Editing is not one job, it is four, and paying for the wrong one is the most common way authors waste money on their manuscripts.
$1,200 – $2,500
Flat fee, scaled to length
A full read of the manuscript and a written report on what is working, what is not, and what to do about it. No marks in the file.
Right for you when: You have a finished draft and you are not yet sure whether the bones are right.
$0.045 – $0.06
Per word
Sentence-level work on rhythm, clarity, and voice, done in tracked changes so you can see and accept every decision.
Right for you when: The story works and you want the prose to carry it.
$0.03 – $0.045
Per word
Grammar, usage, and consistency brought into line with Chicago, or with whatever house style you already follow.
Right for you when: The manuscript is revised and you want it correct and consistent.
$0.02 – $0.03
Per word
The last look before the book goes out, catching what survived every earlier pass.
Right for you when: The book is typeset or export-ready and cannot go out with a stray comma.
Ranges reflect manuscript condition, genre, and turnaround. Every quote is fixed before we start, so the number I give you is the number you pay. Rush scheduling is available and priced separately.
Genre, word count, where the manuscript stands, and what you think it needs. A sample of a few thousand words helps more than a description.
A short paid sample edit on your pages, so you can see exactly how I work before either of us commits to a full manuscript.
A fixed quote, a start date, a delivery date, and a plain description of what you get back. Half up front, half on delivery.
Tracked changes, margin comments, and a style sheet, plus a round of follow-up questions once you have worked through it.
Yes, as a short paid sample, usually the first fifteen hundred to two thousand words. It is the fastest way to find out whether my instincts and your voice get along, and it comes off the project fee if we go ahead.
Chicago by default, and your house style if you have one. Where your manuscript is already internally consistent, I will generally leave your choice alone rather than impose mine, and the style sheet records every one of those calls.
Usually four to eight weeks, sometimes longer in the fall. If you have a hard publication date, tell me early and I will be straight with you about whether it is possible.
That is a copyedit or a line edit depending on how much reshaping the prose needs, and it is work I enjoy. The goal is prose that reads naturally to a US or UK reader without sanding off the things that make it sound like you.
Tell me up front how the draft came together and we will talk about it honestly. What matters to me is whether the book has something to say and whether you are the one saying it.
Two minutes of manuscript details, and you will hear back with a recommendation and a real number.
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