Grammar Guru Custom Editing and Writing Services
We’re in this together!
How much will this cost?
My editing rate is $40 an hour, but the same question always arises: “How much will it cost to edit my book?”
Simply put, a reputable editor needs to edit a sample before he can give a realistic estimate. There is no way to set a per-word or per-page rate for everybody. I’ve spent 25 hours proofing a thick philosophy textbook, but nearly the same time copy editing a thin book of flash fiction by a self-publishing author.
Three main factors influence the final cost.
- Length, obviously. The more words, the higher the cost.
- Quality of the work is tremendously important. The more errors to correct, the higher the final bill. Authors can often save themselves substantial cost by writing another draft or two.
- The type of editing can also raise the price. A deep edit can take hours of work and require the editor to write pages of notes. Proofreading, on the other hand, is usually faster.
How do I make an estimate? For copy editing or proofreading large manuscripts, I spend an hour
editing a block of pages, then extrapolate over the total number of pages. Then I scan the entire manuscript to ensure the quality is fairly consistent, and issue the estimate. (I do add a fudge factor but, unlike a mechanic, if my time worked is different from my estimate, I charge you the lesser!)
For deep edits I go through a similar process, but the final outcome is less predictable. Some pages might be fine, but others might require lots of work. After we agree on a price, I read the entire manuscript and offer comments and criticisms on the most serious issues, continuing down to less serious ones until I feel I’ve addressed them all or until I’ve reached the estimated time. If the latter, the author can elicit more commentary by putting more coins in the slot. But again, you are never charged more than you agree to in advance.
In any case, after I've worked for an hour and issued the estimate, you are free to walk away with no charge. You can look at any work I’ve done, to make an informed decision about whether to hire me. (After seeing all the errors I’ve uncovered and improvements I’ve suggested, nobody says no.) The first hour is included in the estimate and the final bill, however.
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