![\"\"](\"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Confused-author-300x300.png\")
<\/p>\nBut how do you choose an editor? How much should you spend? Do you even need editing at all?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Fortunately, you have found\u2014<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t even have to read it top-to-bottom to find answers to your most pressing questions. Check the table of contents below for your question and click on it. When you\u2019re done reading, if you want to return to the table of contents, click \u201cBack to top”<\/strong>:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you don\u2019t see the answer to your question here, please leave a comment at the very bottom of this article. I\u2019ll be happy to respond and, if needed, add to the guide.<\/p>\n Do I really need editing?<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n What kind of editing do I need?<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n How much will it cost? Who pays for editing? Should I edit now, or should I submit to agents\/publishers first and see if they\u2019ll cover it?<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n How long does editing take?<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n How do I find an editor on my own?<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n What kind of written agreement should I have with my editor? When\/how should I pay them?<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Once editing begins, what kind of communication should I expect to have with my editor? Will there be checkpoints with feedback?<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n What will editing look like? How will I know that the editor won\u2019t screw up my manuscript, change my voice\/intentions?<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Once I get the edited text back, then what?<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Conclusion<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are many reasons an author may question the need for editing at all. For example:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Many authors have successfully bucked the prescriptivists by writing in regional dialects (such as Zora Neale Hurston in her celebrated novel Their Eyes Were Watching God<\/em>) or by radically eschewing language conventions (such as the poet e e cummings and his aversion to capital letters, traditional punctuation, and standard word usage). This is a decision that only the author can make and only their audience can approve or despise.<\/p>\n Violating language conventions can make digesting your work more challenging to the reader, as with Their Eyes Were Watching God<\/em>, which both delighted and frustrated my former high school students\u2014they had trouble following the dialect[4]<\/sup><\/a>. On the other hand, who knows what long-term goals you might accomplish by doing so? Authors over the years have continued playing with methods to convey the feel of a dialect without making it quite so difficult for the reader, and in so doing, they\u2019ve brought more dignity and sense of value to dialects (and communities) that have historically not been privileged.<\/p>\n Just keep in mind that the line between trailblazing and writing a mess that readers won\u2019t want to deal with is rather blurry.<\/strong><\/p>\n Your average reader might be willing to work a little harder if your book is engaging enough\u2014MIGHT\u2014but it\u2019s hard enough to sell books. Just sayin\u2019.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In a perfect world, one in which you had unlimited time and money, this is how your editing and revision process might go:<\/p>\n Keeping in mind that editing a manuscript takes longer than simply reading it, you can guesstimate the number of hours this whole process might take. And if you\u2019re paying anywhere from $20\u201375+ per hour\u00a0\u2026 well, it can get expensive.<\/p>\n So, for most of us, we have to weigh our wish list against our budget and decide which services will give us the most bang for our buck. See How much will it cost? Who pays for editing?<\/strong><\/a> below for further discussion on triaging your manuscript.<\/p>\n For more information on the different types of editing, please see What Kind of Editing Do I Need?<\/strong><\/a> and Everything Wrong with Your Novel in 15 Minutes<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As I pointed out in What kind of editing do I need?<\/strong><\/a> above, most of us must compromise between the ideal amount of editing (lots!) and our budgetary and time constraints. How can you deliver the best product possible to your readers without breaking the bank<\/strong>?<\/p>\n Here are some thoughts on how to do that:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n For more on the topic of whether to edit before submitting, please see my article Who Pays for Proofreading? The Author or the Publisher?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n With all that said, let\u2019s finally address the cost<\/strong> issue.<\/p>\n The Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA)<\/strong> conducted a rates survey<\/strong> in 2020 to find out what its members charged for each editing service during the 2019 calendar year. Here\u2019s a snippet that shows average hourly rates, per-word rates, and speed for coaching and copyediting:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n To see the full chart<\/strong>, including data for developmental and line editing, please visit https:\/\/www.the-efa.org\/rates<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n I personally offer both hourly and fixed-price contracts<\/strong>. My current rate is $35\/hour for all services. Fixed-price contracts are negotiated based on my initial review of the manuscript and completion of a free sample edit that helps me determine how long the project might take. Depending on what the author wants and the manuscript needs, my fixed-price rates range from $.008 – $.03+ per word.[6]<\/sup><\/a> See my Services<\/strong><\/a> page for more information.<\/p>\n EXAMPLE<\/strong><\/p>\n Let\u2019s say you have an 80,000-word manuscript that needs a moderate amount of copyediting. I\u2019m likely to charge about $.01\/word for that project, which would come out to $800.<\/p>\n If the same manuscript needs heavy line editing and copyediting (which I can perform simultaneously), we might be looking at $.03\/word, or $2,400.<\/p>\n Editors offer a wide range of rates and services, so it\u2019s a good idea to shop around until you find one with the right balance for you.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This depends on a number of factors. Let\u2019s get an important one out of the way first:<\/p>\n COVID-19 has stuck its spiky little proteins into every facet of our lives, including business. Editors are no less affected than anyone else. We\u2019ve caught the virus, dealt with daycare and school disruptions, and found ourselves having to juggle all sorts of new concerns, including empty shelves at the stores and new or worsening cases of depression and anxiety.<\/p>\n So, this phrase may have become trite, but it\u2019s still a good policy:<\/p>\n Now for how many actual work hours might go into the edit<\/strong>:<\/p>\n As I mentioned earlier, editing a text takes longer (often MUCH longer) than simply reading it.[7]<\/sup><\/a> The EFA rates survey<\/a><\/strong> I linked to in the How much will it cost?<\/strong><\/a> section includes median speeds for each type of editing. For example, on average you can expect an editor to get through about 1,750\u20132,500 words per hour for copyediting or about 1,000\u20131,500 words per hour for line editing.<\/p>\n But keep in mind that those are median rates. Actual speed on your project will vary based on<\/strong>:<\/p>\n For reference, here are some of my projects over the last few years:<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Back-to-top-1024x169.png\")
<\/p>\nTABLE OF CONTENTS<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
THE ANSWERS<\/strong><\/h1>\n
<\/a><\/a>Do I really need editing?<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Dreyers-editors.png\")
<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Caution-300x300.png\")
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Frustrated-300x300.png\")
<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
<\/a><\/a>What kind of editing do I need?<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Blowing-money-300x300.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>How much will it cost? Who pays for editing? Should I edit now, or should I submit to agents\/publishers first and see if they\u2019ll cover it?<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Collaboration-300x300.png\")
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/utopianediting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Excerpt-from-EFA-2020-rates-survey.png\")
<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>How long does editing take?<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
THE PANDEMIC<\/h1>\n
Offer grace.<\/h1>\n
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