How Much Does Book Editing & Proofreading Cost?

Book editing services rates can vary based on a variety of things, such as the length or word count of your document. Some online book editing services companies also separate the level of effort based on proofreading, copy editing, and content editing. There are other editing companies who separate their rates based on the type of book manuscript—a novel versus a short story.

Some online book editing services companies charge for editing by the word, while others charge by the page. If you are being charged per page, you will want to know how many words are considered one page. Additionally, some editing services companies have different prices for various turnaround times, while others charge a flat rate regardless of the turnaround time.

It is important that you check how the editor you choose sets prices so that you can be clear on what the cost will be before you get started. Book editing rates will be higher at editing companies who specialize in book manuscript editing.

Based on the Editorial Freelancers Association, copyediting a fiction manuscript will cost between $36-40/hr, or $.02-.029/wd, whereas a nonfiction manuscript will cost between $41-45/hr, or $.03-.039/wd. Proofreading rates are slightly less—from $31-35/hr for fiction and $36-40/hr for nonfiction. Nonfiction editing rates are higher because they often require a level of fact checking. These costs are only a benchmark—you will want to check with individual online editing services companies for their actual rates.

It is important to conduct research before choosing an online book editing service, especially if the rates are not accessible from their website. At Editor World, we offer book manuscript editing and charge by the word, and all of our editing rates are completely transparent. We list our rates on Our Prices page and even offer a price calculator so you always know what your full rate will be. Additionally, you are able to choose the best document editor for your needs based on our editor reviews and areas of expertise.

About Editor World: Book Editing & Proofreading Services

Editor World offers professional book editing and proofreading services at affordable rates. We are experts in editing business documents, academic documents, books, ESL documents, personal documents, and all other written documents. We also provide writing and rewriting services.