I see a lot of this kind of question on social media and in the writing groups that I’m part of. Unfortunately, the only easy answer to this question is: It depends.
What factors go into pricing editing services?
Several. Including:
- The length of your manuscript.
- How well your self-revisions went.
- What kind of editing you’re requesting.
- The experience level of the editor you’re hiring.
- Where your editor is located in the world.
- The level of perks and extra services included in what you’re buying.
Analogy: How much for an apple?
Think of pricing editing services like pricing an apple.
If someone tells you they have an apple for sale for $5.00, you might think that’s an outrageous amount. However, that’s because you assume that the apple is a normal weight and size. But, if it turns out that this is a 15-pound apple that you could use to make 10 pies that you could sell for $10 each, that $5 apple seems like a great deal since you could make about 90% profit on it (or just feed your family with it!).
But, if you’re expected to pay $5.00 for a 1-ounce crabapple that you can’t do a lot with (maybe even don’t want to eat), then that price is an absolute rip-off.
So, when people ask me if $XXX is a good price for “book editing,” I can only respond with “It depends,” and start asking clarifying questions.
Manuscript Size
The length of your manuscript has a lot to do with how much you’ll be charged, regardless of what kind of editing services you’re looking for. Even something relatively cheap, like proofreading, will vary wildly in price based on the size of the manuscript.
For example, if someone charges $1,000 for proofreading, that’s probably a decent price for a manuscript of 100,000 words. But for a manuscript that’s only 20,000 words long, I’d be alarmed at a $1,000 fee. I’d also be weary of someone charging something like $200 for a 100,000-word manuscript since it may mean they won’t actually do any work and will just take your $200 and blow smoke up your ass (“It looks perfect. Great job!”). That tiny price may sound tempting, but it comes with a lot of risk in most cases. Kind of like someone trying to sell you an Aston Martin for $50.
Self-Revisions
If you’ve spent no time revising your own manuscript, it will be in pretty rough shape once it gets to a professional. A lot of pros take this into account (they’ll ask to see a sample before they make a decision about whether or not to take on your project and how much they are going to charge you), because they know that drafts that need a lot of extra TLC will take a lot of extra time and effort.
If you haven’t done any self-revisions, prepare to pay more.
If you have done extensive self-revisions, you could pay less.
Service Type
Different services have different levels of cost. Here is a general list from most costly (first) to least costly (last):
- Developmental Editing – $$$$$
- Line Editing
- Copy Editing
- Typesetting / Book Design / Layout – $$$
- Manuscript Evaluation
- Proofreading – $
If someone offers more than one service, the pricing should follow this list (relatively). For instance, if the firm offers both developmental editing and proofreading, be very afraid if the proofreading costs more than the developmental editing.
The amount of time and effort involved in completing each of these services is different, so the prices won’t be the same. Developmental editing is a process that often takes multiple months (when done well), even for smaller manuscripts. A manuscript evaluation can often be completed in less than 30 days (again, length is a factor, so it can vary a bit). So it makes sense that developmental editing and manuscript evaluations are at two different ends of the pricing spectrum, even if you only take into account the time commitment an expert has to make for that particular service.
Editor Experience
As with just about any other profession, a seasoned expert with a large client list and a glowing reputation is going to cost a lot more than someone who just started their business yesterday.
This is why it’s easy to find so many cheap “editors” on freelancer marketplaces like PeoplePerHour, Fiverr, or Upwork since pretty much anybody can create an account and say they want to work for you as some kind of editor.
Seasoned pros generally have their own firm or at least their own professional website so that you can work with them directly instead of having to work through a third-party website. This also ends up saving you money since you get the work done by the same expert, but you don’t have a middleman eating away at the pros fees (meaning they often have to charge more to cover the marketplace’s commissions and other charges).
Editor Location
Where your editor is located can make a noticeable difference in pricing. For example, if your editor resides somewhere with a cost of living that’s 75% less than your own, they can afford to charge a lot less than someone who lives a few miles from you. They don’t need to earn as much per hour / per job to be able to pay their bills. It seems like a cheap rate to you, but to them, they’re making a comfortable amount of money for their services.
The opposite is also true. If you live somewhere that’s ultra-affordable, and your editor lives in some place like New York or L.A., they will have to charge a lot more to make a living than someone who lives in the same city that you do.
Service Quality
Another major factor to consider when thinking about whether or not a price is reasonable is whatever else is included in that price.
For example, you might get quotes from two different editorial services professionals / firms for developmentally editing a 12,000-word novelette. Let’s pretend they both say the service will be $650.
Company A’s developmental editing looks like this:
- Rearrange the scenes of the story.
- Delete unnecessary scenes.
Company B’s developmental editing looks like this:
- Complete a manuscript evaluation to form a revision plan, including which scenes to add, remove, rearrange, and / or rewrite.
- Submit revision plan to author for approval / adjustment requests.
- Follow revision plan: Developmental editing pass 1
- Submit first pass results to author for review / adjustment requests.
- Complete a second developmental editing pass, incorporating author preferences.
- Up to 60 minutes of video manuscript consultation.
- A dozen homemade chocolate chip cookies
- A laminated “Company B” book mark
- A premium faux leather document holder with onyx accents.
Both Company A and Company B are charging the exact same amount. However, most people would choose to work with Company B because the services seem to be more thorough and there are some nice extras they can get for the same amount of money.
Shopping for Book Pros
Becoming an indie author is great because it gives you a lot of control over your authorship. At the same time, it means that you have to use that control to make executive decisions about who is on your book development team and how much you’re going to spend with them.
Don’t be afraid to take your time and think through where you will get the most bang for your buck!
