Book Editing That Respects Your Voice

Send a sample and explain your concerns. We can discuss whether your priorities are structural, stylistic, or focused on correctness.

The extent of intervention depends on the agreed service. Substantial rewriting or ghostwriting should be scoped separately.

Not automatically. The proposal will state whether proofreading or a later review of formatted pages is included.

We can discuss nonfiction manuscripts as well as fiction. Technical verification, citations, and specialist review should be identified explicitly in the brief.

Editorial rates vary quite a bit depending on what type of editing you need. A developmental editor who helps restructure your manuscript might charge €0.07-0.12 per word, which works out to around €2,000-3,500 for a typical novel. Copy editors who focus on grammar and consistency usually run €0.02-0.04 per word, so you’re looking at €600-1,200 for that same book. Proofreaders are the most affordable, typically charging €0.01-0.02 per word. Many editors also work hourly instead, with rates from €40-100 depending on their experience. New editors trying to build their portfolio might charge less, while someone who’s worked with major publishers will be at the higher end.

Book editing cost can vary widely depending on the type of editing needed, the length of your manuscript, and the editor’s experience. On average, basic proofreading may cost less than developmental or line editing, which requires more time and expertise. Most authors should expect prices to range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.

Book editors in the United States typically earn between €28,000-45,000 annually, though this depends heavily on where you work and your experience level. Entry-level positions at publishing houses in Chicago might start around €26,000-30,000, while senior editors can make €50,000 or more. Freelance editors have more variable income. Some juggle multiple projects and do quite well, while others treat it as a side income alongside teaching or writing. The day rate for freelance work usually falls between €200-400, but building up a steady client base takes time.

This depends entirely on your royalty structure and book price. For traditionally published authors, you typically earn 10-15% of the retail price for print books and 25% for eBooks. If your paperback sells for €15, you’re making about €1.50-2.25 per copy. That means you’d need to sell roughly 45,000-67,000 copies to hit €100,000. Self-published authors keep much more. On Amazon, you get 70% royalty on eBooks priced between €2.99-9.99, or 35% outside that range. With a €4.99 eBook, you’d earn about €3.49 per sale, so you’d need around 28,650 sales. Price it at €9.99 and you’d need about 14,350 sales.

The advance for a first-time author with a traditional publisher typically ranges from €5,000-15,000, though some debut authors get nothing beyond royalties while others land six-figure deals. Literary fiction and debut novels usually sit at the lower end, while non-fiction with a built-in platform or commercial fiction with obvious marketability might fetch more. These advances are paid against future royalties, meaning you don’t see additional money until your book sells enough copies to “earn out” what you were already paid. If you got a €10,000 advance and earn €2 per book sold, you won’t see royalty checks until after the first 5,000 copies sell.

You’re probably thinking of one of the occasional viral success stories, though without more specifics, it’s hard to say exactly who. Several young self-published authors have reported seven-figure incomes from Amazon, usually after writing multiple books in popular genres. Many of these success stories come from romance, thriller, or LitRPG authors who release frequently and understand Amazon’s algorithm. They’re writing 4-8 books per year, spending money on professional covers and editing, and treating it like a full-time business rather than a creative hobby.

For paperbacks, you’ll typically see 200-page books priced between €12-18. Mass market paperbacks run cheaper, around €8-12, while trade paperbacks sit at €14-17. Self-published print books often cost slightly more because print-on-demand is more expensive than offset printing used by traditional publishers. Ebooks usually range from €2.99-9.99 for this length. Genre fiction tends toward the lower end (€3.99-5.99) while literary fiction or non-fiction might be €7.99-12.99. Many self-published authors price their first book in a series at €0.99-2.99 to hook readers, then charge more for subsequent books.