What Does It Cost to Edit a Book?

It largely depends on the services you request.

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to name a single figure and say, “That’s how much it costs to edit a book.”

That’s because the services offered vary from editor to editor, types of editing are sometimes given different names, services can be combined in different ways, and rates may be quoted by the word, page, or hour.

To help you sort through the various editors, I Googled “what does it cost to edit a book?” Then I randomly selected ten sites that offered editorial services and fees, skipping those that required me to enter my information and wait to be contacted by them.

The sites I used included individual editors, self-publishing firms, a trade group, and a service platform.

Here’s what I found, with descriptions and prices taken right from the websites in 2019.

The prices are quoted in terms of copyediting, proofreading, developmental editing, and so on. If you’re not sure what these services are, please see “Copyeditor or Proofreader? Which to Use and When.”

Please note that I’m not recommending any of these individuals or services, simply providing information about editing costs.

A sampling of the sites

• Affordable Christian Editing: A group of six editors who “believe that there is not enough Christian or just clean, decent literature available out there.”
• The Book Butchers: This is a group of “insanely talented book editors with decades of experience trimming meat from fat, separating skin from flesh, exact anatomical knowledge of fiction and non-fiction writing, and the right tools and techniques for each precision cut.”
• Book Editing Associates: This service notes that “We screen, test, and monitor editors, proofreaders, and publishing consultants.”
• Editorial Freelancers Association: A trade group consisting of “editors, writers, indexers, proofreaders, researchers, desktop publishers, translators, and others who offer a broad range of skills and specialties.”
• EliteAuthors: A firm that offers editing, ghostwriting, cover design, and other services related to book publishing.
• Kirkus Editorial: They offer to “have your book edited by experts from the nation’s top publishing houses.” According to their website, “Kirkus only selects editors who have worked on books published by the top publishers in the United States.”
• Reedsy: A site that “allows authors to find and work with the best publishing professionals: from developmental editors to book cover designers, publicists and translators.”

Reedsy examined the fees charged by the editors on its site. They determined that “the average rates charged by editors on an 80,000-word manuscript” are:

• The Write Proofreader: A team of editors headed by Kelly Bixler, whose mission is “ridding the world of bad grammar one dangling participle at a time.”
• Xulon Press: This Christian self-publishing firm offers the following editing services:

So how much does it cost to edit a book?

Assuming the above prices are representative, the cost to edit a book begins at about $0.015 per word, and moves up to about $0.06 per word. Editors with excellent resumes and credentials may charge even more.

Please remember that if you use a ghostwriter to write your book, you should use someone else to edit the manuscript.