EDITING COSTS

HOW MUCH DOES EDITING COST?

There are five kinds of editing, and because condition of the material varies greatly from one document to another, there should never be a blanket answer to the pricing question. You will get a blanket answer if you ask enough people on the internet, but blind bidding costs you more than pricing based on what you actually need and is not conducive to quality workmanship. If the editor underbids, you might get subpar workmanship or be asked to pay more before the work can be delivered.

For exact pricing, we first need to determine what kind(s) of editing your manuscript needs and how much of it, and your Managing Editor will do that while preparing your free editing sample and assessment and drafting a detailed proposal. Most often, editing is being advance scheduled and so the initial sample, assessment, and proposal package is a very close estimate, but we’ll reassess your completed manuscript at your start date to fine-tune the quote and make sure we’re not including any editing you no longer need or working with price points based on only the part of the work that was visible initially.

Get your customized proposal detailing cost, scheduling, and how we will work together along with a free sample edit and assessment that demonstrates the recommended editing plan:

GENERAL IDEA OF COST FOR NOW?

To help you plan ahead for this investment in your future as a published author, the following chart shows actual costs over a variety of genres and word counts we’ve completed recently:

Here are a few factors we consider while determining editing fees:

How complex is the material?
How long is the material?
Which type of editing does the manuscript need?
How skilled is the writer?
How many errors are present?
What types of errors and what will be required to correct them?
How easily do the editor and writer communicate with Track Changes?
How does the writer respond to editing suggestions?

Every piece of work is unique, so no two manuscripts need the same editing and proofreading work. We price your project for only what it actually needs. And we care about your long-term success, which means we proactively work toward keeping expenses down to give you the best possible chance at a positive Return on Investment.

HOW DO WE COMPARE?

The above EFA rates are quoted from their 2024 Rate Chart, located on their website at:

HOW DO WE KEEP OUR FEES SO MUCH LOWER?

We do our own advertising, marketing, web design, and so forth to eliminate those expenses, while also streamlining the administrative and accounting tasks of running a business to make sure that time spent editing and interacting with our clients is never rushed.

We also don’t want to charge our clients the highest possible rate, because their long-term success will be affected by their ability to make a return on investment. We would much rather work with clients book after book than set them up for failure with a one-book wonder.

The Pro Book Editor is not the typical profit machine most businesses are designed to be. Our structure is designed to ensure costs are covered and editors/proofreaders are paid most of the fee you pay for their services, and there is no business-level profit margin.

WHAT IF YOU’RE NOT READY TO START PROFESSIONAL EDITING SERVICES YET?

Even if you’re not 100% finished with writing and/or self-editing, you need to start thinking about finding the right editor now to take on your manuscript because the good ones are booked in advance. And not only can you secure the right editor and the right start date for when you’re ready, but the process will give you a great deal of insight that can help you finish your manuscript with more confidence and skill that could ultimately end up reducing your editing costs.

Imagine the wealth of information you’ll receive in a sample edit and assessment. Some authors are just done writing and ready to work with an editor while some are eager to circle back and practice what they learned right way. We encourage authors to pursue whichever avenue feels right for them and are happy to answer questions before any contract is signed to help them do just that. If you want to apply what you learned, and always when advance scheduling in either scenario, your Managing Editor is going to do a new assessment of condition when you return later for editing to begin so your actual costs are based on your completed work. If your work removes the need for an editing step or reduces the per word cost of an editing step, we’ll be thrilled to have helped save you some money!

So, with no cost, no risk, and the opportunity for receiving valuable insights that can help you finish writing and/or self-editing your manuscript and reduce editing costs, plus a head start on the whole process so you won’t have to wait when you are ready to begin, what have you got to lose?

Nothing, but plenty to gain. We don’t use your contact information for anything more than replying to you or being on time for meetings you request. We don’t sell your information or drop you into a marketing machine, and we don’t have any salespeople. The Managing Editor you’ll work with through the entire process will reply via email and you can request phone, Skype, or Zoom meetings to be scheduled at your convenience while never having to worry about being cold-called or sales-pushed.