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How much should I pay for editing...?

by Adie
28 replies
I am about to finish my first fiction novel of 70,000 words and I need an editor/copywriter to straighten-up everything. I am an article writer and not really fond of writing fictions so I will be needing someone who can edit/rewrite this book with emotions. The problem is, I don't know how much should I pay for this kind of work....

Any suggestion is highly appreciated.
Thanks,
adie
#editing #pay
  • Profile picture of the author Adie
    Originally Posted by twister85 View Post

    You should pay maximum $20 to $30 for such work, because copywriters are living like a scraps on the net so a professional copywriter should charge only that much to give high quality output from 70,000 words.
    I don't think you understand what I am asking.
    I would not accept your $30 for just reading an unpublished book, much more editing.... The cheapest I have seen so far is $400 but I am not sure about the quality that's why I am getting more ideas from here.... Do you know how many are 70,000 words? It's a book and not an article....and this job is intended to someone who has a native English tongue...
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Adie, before you can determine how much a job will cost you, you still have some work to do defining the job.

      From your opening post, it's hard to tell if you want a proofreader, an editor, or a ghost writer.

      A good proofreader will find and correct minor mistakes, misspellings, typos, etc. as well as highlight major errors.

      A good editor will "punch up" your writing, making it flow better without losing your distinct voice as an author.

      A ghost writer will rewrite whole sections of your book according to your directions.

      If I had to guess from your description:

      someone who can edit/rewrite this book with emotions
      it sounds more like you need a ghost writer than an editor.

      Once you properly define what you want, you can open it up for bids.
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      • Profile picture of the author Adie
        Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

        Adie, before you can determine how much a job will cost you, you still have some work to do defining the job.

        From your opening post, it's hard to tell if you want a proofreader, an editor, or a ghost writer.

        A good proofreader will find and correct minor mistakes, misspellings, typos, etc. as well as highlight major errors.

        A good editor will "punch up" your writing, making it flow better without losing your distinct voice as an author.

        A ghost writer will rewrite whole sections of your book according to your directions.

        If I had to guess from your description:



        it sounds more like you need a ghost writer than an editor.

        Once you properly define what you want, you can open it up for bids.
        Hi John,
        Thanks for the response. Based on your job descriptions, I believe I need an editor. When I say "rewrite", I mean rephrasing some sentences and turn it from ordinary conversation to a more novelistic tone with emotions...

        The story and the plot is already complete and I just need to do a little rewrite on the last chapter. here is an example of what I need to describe it better..

        From this (no emotion):

        Mr. Paxton’s eyes were sad as he gave her the news. “I’m sorry, JoAnne, but your position with the company is no longer necessary.”         Instantly, JoAnne was angrier than she’d ever been in her life.


        To something like this (full of emotions)

        JoAnne sat on the chair’s edge, spine straight as a new pencil, and stared into Mr. Paxton’s face. Sixteen years she’d given him—days she was sick, days the kids were sick—making the trip back and forth across town on that sweaty bus. Now he wouldn’t even look at her, just kept fiddling with her folder and rearranging the fancy knickknacks on his desk. Clearly, he didn’t want to give her the news, but she wasn’t about to make it easy for him.

        The vinyl of her purse crackled and she lightened her grip on it. Her picture of the kids was in there and she didn’t want it creased.
        Mr. Paxton cleared his throat for the hundredth time. “JoAnne…Mrs. Benson…it appears that your position with the company is no longer—”
        JoAnne jerked to her feet, sending her chair flying over the tile. It hit the wall with a satisfying bang as she stormed from the office.
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        • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
          Adie, hire whoever did your example...
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          • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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            Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

            Adie, hire whoever did your example...
            I was also thinking this! (It's a lot more than just "editing", though!)
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            • Profile picture of the author seasoned
              Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

              I was also thinking this! (It's a lot more than just "editing", though!)
              YEAH, you're right! First of all, twister85 said:

              Originally Posted by twister85
              You should pay maximum $20 to $30 for such work, because copywriters are living like a scraps on the net so a professional copywriter should charge only that much to give high quality output from 70,000 words.
              WHY do people use such "logic"? "They can' get enough money, so pay them next to nothing!" That is at least 100 pages, and would take likely over 2 hours to edit, and they will do that for $10/hour? I doubt it. ESPECIALLY not a professional copywriter. They tend to actually live pretty well. I have known a few and there idea of scraps was not normal. Their dogs would be plenty happy!

              OP,

              But this IS more than editing. You are asking for a rewrite to make it bring in more senses. It is ALMOST like you are providing a concept, and having THEM write a story. and who knows how much that might cost.

              I WILL tell you that many people that say they are "copywriters", etc... can't do that. Many professionals couldn't. It IS more than copywriting. So maybe you should find people that can, and ask them what THEY charge. After all, you could EASILY find a person to do this for pennies an hour. They just would end up with a mess!

              steve
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          • Profile picture of the author Alex Greene
            Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

            Adie, hire whoever did your example...
            I also agree with you. That one was great.
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          • Profile picture of the author Kay King
            You want someone who will take two lines and turn it into 10-12 lines of "story"???

            You need more than an editor - you need a ghostwriter.

            An editor will show you errors in spelling/grammar/sentence structure so you can fix those errors. An editor won't rewrite/improve your book contents.

            I agree with John - hire whoever did the second copy in your post - and pay what they charge.

            kay
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        • Profile picture of the author Rbtmarshall
          Originally Posted by Adie View Post

          ...
          From this (no emotion):

          Mr. Paxton’s eyes were sad as he gave her the news. “I’m sorry, JoAnne, but your position with the company is no longer necessary.”           Instantly, JoAnne was angrier than she’d ever been in her life.


          To something like this (full of emotions)

          JoAnne sat on the chair’s edge, spine straight as a new pencil, and stared into Mr. Paxton’s face. Sixteen years she’d given him—days she was sick, days the kids were sick—making the trip back and forth across town on that sweaty bus. Now he wouldn’t even look at her, just kept fiddling with her folder and rearranging the fancy knickknacks on his desk. Clearly, he didn’t want to give her the news, but she wasn’t about to make it easy for him.

          The vinyl of her purse crackled and she lightened her grip on it. Her picture of the kids was in there and she didn’t want it creased.
          Mr. Paxton cleared his throat for the hundredth time. “JoAnne…Mrs. Benson…it appears that your position with the company is no longer—”
          JoAnne jerked to her feet, sending her chair flying over the tile. It hit the wall with a satisfying bang as she stormed from the office.

          That example is an excerpt from a book titled: The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide To Character Expression

          That being said, I wonder if the credited authors actually wrote it, or did they hire a ghostwriter to polish up their wordings.

          Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #537 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
          #2 in Books > Education & Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Writing > Journalism & Nonfiction
          #7 in Books > Education & Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Writing > Writing Skills
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          • Profile picture of the author Adie
            That example is an excerpt from a book titled: The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide To Character Expression
            Yes, I have a copy of this book as I use it as reference. This is an extremely helpful book. That example I mentioned is always used when writing details for editors.. I don't know either if the credited authors wrote it but I think they did..
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        • Profile picture of the author Joe Mobley
          So... your novel will go from 70,000 words to 300,000 words?

          Joe Mobley


          Originally Posted by Adie View Post

          I am about to finish my first fiction novel of 70,000 words...
          Originally Posted by Adie View Post

          From this (no emotion):

          Mr. Paxton's eyes were sad as he gave her the news. "I'm sorry, JoAnne, but your position with the company is no longer necessary."           Instantly, JoAnne was angrier than she'd ever been in her life.

          ---- 35 words.

          To something like this (full of emotions)

          JoAnne sat on the chair's edge, spine straight as a new pencil, and stared into Mr. Paxton's face. Sixteen years she'd given him--days she was sick, days the kids were sick--making the trip back and forth across town on that sweaty bus. Now he wouldn't even look at her, just kept fiddling with her folder and rearranging the fancy knickknacks on his desk. Clearly, he didn't want to give her the news, but she wasn't about to make it easy for him.

          The vinyl of her purse crackled and she lightened her grip on it. Her picture of the kids was in there and she didn't want it creased.
          Mr. Paxton cleared his throat for the hundredth time. "JoAnne...Mrs. Benson...it appears that your position with the company is no longer--"
          JoAnne jerked to her feet, sending her chair flying over the tile. It hit the wall with a satisfying bang as she stormed from the office.

          ---- 159 words.
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          • Profile picture of the author Adie
            Originally Posted by Joe Mobley View Post

            So... your novel will go from 70,000 words to 300,000 words?

            Joe Mobley
            No Joe, my target is around 65,000 to 70,000 words. My own output is around 50k words so I want to extend to that length. The sample I posted is not about the length but the quality. The original sentences can be shorten or lengthen depending on how creative the editor is.. My apology for that unclear statement.
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  • Profile picture of the author cashcow
    It does sound like you might need a ghostwriter, although I know editors do edit at different levels, I'm not sure even the highest level would provide what you are seeking (just guessing that it probably needs a total rewrite to include correct POV, emotion and dialogue).

    How much you can expect to pay, depends on the level of writer you want. Do you want a professionally published writer for the best job? Could be expensive. I've paid $450 for 5000 words but that was for a published author to write from my outline.

    I've heard tale that you can get decent writing over at fiverr for $5 for 500 words…so I guess that would put you at around $700. Maybe they would charge less since you have the plot written out already? I have my doubts about getting good fiction from fiverr so I suggest you try a sample from whoever you hire there.
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  • Profile picture of the author Corey Geer
    How much you should pay for any kind of work done depends on what kind of quality you want.

    JoAnne sat on the chair’s edge, spine straight as a new pencil, and stared into Mr. Paxton’s face. Sixteen years she’d given him—days she was sick, days the kids were sick—making the trip back and forth across town on that sweaty bus. Now he wouldn’t even look at her, just kept fiddling with her folder and rearranging the fancy knickknacks on his desk. Clearly, he didn’t want to give her the news, but she wasn’t about to make it easy for him.

    The vinyl of her purse crackled and she lightened her grip on it. Her picture of the kids was in there and she didn’t want it creased.
    Mr. Paxton cleared his throat for the hundredth time. “JoAnne…Mrs. Benson…it appears that your position with the company is no longer—”
    JoAnne jerked to her feet, sending her chair flying over the tile. It hit the wall with a satisfying bang as she stormed from the office.
    That's actually pretty good. As someone above said, $700 really isn't far off what you can expect. I'm sure you'll get PMs with quotes from people saying they can do it for far less, but you'll just end up right back here looking for a new writer.

    You should pay maximum $20 to $30 for such work
    Please go back to Digital Point...
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  • Profile picture of the author jipolis7
    I think $500 will be perfect for this project. But before thinking about it, you must have to ensure about the worker of this project and of the quality of him.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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      Originally Posted by jipolis7 View Post

      I think $500 will be perfect for this project.
      Well ... "good luck with that", as the saying goes.

      I know from the big writers' forum where I hang out frequently and post occasionally that $500 would be laughed at, there, and I know why, too. This is a job that's going to cost a lot more than $500 if you want something of a publishable standard.

      Look at it this way: what sort of professional training, education and experience does the person you're looking for need to have? You can see from thinking about it like that, that it's going to be at least a $30-40-per-hour hourly rate, I think? And how many hours is it going to take someone?

      Originally Posted by Adie View Post

      The problem is, I don't know how much should I pay for this kind of work....
      Competent, professional proofreaders ask for and get $20 per hour, Adie. You're clearly asking for something that goes substantially beyond that, I think you'll agree?
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  • Profile picture of the author Adie
    Thank you very much for all suggestions. Although a term "ghostwriter" sounds not acceptable to me, I think that is what I need. I just feel like I am losing credit hiring a ghostwriter for a fiction book, but I'll consider your suggestions if this is the only way to solve my problem..
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    • Profile picture of the author cashcow
      Originally Posted by Adie View Post

      Thank you very much for all suggestions. Although a term "ghostwriter" sounds not acceptable to me, I think that is what I need. I just feel like I am losing credit hiring a ghostwriter for a fiction book, but I'll consider your suggestions if this is the only way to solve my problem..
      You should not feel that way at all. YOU came up with the important part - the story. Using someone else to tell it in a better way than you could does not in any way diminish that. Even James Patterson uses ghostwriters.
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      • Profile picture of the author minimalseo
        Originally Posted by cashcow View Post

        You should not feel that way at all. YOU came up with the important part - the story. Using someone else to tell it in a better way than you could does not in any way diminish that. Even James Patterson uses ghostwriters.
        I like the way cashcow put it, and spot on. I do think what you need is a good ghostwriter, you may prefer to call him/her an associate writer or any term you may prefer. If it were only an editor you needed, the $400 estimate would do. But I am afraid you are looking at atleast double of that for your purpose here.
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  • Profile picture of the author Corey Geer
    You shouldn't.

    A ghostwriter is a writer who writes books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written material. In music, ghostwriters are often used for writing songs and lyrics for popular music genres.
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  • Profile picture of the author seobro
    Hi Adie:
    OK on Fiverr it is usually $5 per 1,000 words for a native speaker, but I have found as cheap as 3,000 or even six. Those usually are poor. Look for a retired English teacher with a lot of time on her hands that wants to help you. All the best on your story and have a happy new year.
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  • Profile picture of the author 8485marketing
    Get yourself over to a freelance website maybe e-lance if they cover that sort of thing. Get yourself a few quotes and see some proof of work and what the person is able to do. Please note that price isn't everything. I personally, would avoid Fiverr to provide the solution to your problem. This needs someone with a distinct professional ability to do this. As Alexa if she's not busy, love the way she writes her articles
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  • Profile picture of the author robt020
    Avoid Fiverr or other outsourcing (you run the risk of non-native speakers) for manuscript editing. While I may be biased as shown by the link in my signature line, you need a professional team of editors to review your manuscript. You have invested time, effort, sweat, and have labored over creating a masterpiece. Why destroy it in the final stage?

    Bottom line, select a qualified editor or team of editors; you'll be glad you did.
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  • Profile picture of the author Adie
    Several people from absolutewrite.com forum has contacted me already since I posted the same question. I am also a member of that site for sometime now and thanks that I have a lot of choices now..
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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    You can get decent proofreaders for a buck a page and up. Decent editors run from three to five dollars a page. I'm talking qualified freelancers not industry professionals. It's very unlikely you'll find anyone qualified on a low end freelance site. One more thing and this is very important. If you contact someone who gives you a price without seeing at least a couple of chapters first, run fast and far. That is a bona fide amateur.
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