Most book editors charge by the word, and the biggest factor in the price is the type of edit you need. A proofread costs the least; a developmental edit costs the most. Median rates for fiction run from about 1.2 cents per word for proofreading up to 3.5 cents for a developmental edit, so a single pass on an 80,000-word novel typically costs somewhere between $960 and $2,800. Here’s how editors price their work, what the typical rates are, what drives the number up or down, and how to make sure you’re paying for the edit your book actually needs.
The short version
- Most editors price per word or per 1,000 words. Some charge hourly, which makes the final bill harder to predict.
- Typical fiction rates run from about 1.2¢ per word (proofreading) to 3.5¢ per word (developmental editing).
- The type of edit is the biggest cost driver, and word count sets the total.
- Hiring each pass separately adds up: a full edit of an 80,000-word novel runs about $7,100 to $9,400 at median rates.
- A fixed quote in a signed contract protects you from hourly meters and surprise invoices.
How book editors price their work
There are a few common models: per word, per 1,000 words, per page, hourly, or a flat project fee. Per-word and per-1,000-word pricing are the easiest to compare, because you can multiply by your word count and know the total before you commit. Hourly rates are harder. The estimate is a guess, and the meter keeps running if the manuscript needs more work than expected.
We price per 1,000 words, agreed up front in a signed contract that states the scope, price, timeline, revisions, definitions, and a confidentiality clause. If you have concerns or questions, please feel free to reach out.
What do book editors typically charge?
The best public benchmark is the Editorial Freelancers Association’s rate chart, built from a survey of more than 1,100 professional editors on what they charged in 2025. Here are its median rates for fiction, converted to the per-1,000-word pricing most editors quote, with what each pass costs on an 80,000-word novel:
| Type of edit | Per word | Per 1,000 words | 80,000-word novel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Developmental editing | 3.0–3.5¢ | $30–35 | $2,400–2,800 |
| Line editing | 2.7–3.5¢ | $27–35 | $2,160–2,800 |
| Copy editing | 2.0–2.7¢ | $20–27 | $1,600–2,160 |
| Proofreading | 1.2–2.0¢ | $12–20 | $960–1,600 |
| Beta reading | 0.5–0.8¢ | $5–8 | $400–640 |
Editors who bill by the hour fall in a similar band: median hourly rates for fiction run from about $35 for proofreading to $70 for developmental editing.
Two things are worth noticing. First, these are per-pass prices. A book that needs a developmental edit, a line edit, a copy edit, and a proofread pays for each one, which at these medians adds up to roughly $7,100 to $9,400 for an 80,000-word novel. Second, they’re medians, so half of editors charge more. The EFA itself notes that rates vary considerably with experience, specialty, and turnaround.
How do we compare to Reedsy?
Surveying our clients, we found that almost all of them were comparing editors from Reedsy alongside us. In the end, the quality of our free sample edit and our editing packages were what made the difference to those clients.
In our research, we’ve typically found Reedsy editors charging anywhere between $25–$35 USD per 1,000 words for developmental editing, with about $20 per 1,000 words for copy-editing. By Reedsy’s own definition, they combine copy-editing and line-editing into just one type of editing.
They publicly disclose a rate calculator (same as us at ProjectK) and encourage their editors to not undercut the public figures. On an 80,000-word manuscript, Reedsy says you can expect to pay $2,000 USD for an editorial assessment, $2,880 for a developmental edit, $2,160 for copy editing, and $1,600 for a final proofread. In other words, $8,640 USD or $108 per 1,000 words, which is more than four times more expensive than our Premium tier of editing.
What drives the cost of an edit
- The type of edit. Developmental editing works on the story itself (plot, pacing, character, setting), so it’s the most involved and the most expensive. Line and copy editing work at the sentence level, and proofreading is the final check for errors. Not sure which you need? See what are the types of editing.
- Word count. The longer the book, the higher the total, at any rate.
- The condition of the manuscript. A draft you’ve already revised takes less work to edit well, and may mean you need a lighter edit altogether.
- How many editors you hire. A full edit often means several specialists: a developmental editor, a copy editor, a proofreader. Hiring each separately means a separate quote, contract, and invoice for every pass, and it adds up.
What it costs with ProjectK
| Tier | Includes | Per 1,000 words | 60,000 words | 80,000 words | 100,000 words |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beta Read & Assessment | A beta read and a manuscript assessment, with no edits | Priced on request | |||
| Basic | Copy & line editing, proofreading | $11 | $660 | $880 | $1,100 |
| Premium | Everything in Basic, plus a developmental edit and an editorial assessment | $25 | $1,500 | $2,000 | $2,500 |
Premium includes everything in Basic, then adds a developmental edit, the in-depth, upgraded version of a beta read. That’s the point of packaging it. If you want a specialist editor, it’s often impractical to hire more than one, and you end up sacrificing one edit to afford another. Not ready for a full edit? Our Beta Read & Assessment gives you an expert read of your story and a brief written assessment, with no edits, and is priced on request. Our pricing calculator gives you an estimate for your exact word count.
How payment works
Once we’ve agreed on the scope, you get a fixed quote. A 20% deposit reserves your slot in the schedule, and the balance is due when we deliver the edited manuscript.
Is a cheap editor worth it?
Usually not, because the savings tend to be false. It’s common for authors to try to save by running a manuscript through Grammarly or hiring the cheapest editor they can find, and never realize how many mistakes went untouched. The same goes for skipping the developmental edit because of the price tag. A cheap editor who promises a developmental edit but delivers very little costs you the fee and the book’s chances.
A good developmental edit can even lower your total cost. Only a developmental editor will suggest cutting, condensing, or combining scenes and chapters, which reduces the word count that every later pass is priced on.
How to keep the cost down without cutting corners
- Revise before you hire. A pass or two of your own revision (see our revision framework) gives the editor a cleaner manuscript to work on.
- Buy the edit your book needs, not the biggest package. If the story’s structure is solid, you may only need copy and line editing.
- Do the developmental edit first. Structural changes made after a copy edit mean paying to polish sentences that get cut.
- See the work before you pay. Our free sample edit covers up to 3,000 words, so you can judge the quality on your own manuscript first. Request your free sample.
Common questions
How much does a book editor cost?
According to the Editorial Freelancers Association’s 2026 rate chart, median rates for fiction run from about 1.2 to 2 cents per word for proofreading up to 3 to 3.5 cents per word for developmental editing. Our editing rates are $11 and $25 per 1,000 words, so an 80,000-word novel costs $880 to $2,000 to edit with us.
How much does it cost to edit an 80,000-word novel?
At median industry rates, a single pass costs roughly $960 to $2,800 depending on the type of edit, and a full edit with each pass hired separately comes to about $7,100 to $9,400. With us it costs $880 for Basic (copy and line editing plus proofreading) or $2,000 for Premium, which includes a full developmental edit.
Why is developmental editing the most expensive?
It works on the whole story, including plot, pacing, character, and setting, and usually comes with a written editorial assessment, so it takes the most time and expertise per page.
Do book editors charge per word or per hour?
Both exist. Per-word or per-1,000-word pricing lets you know the total up front, while an hourly rate is an estimate that can grow. Median hourly rates for fiction editing run from about $35 to $70 depending on the type of edit. We charge per 1,000 words, fixed in a signed contract.
Do I have to pay for the whole edit up front?
Not with us. A 20% deposit reserves your slot in the schedule, and the balance is due when we deliver the edited manuscript.