Editing tips
If you go the traditional route and are lucky enough to get picked up by a publishing company, they’ll take care of your editing needs. Most publishers have a team of editors and proofreaders to bring your book up to standard. They might ask you to do some rewriting, but you won’t have to pay anything to fix grammar or spelling issues.
If you intend to self-publish your book, you’ll need to take care of the editing and proofreading yourself. Annoyed readers tend to leave 1 or 2 star reviews if they find errors distracting or feel like they’ve paid for an inferior quality product.
If you don’t have the budget to pay for editing or proofreading, you can still fix any flaws or eliminate issues with language. It might take longer, but there are many ways you can polish up your manuscript without spending a cent.
- critique partners
- beta readers
- friends and relatives
- editing software
However, if you have the budget and want to use your time on other things (writing a sequel, working on your blurb, query letter, etc.), there are hundreds if not thousands of editors and proofreaders ready to help you.
How does an editor earn their money?
It can seem reasonable to expect someone to clean up your 60,000-word manuscript for $100 because you might think they are only going to look for a couple of spelling errors. However, a trained editor should do a lot more than that.
Two of the most popular services offered by freelance editors are copyediting and proofreading.
A copyeditor’s role is to look for problems with language and flow. They want to make sure your story is easy to read and there is nothing to drag readers out of the story. Here are some things they’ll look at:
- Spelling
- Grammar
- Repetition
- Punctuation
- Consistency
- Accuracy
- References
A proofreader is the last person to check your book before publishing. They’ll look for any remaining issues with language and typography. Here are some things they’ll look at:
- Spelling
- Punctuation
- Typos
- Chapter titles
- Page numbers
- Spacing
- Paragraphs
- Page layout
There are quite a few free editing apps like Word, ProWritingAid, or Grammarly, but unfortunately, those programs won’t always spot issues with word choice, pov, or tense.
How much does editing cost?
If you go online and look for an editor or proofreader, you’ll find some editors charging $1000 for a 60,000-word copyedit, while others will do it for $100. There are even some who will offer bargain rates of “$50 a book – any word count.”
There is a huge variation in editing rates for similar services, but having a starting point will help you figure out what you should budget.
The Editorial Freelancers Association lists the average rates for professional editors on their website. The EFA defines a page as 250 words, the industry standard for a manuscript page.
| Copyediting, fiction | $36–$40/hr | $.02–$.029/wd | 7–10 pages/hr |
| Proofreading, fiction | $31–$35/hr | $.02–$.029/wd | 11–15 pages/hr |
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The Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading also list suggested rates. Remember, these are only a guideline and some editors may be more or less expensive. You can sometimes find the editor’s rates on their website, but many prefer to see a sample of your novel before working out the cost of the project.
Can you find a cheaper editor?
This doesn’t mean you can’t find an editor whose services cost less than the above guidelines. Here are a few reasons you can find lower or discounted rates:
- the editor is newly qualified and wants to build up a portfolio of work
- they are offering a new service with an introductory rate
- they want to gain experience
There might have another reason, such as a lack of confidence (yes, just like writers, editors suffer from imposter syndrome) or they might like to have a steady stream of lower-paying jobs. But if they are offering unrealistic bargain rates consistently, ask yourself how much effort they are going to put into your book.
Bargain rates
When you don’t have a lot of money to spend on editing, it can be tempting to pay someone $50 to $100 to edit your 60,000 word novel. However, it’s unlikely they are going to do anything more than run it through Word or Grammarly. The worst-case scenario is they take your money and then ghost you. This has happened to some unlucky writers.
If they say they are going to ‘edit your book’ ask them what that means. The same with proofreading. Make sure you are on the same page.
Ask them which books they’ve edited and then download a sample. Look at it from the perspective of a reader who’s just paid money for a book. If you find issues with spelling, language, or typos, then you’re better off doing it yourself.
Final thoughts
Caveat emptor is a Latin phrase that means “let the buyer beware.”
If you see something that looks too good to be true — it probably is. There are a lot of people in the writing world who want to make easy money by offering a service for an unbelievable price. This more often than not means they either don’t know how to do it, are using AI, or will ghost you and take your money.
Are you a writer looking for some help with your novel? Check out my Work with Me page to see how I help authors achieve their publishing goals.