Why Editing Is So Expensive
A writer’s guide on pricing . . . from the editor’s perspective
In a previous post, I listed out some key behaviors that editors look for in their clients. One of those behaviors was answering emails from your editor. Well, the other day I started thinking that maybe clients (or prospective clients) don’t respond to emails because they’re just lost for words about how to respond. To my quote.
My instinct tells me that perhaps a writer doesn’t respond to a quote because perhaps they cannot afford the rate that I quote. Instead of responding kindly to my email expressing this, they simply go ghost, leaving me to wonder if they will become a client or not.
Writers, please don’t do this. Always be honest about why you’re turning down an editor. Tell us why you’re going in another direction (if you feel inclined to do so) or just let us down gently. Unfortunately, I have decided to go in a different direction.
Back to pricing, which is what this post is about, let me provide some wisdom on the why. The editing world is the Wild Wild West. No two editors charge the same rates, onboard clients the same way, or even have contracts with the same details. Every editor runs an individual business. Think of it as going to different local coffee shops. Different brews, different specials and prices, different staff.
Why editing is so expensive
We editors set prices based on a number of factors. Like I said before, we don’t want to be rich, and we’re not trying to take advantage of anyone. Editing, generally, is pretty expensive. Writers should always carefully consider the cost when they begin their search for an editor. Here are some factors that influence what an editor charges:
Personal expenses. I’ve seen writers put things like “I’m not paying for you to pay bills” on Facebook and in other places. Wrong. Yes, you are. Editors, especially those who edit full-time, rely on your payments to pay bills and buy groceries. This is our livelihood. And we charge based on our cost-of-living expenses. Editors who live in areas with a high living expense will obviously charge more. Being an editor isn’t charity work. It’s a job, and we expect to be paid for the work we do.
Business expenses. Editors are business owners as well, so we have to pay for our websites, employee wages, contract labor, taxes, marketing expenses, payment processors, credit card fees, Canva subscriptions, and the list goes on and on. The cost of running a business certainly influences the cost of editorial services.
Non-revenue-producing tasks. These include tasks like checking emails, responding to phone calls, posting on social media, responding to leads, etc. A lot of the time used to do these pertinent tasks don’t pay anything. So, the amount of this unpaid time can influence how much pay an editor will require during active, revenue-producing time.
Client accommodations. Unfortunately, offering some sort of accommodations to clients may cause an editor to lose money. Payment plans, especially on smaller invoices; late fee forgiveness; scope creep (where the editor goes above and beyond what they’re contractually obligated to do); and offering “free” sample edits or other “free” help can affect the editor’s fee schedule.
Length of work. The longer the work, the more time and energy it takes to finish it. More time = more money. Who’s going to argue with that? If you wrote a 300,000-word book, expect an expensive editing bill.
Lead time. Doing work last minute can cause some stress or a lack of freedom (working nights and weekends when it’s not the norm). When a client wants to start the next day or the same day, it will require an additional “rush” or “priority” fee to accommodate the need of that client over the work already being done (other client work already on the editor’s plate) when the client arrives. This should make sense to everyone.
Difficulty or complexity of the task. Ghostwriting, Translation, fact-checking—these services take a lot of time and energy and are far from simple. Therefore, if an editor offers these services, expect a much higher bill over the normal editing costs you would usually pay to simply have your book edited.
The truth of the matter is that editing is expensive. And it’s not because we want to be millionaires and drive BMWs (I drive a Kia). We have a slew of things we need to pay for in our businesses as well as our personal lives. With those costs, an editor has to charge in order to survive.
Typical rates
Some people may ask “typical” rates, but I’m not even sure what typical is. To reiterate, there are thousands of editors out there with different price points based on their needs, so whatever is typical may be too expensive or surprisingly cheap for you. But, if you want to get an idea of “typical” rates that are on the lower end, you can visit www.the-efa.org/rates for some clarity there. Keep in mind that those are median rates and that many editors charge more or less than the rates on that rates chart.
My rates
My rates are above the low rates from the EFA rates chart, and I only provide rates after I’ve read a sample from a potential client. I do this, not to be mysterious, but to provide the most accurate quote possible. Blunt to say, but the messier the manuscript, the more I will charge to clean it up. Most writers I meet agree with that. Plus, writers should present clean manuscripts with as few errors as possible. Lighter edits cost the client less and enable me to charge less to do such work.
With rates, it’s a case-by-case scenario. Sometimes, to save money, a writer may have to go back and trim their book, add in dialogue tags, or perform other changes in order for it to be presentable. Sometimes a writer will pay the (higher) fee because they see the value of the editor, even if it means having to save up for that fee.
All in all, editors charge based on a number of factors, and it’s important to have an understanding of these things as you shop around for your book editor. Feel free to email me questions if you have any at info@crazednovelist.com.
Thanks for reading.
I’m A.E. Williams, the Owner and Lead Editor at A.E. Williams Editorial, a Black, LGBTQ+ owned and operated editorial firm, servicing indie authors and publishing houses (including a Big 5 publisher). I can be found on Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
I forgot to mention health insurance. Haha. That's an expense that's insane.