Professional editing is the most expensive cost in the book production process—especially developmental edits. Developmental edits are in-depth content analysis of your manuscript that aim to identify the weak spots in your story. Because developmental edits are focused entirely on content, they do tend to be more time consuming and labor intensive, which inevitably means higher costs. In this, you are paying for the value of your editor’s expertise and the investment of their labor.
Hiring a developmental editor can be one of the most daunting tasks in publishing your manuscript, based on price alone. However, hiring a developmental editor is one of the most important tasks and shouldn’t be skipped over. A developmental editor can mean the difference between a good book and a great book.
To schedule your developmental edit, click here.
1. Research Editorial Prices
The first step to budgeting for your developmental edit is to research the standard editorial prices. A great resource is the Editorial Freelancer’s Association’s (EFA) editorial rates page, where they have broken down the average rate for each type of publishing service. They have services listed from writing coaching to editing to formatting—basically every service you’ll need to research to get your book published.
Find an editor that’s willing to work with you in your price range.
2. Budget & Save
Based on an estimate from the Editorial Freelancer’s Association, the average cost for a developmental edit is between $2,400-$3,200 for the length of an average novel. Most editors charge either by hour or by word, so this cost can be less than or greater based on your editor’s rates. I charge $0.03 per word, as recommended by the EFA, and you’ll find that most editors charge within at least a few cents of this rate.
If you’re planning to self-publish, you’ll have to invest money to publish a quality book. I recommend setting money aside as soon as you begin drafting so that you can budget and save for when you are ready for developmental edits. Calculate the average cost of your edit. Develop a savings schedule based on the timeframe you want to publish. Allocate your savings to your editing fund. Save for your edit in the same way you’d save for a new iPhone or a new car. If you have a great book that readers are interested in buying, the investment will eventually pay itself back.
3. Ask About Payment Plans
Payment plans help you schedule your payments in increments so that you don’t have to upfront the cost of your edit if you can’t afford to do so. Self-publishing authors, and even traditionally published authors, have to put a lot of money into turning their dreams into real, physical books.
Before choosing an editor, ask if they are willing to work with you on building a payment plan. Not all editors offer this accommodation, so it’s important to know upfront before signing contracts and paying deposits.
At Fiction & Fable, we believe that your dreams shouldn’t be put on hold. Ask about our payment plan options when you inquire for your edit.
4. Ask About Manuscript and Chapter Critiques
A lot of editors offer less intensive edits, such as manuscript or chapter critiques. A manuscript critique is like a developmental edit, just less in-depth. It’s a broader evaluation of the manuscript that doesn’t delve too deep into each chapter. Editors spend less time on manuscript critiques, which means they cost considerably less money. I charge a $250 or $450 flat rate (depending on word count range), though every editor has their own price.
You may even consider asking your editor for a chapter critique, which only evaluates the manuscript on a chapter-by-chapter basis rather than looking at the story as a whole. You may send your editor one chapter in particular or even choose a few of your most important scenes to really nail them down. This can be a great money saver if you are really trying to conserve on your budget. For chapter critiques, I charge $0.01 per word.
Don’t let price be the thing that holds you back from developing your story. Use this 4 step strategy to help you understand the cost of developmental edits in advance!
Inquire about your developmental edit here.
