents and editors are uncomfortable with writers having too much outside editorial help prior to being contracted, because it can mask a writer's true abilities. I'd hate to get you a 3-book contract with a publisher based on that stellar first book, only to find out that you had a ton of help with it and are not able to deliver that quality of book a second time.

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I would provide that kind of service at $8 per thousand words, but I'm not a professional; a professional would probably charge a lot more.

Corinne Duyvis said:

There's been a lot of good advice here, but I do think you should be aware that there are a number of agents out there who would be wary of taking on work that's been professionally edited. They want to know what you can do.

There's also a danger in having only one outside opinion. One of the great things about having a group of beta readers is that you have several opinions to weigh. If one person tells you a scene sucks and you disagree, that's fine. If three people tell you that scene sucks and you disagree... then you probably want to look at that scene a little closer.

Having critique partners has other upsides, too: It's free, and you'll have a chance to critique *their* work. You'd be surprised at how much you can learn from that.

I'm not saying hiring an editor is automatically a bad idea. Like you say, you can learn a lot from an editor. Just consider the alternatives and pitfalls, as well.

From a post by literary agent Rachelle Gardner:

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If they had the first book professionally edited, why would they be unwilling or unable to do the same for subsequent books?

If you're going to hire an editor for structural work, then (IMHO) the only one worth hiring is one with recent/current industry experience in your genre. However, that doesn't come cheaply - it will be a minimum of $1,00-1,500 and up for a manuscript. Most professionals won't actually take the project on if they don't like it or think it has merit, because a poor manuscript is so much work that either the costs have to be stratospheric, or the editor ends up putting in plenty of free hours.

The question is why you're hiring somebody. If the book is close to being publishable, then the in-house editing team will take care of it.

If you're planning to self publish, an editor can be invaluable. I've seen editorial help turn a good manuscript into a bestseller, not because the editor did lots of rewriting, but because they asked the author a series of intelligent questions that led the author to add depth and polish to the book.

If hiring an industry professional is too expensive, then there are a whole slew of 'book doctors' and so on who will work on your book. Before hiring any of them, ask them for a list of books they've worked on which have gone on to get published. There's a huge cottage industry of people out there who are accepting money to 'edit' books, who may well be very well meaning, discerning readers. The proof, however, is in their results. If they have only ever worked on poor quality books that haven't been good enough to get published, even after their editorial help, then maybe their advice isn't worth paying for.

(Proofreaders, on the other hand, are relatively cheap.)

You could hire an editor as a sort of one-on-one tutorial in Learning How To Do It Yourself.

Used to be you could get paid to learn how to write down in Packager Gulch, where the endless stream of Sweet Valley High books had to be written by somebody. Those somebodies would then be edited by a real editor, and learn exactly what it is that an editor is looking for and what an editor needs.

Now ... I don't know where you'd go. Hiring a professional editor, I guess.

maestrowork said:

No, and no.

Now back to the OP: It depends on the type of editing you need. I think a proofreader would charge something like $2 a page, give or take. More in-depth editing (some may call it book doctoring, but I think that's a "loaded" categorization) may run up to $10 a page depending on the amount of work involved. Of course, if the work is completely unsalvageable, the right thing for the editor to do is simply decline or suggest something else (such as hiring a ghostwriter).

Some editors also charge by the hour or by project. This is usually negotiable between client and editor. There's a cutoff point when it's probably cheaper to do it by project than by page or hour.


Before you pay for any service, ask for references, credentials, and sample edits. It's very important to request sample edits, and most professional editors would gladly provide it (up to 5 double-spaced pages). Look at it as an audition or interview: even if the editor is good, it may not be a good fit for the writer. You need to find an editor who works well with you.

There should be clear communication on what kind of editing the clients need and what level of services the editor can provide. Also, please understand this is a collaborative endeavor. Just because you're paying for editing services doesn't mean you can just dump it on the editor and expect a publishable manuscript at the end of the day. There's no guarantee of anything. As long as you know what you're paying for, you can at least manage the expectations.

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I'm real easy to convince. Just show me the percentage of books these" editors" edit that actually sell. If it's no higher than books that are not professionally editors, it's a fool throwing money at a con artist.

If you can't do it yourself, you have no business calling yourself a writer.