Shannon in TN Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 I have been asked to possibly do some freelance editing, but I have no idea what the going rate would be. Any suggestions? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 What kind of editing? Technical, fiction? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennifersLost Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 I charge $9.00 per 1,000 words for fiction editing. If you are new to it, you might want to try more like $6.00 to $7.00 per 1,000 words. When I post at that price I get a lot of business. When I charge $9.00 I get the amount of business I want. When I go much above that, business tends to tail off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shannon in TN Posted October 27, 2011 Author Share Posted October 27, 2011 I was thinking more of an hourly rate. How would charging by the word count translate into hourly? Oh, and this would be primarily fiction writing, I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 Jennifer, are you editing grammar AND content, or strictly grammar (misspelling, typos & such)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 I charge $15 per hour. I could probably get more but the project I'm working on now is for a non-profit and I wanted to give a good rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 I get $10/hr but I'm pretty new at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muffinmom Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 nearly 10 years ago when I did freelance editing full-time, this is what I charged: $10-12/hour for proofreading $15-20 for copyediting $20-25 for substantive editing haven't done it since, but those were fairly standard rates for someone with experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shannon in TN Posted October 28, 2011 Author Share Posted October 28, 2011 nearly 10 years ago when I did freelance editing full-time, this is what I charged: $10-12/hour for proofreading $15-20 for copyediting $20-25 for substantive editing haven't done it since, but those were fairly standard rates for someone with experience. Obviously, I don't have much experience with this but if I'm just checking for mistakes and typos, and not content, then it's proofreading, right? What's the difference between that and copyediting and substantive editing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennifersLost Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 When I charge $9.00 per 1,000 words it's for the whole shebang; both proofreading and substantive editing. I usually write up a 5 to 10 page essay going over the big stuff - holes in the plot, errors that are ongoing, ways to tighten up the story, etc. I like to price it this way because there are no surprises. The client knows exactly what they'll pay (and I charge them half up front before I start working). It probably works out to about $25 to $30 per hour for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAS in LA Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Curious: How did you all get started editing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMCassandra Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Obviously, I don't have much experience with this but if I'm just checking for mistakes and typos, and not content, then it's proofreading, right? What's the difference between that and copyediting and substantive editing? Copyediting is sentence-level editing: commas, minor errors, and rewording within the sentence. Substantive editing is, well, more substantive ; ) and global. You might be suggesting that paragraphs be moved, seriously rewritten, etc. "We have the pieces here, but this part needs to be clarafied, and these parts need to be moved, so let's just take it apart and put it back together again." The rates muffinmom quoted are what I am accustomed to as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tntgoodwin Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 :lurk5: My mind went straight to video editing when I read the title of this... I never knew there was a big market for people editing words... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I have acquired jobs through word-of-mouth... friends know I was in the publishing world pre-kids, so when they (or their acquaintances) have a need, they hire me. I have no idea how you market yourself on a larger scale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shannon in TN Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 :lurk5: Just bumping this up to see if anyone else has any thoughts? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelAR05 Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 :bigear: My husband would be great at this as well but doesn't know where to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muffinmom Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Copyediting is sentence-level editing: commas, minor errors, and rewording within the sentence. Substantive editing is, well, more substantive ; ) and global. You might be suggesting that paragraphs be moved, seriously rewritten, etc. "We have the pieces here, but this part needs to be clarafied, and these parts need to be moved, so let's just take it apart and put it back together again." The rates muffinmom quoted are what I am accustomed to as well. thanks for answering this, WTMCassandra. Clearly, I haven't been on the boards in the last few days. :blushing: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muffinmom Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Curious: How did you all get started editing? I realized at some point mid-college that I wanted to major in English, but I knew I didn't want to teach. Someone suggested editing/publishing to me as a career, and I knew that was perfect for me. While trying to find an in-house publishing job, I rustled up free-lance jobs to get some hands-on experience. I literally went through the phone book and called every publishing house in town to see if I could be added to their pool of freelance editors. A few of them had mercy on me. Started me out proofreading. I built up from there. Eventually they were willing to try me on copyediting. I was able to work in-house as managing editor a few times, and that of course gave me a bigger picture of the whole process. By then, I was ready for substantive editing. ETA: Obviously, you can edit for publishers that are not in your town. I just happen to live in a town full of publishing houses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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