How Much Does an Editor Cost? What to Expect for Pro Services

There are several things authors can do to help manage editing costs before hiring a professional. First, thorough self-editing can make a big difference—addressing obvious typos, inconsistencies, and tightening your prose will reduce the amount of work needed later. Tools like Grammarly or ProWritingAid can be useful for catching basic errors and improving clarity. Involving beta readers is another great step; their feedback on character arcs, plot holes, and overall flow can help strengthen your manuscript before an editor even sees it. It's also important to know what kind of editing you need—whether it's line editing for style and clarity or just a final proofreading pass—so you're only paying for what truly benefits your work. Consistent formatting and sharing any specific style preferences can further streamline the process. By preparing your manuscript, you ensure that the editor’s focus remains on enhancing your story's impact, rather than errors you could've fixed on your end, ultimately saving time and money.

To help manage costs as well as to speed your book to completion, you can familiarize yourself with the various kinds of editing and target your request accordingly. Reedsy has some great educational material on this. I've noticed that many authors will check both "copyediting" and "proofreading" but often that's because they think they're synonymous. They're related, but not the same. The same editor could probably do both or either, but you shouldn't have to pay for two stages if you only need one.

The first thing I consider in a manuscript is how well the first line caught my attention and made me truly care. Even if is subconscious, readers are passing judgement on a piece immediately. This is why the first line is absolutely vital to setting up a successful manuscript. Unfortunately, most people have a very short attention span, and over 500,000 new fiction books are published each year, leaving no shortage of choices for readers. If a writer is adept at capturing an audience in just one line, it tells me they likely understand storytelling and know how to craft a narrative with a compelling voice.

Beyond this, I see potential in consistency. By this, I mean I always look for consistency in the voice throughout a manuscript and for characters to remain consistent in their choices or motivations. If characters are constantly doing strange and out-of-character things, it tells me the work is not well planned or fully developed. I look for plot consistency as well: is the central problem remaining the central problem, or have things drastically shifted somewhere along the way? If it has shifted, it is a sign that the original plotline/idea may not have been strong enough to carry the story.

I hope this helps! There are quite a few other small things I look for, but these are the two biggest ones I can typically spot right away.

I work on picture books, novels, memoirs, and non-fiction, so I have a lot of different approaches in my pocket, ha. For picture books, it is much easier to do multiple rounds of edits, and most of my clients choose a multi-round package. That means I move from overall feedback down to line notes as the project progresses. I try to take a similar approach to longer projects, though I don't always get to see more than one draft. I'll often include taking a second look at a short excerpt--normally the beginning--in my editing package.

In term of client expectations, if I've done my job well, these will be clear before we even start working. I am constantly tweaking the language in my sales messages and offers to clarify issues that have come up with clients in the past. I am fairly flexible in changing my approach depending on how the client likes to work. For example, one client of mine prefers to talk through all of the changes in her picture book on the phone. That's pretty rare these days, but it works great for her, and we have a lot of fun on our phone calls!

Each genre has an expectation from readers, so I edit according to the target audience and what they will expect based on the genre, title, and type of book, whether it is for children or adults, non-fiction or fiction.

Non-fiction readers of self-help, for instance, are looking to grow and learn. So I will edit this type of book for clarity, pacing, and whether or not it provides new information for readers that they are eager to learn. These types of books must also have strong takeaways and practical applications, since readers expect this from this genre.

A historical novel, a fantasy novel, or a sci-fi novel will need to allow for strong world-building. This is needed more so than in a novel that takes place in the present day.

So, having experience editing these types of books and keeping reader expectations in mind is what is needed here.

Apart from word count, several factors influence how editors quote for an editing project.

One major consideration is the type of service being requested. For instance, line editing, which focuses on enhancing sentence structure, clarity, flow, and style, requires more detailed attention and time compared to basic proofreading, which is primarily about correcting last grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

The condition of the manuscript is another key factor; a polished draft may need fewer adjustments, while a manuscript requiring heavy edits will involve more in-depth work. Editors also factor in the number of rounds of edits included in the quote—some projects may require multiple rounds of feedback and refinement, which will impact costs.

Additionally, the turnaround time plays a role, as expedited projects often demand concentrated focus and dedicated scheduling to meet deadlines. Altogether, these variables ensure that quotes are fair, tailored to the project's unique needs, and reflect the scope of work needed.

Word count and type of service (developmental edit, editorial assessment, copy edit, proofread) are my only metrics. (I used to also go by genre, but I decided to just streamline my process by sticking to word count and type of service.)

There are a few different things I take into account when setting a rate:

1. For developmental editing, I have worked with authors who are finished with the MS and those who haven't. My rate veers higher if I'm helping an author through the outline process and reviewing the manuscript as it takes shape. Since I'll be reviewing the manuscript a few times in these cases, I price higher. I also offer a lower developmental editing rate if it is more along the lines of what I call "line editing." If the large plot, setting, and characters don't need to be addressed, but the writer needs help bringing the manuscript up to the next level, I'll price a bit lower and do less summary comments.
2. The genre and the word count also impact the price. If it's a genre that requires tracking rules, a plethora of characters, a big timeline, then it requires more work and may be priced higher. If it's more of a contemporary world, or the structure is easier to follow, then I'll price lower. This also goes for copyediting and proofreading (more complex subjects require more time so are priced higher).
3. Whether or not it's a project I'm excited to take on. If the project will expand my portfolio, or if it's with an author who is writing about topics I want to amplify then I may offer a reduced rate or bonus elements (like query letter reviews).
4. Flexibility with schedule. I book often 1-2 months ahead so if something needs to be prioritized or requires me working overtime, I may add a rush fee. If someone is more flexible with my schedule I may offer a slightly lower rate.

In general, I tend to do price by word, but sometimes I'll do a flat fee on developmental editing or editorial assessments if I will be reviewing a second version of the manuscript that has new scenes thus upping the world count.

If the writer wants a process where I review the edits, then I price a bit higher or offer it as an add-on fee.

I always check length first. The next step is to read the first few pages. How does the author use language? Is there consistency re: verb tenses? Is the POV (point of view) clear? And one more important issue: how does the writer describe the work? If I'm told that it's a sure-to-be bestseller and all it needs is a bit of polishing, I give it extra consideration. I always do a no-charge edit of the first page, so the writer understands how I work. This can make or break the possibility of working together.

I have worked with many indie authors in the past and it really depends on their level of knowledge about the editing process. But typically I would explain in detail what developmental editing, copyediting, proofreading, or an editorial assessment entails. I encourage any author to contact me with questions or comments. I also give advice on how many rounds of editing I think will be necessary to bring the manuscript up to publishing standards so that it can either be self-published or sent to agents and publishers.

Some writers find it useful to arrange a call either before or after the first round of editing. Others like to get some publishing advice or help with the query letter after the editing process is complete.

I really just try to adapt the whole process as much as possible to their personal situation (mostly budget and writing time) without compromising the quality of the result.

Great question! I'll refer to the guidance I've given a few recent first-time indie authors.

My super objective in guidance for first-time authors is to convey broad revision tools--the big picture of story construction--and to illuminate practical scene work techniques. On the macro level, I focus on structure and character arcs, and on the granular level, I focus on scene design and narrative point of view.

By structure, I mean not just story plot but story parts and how they progress. To do this, I encourage various outlines before rewriting. Here are two outline examples:

1. A quadrant breakdown that spells out the progressive phases of the story problem.
2. A chart that follows the lead character's pursuit of an initial goal to the realization of her ultimate need.

So in the structure outline that I recommend, I might ask the author to break the larger story problem into four pieces, each one mounting from its emergence in the first quarter (1Q) to a much bigger problem in the fourth (4Q). Charting a worsening problem this way can help the author pin down key story beats or turning points. Same with the character's story goal: If the author can distinguish between what the protagonist is pursing in 1Q and later in 3Q, a natural arc forms, and it's easier to identify what revelations need to happen, and where.

For guidance on scene design, I refer to my in-line feedback on the ms and point the author to four concepts:

1. Intention: the focal character's goal in that scene, and how it is projected, ideally through action, early on.
2. Complication: carefully chosen moments where a particular pursuit might best be interrupted by an obstacle.
3. Decision: where desire (intention) meets obstacle (complication); often the key to redesigning the whole scene.
4. Expectation-Reversal: the outcome of the desire-obstacle-decision sequence that is usually an action and, ideally, helps the author know how to rewrite the scene in a way that sets up an expectation for a different outcome, leading to a sense of reversal or surprise when the intended outcome arrives.

For narrative point of view, lately I've been leaning into the language of the fictional camera, as opposed to a film or "objective" camera. My guidance for first-time authors is scene-specific and goes like this:

1. The lead has a camera on her shoulder that is wired to her brain; she is the only focal character for this scene.
2. This camera moves with the lead's head and sees (with the reader) only what she sees.
3. The camera details external events but zooms in at key moments to relate the lead's internal sensory reactions and thoughts. (I show this process with examples.)
4. The goal of external-internal camera zooming is to connect the reader to the lead by using the lead as a visual, mental, and emotional guide.

My aim in all my guidance is to get authors thinking about the experience they want to create for the reader in the next draft--and to keep my ideas practical and actionable.