Editing costs, FAQ & tips

If you do a little searching on the internet, you’ll see that some editors charge by the word or page, others by the hour.

Although at-a-glance fees are helpful (e.g. you have an 80,000-word book, randomeditor.com charges $25 per 1000 words for a copy edit, therefore your edit will cost $2000) this just doesn’t work for me. Bear with me and I’ll explain why.

A well-written book by an experienced author may need only a light copy edit, especially if it has already been through the assessment process. In such a case my work could be done and dusted in 15–20 hours. But a book riddled with spelling and grammatical errors, inconsistencies, wrongly punctuated dialogue, a couple of enormous plot holes and a wildly swinging point of view, may take twice as long.

This is why I ask authors for a sample 1000 words to edit. I then return the edited sample (the sample edit is free), with a no-obligation quote based on the time it took. The author can then also take a look at my editing and make sure they’re happy with what I’ve done.

My editing rates are (note – for clients in countries other than NZ/US/UK, I will quote in your currency)

• NZ$55/hour (US$35 / £26) for development and copy editing

• NZ$50/hour (US$32 / £23) for proofreading. (Note that proofreading is a far quicker process than editing.)

Depending on whether a light, medium or heavy edit is required, price ranges (including two rounds of copy editing, formatting for ebook, and editing of marketing copy/blurb) are roughly:

• NZ$1500–2750 (US$900–1600 / £750–1375) for a novel of c50,000 words

• NZ$2600–4500 (US$1500–2700 / £1300–2250) for a novel of c90,000 words

(Note that development editing, if required, typically adds an additional 15–20 hours onto the editing fee.)

For picture books I charge a flat fee of NZ$375 (US$225 / £180) which is for a combined development/copy edit

Note: highly illustrated non-fiction books sometimes take longer than novels, as there are additional matters like illustration briefs, permissions (copyright) and fact-checking to consider.

Editing discounts

I offer a 10% discount for members of the New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) and 15% for repeat business clients.

No nasty surprises

At the same time as quoting for a job, I also cap the fee so that authors aren’t faced with a budget blowout.

Extras

All fees include editing of back cover blurb, and advice on ‘where to next’ if you ask!

Do I really need an editor?

You’re expecting me to say ‘yes!’ right? Well I’d say ‘not necessarily’. It depends on why you are publishing, and your expectations for your book.

Most independently published books will sell only a small number of copies – sad but true.

If your motivation for writing your book is to share this with your family/grandchildren/friends, and any further sales would be a happy bonus, then you probably shouldn’t be spending up large on editing and design. Write it, edit it yourself, edit it again, ask friends and family to proofread it for you, design a cover yourself or ask a friend/teenager who’s good on the computer to do it for you. Publish it as an ebook on Amazon (Kindle). All this will cost you nothing but your time. (You could also do a print-on-demand version through Amazon, though this is technically a bit more challenging.)

If you’re serious about your writing, and want your book to be widely read, then yes, you need an editor. Definitely. (And if you’re submitting to agents and/or publishers, an edit will almost certainly up your chances of acceptance.) To keep your costs down, think about how you can make your book as good and ‘clean’ as possible before handing it to an editor. My top tips:

• Join a critique group. I’m in one of these, and can highly recommend hanging out with other writers. Ask around and try to join one that has a good mix of experienced authors and newbies. Don’t worry that they will demolish your work, writers are generally a kind and encouraging lot.

• Find beta readers (people who will read an early draft of your work). I can’t emphasise enough how useful this is. Try to find people who aren’t your partner/child/best friend and who will give you an honest opinion – and if possible they should be readers who enjoy your genre. Asking a sci-fi nut to give you feedback on your romance novel probably won’t be helpful.

• Get a manuscript assessment – see ‘Should I get a manuscript assessment’ below.

What happens during the copy editing process?

Different editors work in different ways. Many return your edited manuscript and that’s it. Others include two rounds of copy editing. ‘Publishing services’ often include everything from editing through proofreading, formatting, design, cover design, marketing, etc. (Be very careful if you decide to use one of these, there are some real sharks out there – see Writerbeware.com for a list of the publishing baddies.)

Having worked for many years in traditional publishing, I’m used to project managing books through from start to finish, and prefer to work this way with indie authors too. It just feels wrong to let go of a book after the first edit – believe it or not, there is still a way to go after this.

I ask authors to return their manuscript to me once they have been through the edit and made any revisions in response to my comments, so that I can edit and check these and make sure no typos have crept in. I can also do a final proofread after page layout, although this is an additional cost to the edit (see proofreading rates above). I include the blurb edit in the fee, as it’s truly awful to spend hours … days … weeks! getting a manuscript perfect, only to see a blurb on Amazon riddled with errors. And I can offer advice on things like ISBNs, finding a designer, and printing, and I don’t charge for this.

Should I get an assessment? How can I organise that?

If you have the budget for both assessment and editing, it’s always worth sending your manuscript to an assessor. They will give you a full report on the strengths and weaknesses of your book and your writing, and this will help you get your manuscript into the best possible shape before editing begins. If you’re thinking of submitting to publishers and/or agents, an assessment is particularly worthwhile.

If you are in New Zealand, you can join the NZSA and apply for one of their assessment programmes, or there’s a list of assessors on the NZSA website.

What level of editing do I need – development or copy?

If you’re a first-time author, you’re probably unsure what level of editing is necessary for your book. If you haven’t had an assessment or used a critique group/beta readers, your editor should be able to advise on this.

There’s a grey area – often I will be asked for a copy edit but will make recommendations along the way that are more developmental. Occasionally I will start a copy edit but decide more development is needed, and will discuss this with the author before continuing. And sometimes an author may think they need development, when they are in fact good to go straight to copy editing.

I’m always happy to take a look at a synopsis and sample chapter to get a feel for whether a book is ready for editing.

Can an editor turn a badly written book into a good book?

For non-fiction, often yes. If the information is useful and valid and interesting, but badly written and presented, I can turn that into a decent book (I have done this many times for school textbooks written by wonderful, enthusiastic teachers who may be, ahem, not the greatest writers).

For fiction, biographies and memoirs – unlikely. Turning a badly written book into a decent book would necessitate a rewrite, and that should not be the editor’s job – that’s the job of a ghostwriter.

Should I self-publish … am I ready to self-publish?

The following list was compiled by award-winning writer Rachel L Stedman, whose excellent books I edit. It’s bang on!

These attributes help when self-publishing:

1. Ability to write

2. Understanding of the publishing process

3. Comfortable with the internet

4. Comfortable with ebooks

5. A Kindle account

6. A basic understanding of finances

7. Time

8. Healthy skepticism

9. Professional background relevant to the industry

10. Money

    What else?

    If there’s anything I haven’t covered here, feel free to drop me a line at sue.copsey@xtra.co.nz.