Book Editing: Expectations, Cost, Samples, & More

You must know what you’re charging for as an editor.

This morning in one of my freelance writing groups, a member asked a question that sparked a longer-than-normal answer from me — and more questions and answers from a bunch of other writers and editors, so I thought it would be interesting to address here.

The question:

“[An author] sent me some questions and a 1,500-word sample from his book. He said, “Please edit as much as you can to give me a feel for what you can do.” Should I edit the sample for free? Is it normal to edit a sample for free? Or should I tell him to pay me for the sample?

He also asked me how many rounds of edits I do. What is a normal amount? (The payment is by word, not by time.)

He also asked me to reply by June 29, so I’m sure he expects me to spend a considerable amount of time editing the sample. I’m assuming he sent his sample to a number of editors, and will choose one of them.

I’m so curious about whether I should expect to be paid for the sample. It’s 1,500 words … He wants editing for his “prose, spelling, grammar, syntax to smooth the English, and any context incongruities.” He is not a native English speaker.

He also asked me how long it will take for me to edit his book.”

Here is what I wrote as an answer to this specific person (and then I’ll get into more below):

“Hey, I do nonfiction book editing and have worked with a few non-native English speaking authors.

I personally don’t do a free 1500 words — MAYBE 300 if they insist on a sample, but I have only done a sample edit once.

BEFORE doing a sample edit, you need to know if he is even willing to pay your rates. Send him a proposal after skimming the sample and explain that before you commit your time to a free sample edit, you need to know if your proposal is in his budget.

AND for all we know, he is giving 1500 different words to each editor to try to scam free editing throughout.

It’s more work than you think and will take longer than you think, for one. Because the first time you go through it will be completely focused on rewording and rewriting to make it flow in natural English, as often the structure of sentences is different in other languages, so especially translations (even pro ones) can be wrong for native English.

I typically do 3 rounds of edits. The first is the “main” edit on wording, structure, syntax, the second is for inconsistencies and review of the whole, the third is the copyedit. I also edit in google docs so the client can see the work and editing suggestions from round one and make revisions themselves based on comments and questions, which I then review and edit in the second round.

I charge 10–12 cents per word for dev edit + copyedit and 6 cents per word for copyedit only. I personally prefer per-word rates for editing, as I do not like tracking my hours/time spent. That’s my choice and it works for me, and it also means I don’t have to estimate hours on editing projects, I can give them a total rate right away. In my contract, I charge a 25% non-refundable deposit before starting work and the rest on completion or in chunks depending on what they want for a payment schedule. I do not start work until I receive the deposit.”

Let’s get more into this.

Rates

First, as to pricing. I have raised my prices over time as I’ve gained more and more experience. I’ve edited quite a few book manuscripts and specialize in nonfiction (not just editing them, but also in book coaching and writing my own!).

MANY editors choose to charge by the hour for editing and many others choose to do per-word rates. Some editors choose to charge per PAGE. It is completely up to the editor as to how they charge and how they come to their rates.

I personally prefer per-word editing rates, as I know my editing style and am comfortable with per-word rates and being able to give a total price immediately without estimating hours, especially since sometimes things take more or less time than anticipated.

I don’t like estimating or tracking hours when editing, as manuscript editing typically takes many hours over several weeks, not just a few days, and I often break up my editing by stopping and working on something else and coming back to refocus with fresh eyes.

Sample Edits

Sample edits are fairly common in the book editing world. I know several editors who will do 300 or so words for free as a sample edit and others who charge a small fee for samples. It is up to the editor to determine if they want to do samples or charge for them. Many editors see an author’s willingness to pay a nominal fee for samples as an indication of whether the author is serious about the process and investing in it.

I personally think 1500 words is too long for a sample, but again, that is a choice each editor can make to determine what they think is fair or necessary.

When I am giving my rates for editing, I always have them send over the manuscript first so I can give it a look. Instead of a small sample, I get to see the whole thing and this allows me to:

• See the overall length and style
• Determine the general amount of editing needed
• Get the total word count
• See if there are any obvious issues that will drastically change the editing time or rate (An example: One book I edited was not professionally translated from another language. It was run through translation software. This meant it was not reviewed for syntax or sentence structure, just literally translated, which led to a mess that needed a ton of work. Almost every sentence needed to be reworded and/or restructured to fit native English syntax.)
• Give me a good idea of timing (how long it will take to edit)

Working with Authors

As I said in my answer, I typically do 3 rounds of edits on every manuscript. The first is the “main” edit for wording, overall structure, syntax, the second round is for inconsistencies and review of the whole, and the third round of editing is the line-by-line copyedit.

I also make collaboration and transparency a big part of my process, so I edit manuscripts in Google docs so the client can see the work and editing suggestions from round one and make revisions themselves based on comments and questions, which I then review and edit in the second round.

This gives the author more control and they can see the work and exactly what is changing and can make executive decisions if they don’t want certain things changed.

The author-editor relationship is important, and one I’ve written about in detail before. Writers need to be able to trust their editors won’t drastically change their book into something else and editors need to be able to make necessary changes to make the book stronger and easier to read and understand.

Every editor is different.

This is important to know. We are not all using the same standards or practices and pricing, so it is imperative that when you are looking for an editor, you have individual conversations with each to determine how they work, what they charge, and all the details.

As an editor, you need to know the answers to those questions. You must have a process, a way to determine prices, and whether or not you do samples (and how to approach that).

The person who asked the original question had great points and needed help and they did the right thing — asked a whole group of editors what to do! Don’t be afraid to ask questions and see what others do to figure out what might work for you.

Check out my new book Concept to Conclusion: How to Write a Book and learn everything you need to know to conceive of, outline, write, publish, and market a nonfiction book!

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