The transition from a rough draft manuscript to a polished, professional, publication-ready manuscript takes quality professional editing. You want your story and/or non-fiction core thesis to strike a chord with your audience – free from awkward pacing, plotting and character issues, structural holes, and suspicious grammatical slips. Before approaching professional literary agents or self-publishing through aggressive distribution channels, full confidence in professional editorial prices provides the publishing funds planning peace of mind.
Once you have considered the exact length of your manuscript, the starting quality of writing, your genre-specific expectations, and the degree of editing you may need, it is helpful to have a firm idea of professional editorial rates. This will help you avoid unforeseen costs and select the right editors for your publishing ventures.
Breakdown of Editing Rates by Type
It’s important to note that each stage of editing will be shooting for very different outcomes in your manuscript. The answer to how much does a book editor charge is directly proportional to the editorial depth, time, mechanics, and skill set needed for each pass.
To calculate how much does it cost to edit a book will require a straightforward contrast of the essential editorial tiers accessible to potential authors throughout the industry:
| Editing Type | Primary Scope | Average Per-Word Rate | Average Hourly Rate |
| Developmental Editing | Story structure, narrative arc, pacing, character development | $0.03 – $0.06 per word | $45 – $75 per hour |
| Line Editing | Stylistic flow, sentence structure, tone, voice consistency | $0.02 – $0.04 per word | $40 – $65 per hour |
| Copyediting | Grammar rules, syntax, spelling, punctuation, style guide compliance | $0.015 – $0.03 per word | $35 – $55 per hour |
| Proofreading | Final typographical check, formatting review, layout alignment | $0.01 – $0.02 per word | $30 – $45 per hour |
Asking for an initial developmental editing cost enables fiction and non-fiction writers to resolve the more significant fiction and non-fiction structural issues and pacing problems of the story before moving on to sentence-level polishing. For line-by-line mechanics, research customary copyediting cost per word amounts for a clear budget estimate prior to any professional interior typesetting and print layout design.
Factors That Affect Editorial Costs
What determines the cost of editorial proposal? Several important factors give each individual manuscript variation. Think polishing a gem versus chiseling a stone- if you start with an unpolished first draft, the editing takes longer than the second or third polished draft. How does genre factor in? Technical non-fiction, academic books, medical textbooks, high-concept fantasy novels- these have to track extensive content words, require style guides, and fact-check.
Deadline crunches quickly lead to rushing fees on top of any normal turnaround time. If you want the security of more experienced professional book editing services who have the benefit of scheduled editorial passes, discipline in style guide adherence and guaranteed deadlines, here’s your team.
Manuscript Length Pricing Scenarios
There are five factors that impact an editor’s fees. But first, here’s some information about the amount of editors’ book editing rates (costs) for each of those standard manuscript lengths, so you can determine your publishing budget accordingly. Short Novella: You’ll pay an estimate of $600–$1,200 for copyediting and proofreading of a 30,000-word Novella, which is an attractive, affordable length for most independent publishers and aspiring authors.
If you’ve got a non-fiction book that’s 50,000 words long or so, expect to pay between $ 1,500 and $ 3,000 for full developmental line and copyediting. For an 80,000-word fiction novel, editing packages usually fall between $2000 and $4500. I want to help you establish your initial book editor cost up front so you can set aside room in your budget for professional cover design, interior layout, and strategic post-launch marketing. You can do this!
Choosing the Right Editing Service for Your Book
Deciding which editorial service to buy really depends on where your manuscript is at present and where you want it to be published. For traditional publishing, you will probably want to book a developmental editing package – to identify and iron out major plot and character issues before pitching to literary agents. If you are self-publishing, you may prefer a complete service that includes line editing, copy-editing and final proof.
It’s great to find an editor who is familiar with your genre, then you can be sure their editing process will be constructive and up to snuff. Let’s do a sample edit first, so you can see how the editor communicates with their authors and the level of editing they do so you can be sure they’re a good match for your voice.
Conclusion
Ebook Writing Experts is dedicated to guiding you seamlessly, transparently and profitably from manuscript concept to book product. We will bring your extraordinary business concept or amazing personal journey to a publishable book with clear, strategic storytelling, comprehensive editing, and tangible financial management from beginning to end. Contact us when you are ready to amplify your personal brand and establish authoritative credibility in your market, and request an editing quote custom-designed for your schedule, scope, and audience ambitions.