{"id":9852,"date":"2024-11-03T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-03T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/?p=9852"},"modified":"2024-11-03T17:08:19","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T22:08:19","slug":"how-much-to-pay-for-a-book-editor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/?p=9852","title":{"rendered":"How Much Does an Editor Cost? Here&#8217;s What to Expect for Your Book"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Once you&#8217;ve finished a draft of your book, the natural next step is to <a href=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/book-editor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">look for a book editor<\/a>. But how much does an editor cost?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And, most importantly, is it going to break the bank and wipe out your revenue?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I wish I could give you a firm rule, something like proofreading will always cost one cent per word, copyediting two cents per word, and developmental editing three cents per word. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><nav><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#wondering-how-much-it-costs-to-hire-a-book-editor-keep-reading\">Wondering how much does an editor cost? Keep reading!<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#how-much-does-an-editor-cost\">How much does an editor cost?\u00a0<\/a><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#for-a-70-000-word-book-your-editing-costs-could-be\">For a 70,000-word book, your editing costs could be:<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#for-a-120-000-word-book-your-editing-costs-could-be\">For a 120,000-word book, your editing costs could be:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#7-questions-to-ask-before-hiring-an-editor\">7 questions to ask before hiring an editor<\/a><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#1-what-kind-of-editing-do-you-need\">1. What kind of editing do you need? <\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#2-whats-your-total-word-count\">2. What\u2019s your total word count? <\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#3-how-complex-is-your-book\">3. How complex is your book? <\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#4-whats-your-deadline\">4. What\u2019s your deadline? <\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#5-whats-your-writing-experience\">5. What\u2019s your writing experience? <\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#6-whats-your-editors-experience-level-and-or-demand\">6. What\u2019s your editor\u2019s experience level and\/or demand? <\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#7-whats-your-flexibility\">7. What\u2019s your flexibility? <\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#how-to-compare-editing-costs-free-download\">How to compare editing costs (free download)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"wondering-how-much-it-costs-to-hire-a-book-editor-keep-reading\">Wondering how much does an editor cost? Keep reading!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The truth is much hazier than that. How much a book editor costs depends on several factors.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So my goal here is to flesh out those factors and give you a sense of how much book editing might cost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Freelance editing rates vary widely from one editor to the next, so I&#8217;ll also help you think through how to compare different editors and decide which one to hire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-much-does-an-editor-cost\">How much does an editor cost?\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>How much an editor costs, as with any self-publishing service, depends on a lot of factors. That said, for copyediting\/proofreading, you&#8217;re generally looking at $1,000-$3,000 per book. For developmental editing\u2014the higher level stuff\u2014you&#8217;ll be looking at $5,000 to $10,000 USD per book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There&#8217;s obviously a lot of room in there, so let&#8217;s break down some hard numbers and actual rates.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many writers point to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-efa.org\/rates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Editorial Freelancers Association rates page<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as a guide toward setting editorial rates. (Disclaimer: I\u2019m a member of the EFA.) <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The EFA rates page lists various editing and writing tasks and their attendant <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hourly<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> rates as self-reported by EFA members who took the rates survey. They break down editing into five subcategories and list proofreading as a separate category. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Tip: they also list per-hour and per-word rates for writing work.)<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For comparison purposes, let\u2019s look at the editing rates and use an average page-per-hour and an average hourly rate. For instance, the EFA lists basic copyediting of 5\u201310 pages per hour at a cost of $30\u2013$40 per hour, so I\u2019ve assumed 7.5 pages per hour at a cost of $35 per hour. The other total calculations also use their respective average rates.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"for-a-70-000-word-book-your-editing-costs-could-be\">For a 70,000-word book, your editing costs could be:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Developmental editing: $.08 per word, or $5,600 total<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Basic copyediting: $.018 per word, or $1,260 total<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Proofreading: $.0113, or $791 total<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s easy to extrapolate from this what your total expected editing cost could be. Fantasy, sci-fi, and epic novel writers should be forewarned.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"for-a-120-000-word-book-your-editing-costs-could-be\">For a 120,000-word book, your editing costs could be:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Developmental editing: $.08 per word, or $9,600 total<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Basic copyediting: $.018 per word, or $2,160 total<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Proofreading: $.0113, or $1,356 total<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While these are simply one website\u2019s average estimates for editorial costs, they serve as a reliable benchmark. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you end up paying&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">more for an editor, you might be glad you did. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As in life, so too in books: you often get what you pay for.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"410\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/long-form-journalism-410x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-43586\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/long-form-journalism-410x1024.jpg 410w, https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/long-form-journalism-120x300.jpg 120w, https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/long-form-journalism-768x1920.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/long-form-journalism-480x1200.jpg 480w, https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/long-form-journalism.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 410px) 100vw, 410px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"7-questions-to-ask-before-hiring-an-editor\">7 questions to ask before hiring an editor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Think through these questions when trying to figure out how much to spend on your editing project. They&#8217;ll help you figure out how much you&#8217;ll need to pay an editor to review your book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"1-what-kind-of-editing-do-you-need\">1. What kind of editing do you need? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/working-with-a-book-editor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">What does a book editor do<\/a>? Not all editing is created equal. Here are a few different kinds of editing:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Developmental editing:<\/strong> big picture, content editing, macro editing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Copyediting:<\/strong> micro editing, grammar editing, flow and structure editing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Proofreading:<\/strong> consistency check, format and layout<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Developmental editing costs more than copyediting, and copyediting costs more than proofreading.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2-whats-your-total-word-count\">2. What\u2019s your total word count? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Book <a href=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/when-to-hire-a-book-editor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">editors for hire<\/a> typically charge by word count or page count. Some charge by the hour, but that\u2019s rare, especially for editing long books.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Knowing your total word count is essential to an editor\u2019s cost estimations for taking on your project.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3-how-complex-is-your-book\">3. How complex is your book? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Editing academic work to a niche style guide will cost more than editing a novel per the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagomanualofstyle.org\/home.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Chicago Manual of Style<\/em><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Editing a book with hundreds of footnotes or endnotes should cost more than editing a book without citations.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, the complexity and niche of your work will affect the book editing rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"4-whats-your-deadline\">4. What\u2019s your deadline? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>How quickly do you need the work done? The more flexible you are with your deadline, the less you might pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you ask for your 100,000-word novel to be copyedited within two weeks, you might have to pay a premium for such a fast turnaround, especially if your editor is already booked.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"5-whats-your-writing-experience\">5. What\u2019s your writing experience? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do you consider yourself a beginner, mid-level or expert writer? <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By default, beginning writers will need more help, which means more time, which can mean more money.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An experienced editor can often take a look at an excerpt from a manuscript, get a feel for your experience level, and deduce the amount of time they need to edit the full manuscript. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For beginning writers: always look at hiring an editor as an investment in both your book and yourself. With the right editor, you should grow as a writer because of the feedback.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"6-whats-your-editors-experience-level-and-or-demand\">6. What\u2019s your editor\u2019s experience level and\/or demand? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A novice editor will cost less than an editor with decades of experience and multiple best-sellers in their portfolio.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, you get what you pay for, and an experienced editor might bring more value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Likewise, if you want to work with an editor who&#8217;s in high demand and booked six months out, you&#8217;ll likely have to pay more than if you choose to work with an editor who has lots of room in her schedule.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"7-whats-your-flexibility\">7. What\u2019s your flexibility? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If an editor is booked solid, can you afford to wait six months to get the editor you want? <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Or, will you pay a premium to jump their queue if they offer such an option? Or, will you choose a lesser-known or less experienced editor at a lower price so that you can have your editing accomplished faster?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-compare-editing-costs-free-download\">How to compare editing costs (free download)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019d like to get truly organized about your search, <a href=\"https:\/\/learn.self-publishingschool.com\/twl-book-editing-checklist\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/learn.self-publishingschool.com\/twl-book-editing-checklist\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">download this simple book editing checklist<\/a> to help in your search for an editor who meets most of your desired criteria and offers freelance editing rates you\u2019re willing to pay. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<p>[sps_reusable_block post_id=43061]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I say \u201cmost of your desired criteria\u201d because it\u2019s rare to find an editor who will meet all your criteria. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For instance, you may have to pay a few hundred to a few thousand dollars more for your top pick. Or, you may find someone at your precise price point, but their experience isn\u2019t quite what you\u2019d like it to be. You must be the one to assess what trade-offs you\u2019re willing to make. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By using that checklist, you should be able to quickly and easily compare the editors you\u2019re vetting.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re given an hourly rate for freelance editing, ask the editor how many pages per hour they can edit, then extrapolate their per-word rate. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Compiling this information is a headache (especially for math-averse writers like myself), but seeing every editor\u2019s rate as a per-word rate will help you better compare editors.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To learn more about editing as a whole, and the entire publishing process, check out the resource below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they\u2019re useful for our readers.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Self-publishing your book? While freelance editing rates can vary, here\u2019s how much it costs to hire a book editor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":43584,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,6],"tags":[898,954,252,596],"class_list":["post-9852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-get-published","category-self-publishing","tag-book-editor","tag-find-an-editor","tag-how-to-find-an-editor","tag-self-publishing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9852"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9852\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}