Copyediting Rates: How Much Does a Copyeditor Cost?
- Iris Marsh
- 24 okt
- 9 minuten om te lezen
Bijgewerkt op: 10 nov
Table of Contents
When you’re an indie author, every part of the publishing process—from cover design to editing—comes out of your own pocket. That includes copyediting.
If you worked with a traditional publisher, this stage would be covered for you. But as an indie, you’ll need to hire a copyeditor yourself—and cost is often one of the biggest hurdles.
So, what does copyediting actually cost?
On average, the copyediting rate for your 80k manuscript can range from $1,280 to $4,000.
It’s a big investment, I know. Especially when you’re not sure whether you’ll earn it back. But here’s the thing: a poorly edited book will almost guarantee lackluster reviews. No one wants to see, “This book needed an editor.”
Even if you’re a grammar whiz who catches typos like a hawk, your eyes will eventually miss things. After five years of editing (and several manuscripts of my own), I can promise: we all go blind to our own mistakes.
Our brains know what we meant to write, so they quietly fill in the gaps.
When I edited my own early manuscripts, I thought they were spotless. Until my ARC readers sent me all the errors I’d glossed over.
These weren’t even just small typos; there was even an entire repeated paragraph from when I’d switched things around and forgot to remove.
That’s why hiring a copyeditor isn’t an indulgence; it’s insurance. A good one will make your book stand out in ways you can’t see yourself.
Sadly, not everyone will have the funds. As a writer, I’ve also had to be creative to still produce a quality book.
In this post, you’ll learn what copyediting really costs for indie authors and how to get quality editing even on a tight budget (partial edits can improve your manuscript in more ways than one!).
What Are the Typical Copyediting Fees?
As mentioned, copyediting rates can run from around a thousand to several thousand dollars. These estimates come from the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA, 2025), a respected guide many (US-based) editors use.
I’ve even added a calculator below to help you get a personalized estimate based on EFA’s latest rates.
But before you dive in, it helps to understand why costs vary and how you can make smart choices to lower them.
The 5 Factors That Drive Your Copyediting Price
When you choose a fixed price per word, the pricing won’t be affected. However, if you pick a price per hour, you can expect a different price based on the quality of your manuscript.
If your manuscript is riddled with mistakes, the copy editor has a lot more work. This means it will take longer. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to do a copy edit of your manuscript yourself before you send it to an editor.
Copyediting isn’t a one-size-fits-all service. There’s a lot of variation within the world of editing, which can make it quite confusing. What is a fair price for an edit? And why is there so much variation?
1. How Editors Set Their Rates
Transparency is lovely, but editing rarely fits neatly into a fixed box.
For instance, sometimes I receive a manuscript from a more experienced writer, which usually means the manuscript is cleaner, and I can edit at a faster pace. Other times, I receive a manuscript from a beginning author, and there are a lot more errors to address.
With a set rate per word, both these writers would pay the same price for a copyedit. And while there are many editors who choose this approach, I believe a range is fairer.
Some editors do this by stating their price per word as a range, and finalize the exact amount after a sample edit.
For example, if the editor charges $0.02–0.025 per word:
A clean, experienced writer might pay $0.02 per word.
A newer writer whose draft needs more attention might pay $0.025.
Other editors, like me, prefer an hourly rate, with an estimated range or a maximum cap so you know the ceiling cost upfront.
For instance, at $45/hour, an 80k-word mystery novel might cost between $2,070 and $2,385. If the editor finishes faster, you pay less. Simple as that.
2. Your Manuscript’s Condition
Naturally, the more polished your manuscript, the less time (and money) your edit will take.
Doing a solid self-edit pass before hiring a professional can make a noticeable difference.
3. The Editor’s Experience
As with most things in life, the more experienced a copyeditor is, the more they often charge. This can be in terms of years, the success of the books they’ve worked on, or the number of manuscripts they’ve worked on.
You might save by hiring someone newer who’s building a portfolio. Just make sure you still review a sample to ensure quality and fit.
4. Word Count and Genre
A longer book equals a higher bill. Genre can influence cost too: fantasy and sci-fi often require extra time to track invented worlds, names, and systems for consistency.
5. Where You (Or Your Editor) Are Based
We all have to make a living, don’t we? And it’s a fact that money doesn’t have the same value everywhere.
Exchange rates and cost of living matter. So if you’re in the UK, for instance, working with a Canadian editor might save you money.
While I wouldn’t rely solely on geography when making your pick, it’s something to take into account.
Real Copyediting Rates in 2025 (Fiction vs. Nonfiction)
Now that you know why copyediting rates can differ a lot between editors and writers, it’s time to look at the average ranges. All the numbers below are based on the EFA’s rate chart (currently 2025).
Fiction
Rates per word:
$0.02–0.03 per word
For an 80,000-word novel: $1,600–2,400
Rates per hour:
$40–50 per hour
Editors typically edit 1,250–2,500 words per hour
Estimated range for 80,000 words: $1,280–3,200
Nonfiction (Popular/General Audience)
These editing rates apply to mainstream nonfiction like self-help, memoir, or general interest—not technical, academic, or legal texts.
Rates per word:
$0.025–0.04 per word
For an 80,000-word book: $2,000–3,200
Rates per hour:
$45–60 per hour
Editors typically edit: 1,250–2,500 words per hour
Estimated range for 80,000 words: $1,440–3,840
Copyediting Cost Calculator
What This Could Look Like for Your Book
Let’s look at an example. For this, I’ll consider my own work in progress at the time of writing. It’s an epic fantasy manuscript of around 120k words. This is a common range for that genre, so it’s not something I’d likely cut down on.
Now, say I find a copyeditor I really like who charges $50 per hour and estimates they’ll need 60 hours. That’s roughly $3,000.
It’s steep, but not hopeless. I can shave down the cost by:
Creating a style sheet with my worldbuilding notes, spellings, character details, and so on. This would save the copyeditor time.
Doing a final self-edit to catch obvious typos and awkward phrasing.
If that prep helps my editor finish in 55 hours instead, I’ve just saved $250. All money I can put toward my cover or launch plan.
Alternatives if Copyediting Is Out of Budget
Editing is expensive; there’s no sugarcoating that. ou might not have the luxury to hire a capable editor or perhaps it would simply take you years before you’d have sufficient funds.
But if your wallet needs a breather, here are five practical ways to still produce a quality book.
1. Combine Services
Ask if your editor offers a combined line + copyedit. Since the two overlap, it can be cheaper than hiring separately.
Say you have a 60k-word novel of decent quality. For a line edit, you’d pay around $1220 and for a copyedit $1080, so $2300 total. However, if you combine them, you get a different rate per hour.
And because the editor is already working on the sentences, it takes less time. You might only need to pay $2100 in total. That saves you $200.
2. Get a Partial Copyedit
A smaller edit can give you a professional finish and a blueprint for self-editing the rest.
Many writers seem to forget it’s possible to only edit a section of your book. Editing just your first 10k words can:
perfect your opening pages (a reader’s first impression!)
give you a model for self-editing the rest
include a style sheet you can reuse.
3. Trade Edits with Another Writer
If you have writer friends, swap manuscripts and copyedit each other’s work.
Just make sure both of you have strong grammar skills and a shared understanding of what copyediting means.
This could be a nice free option that would only cost you your time.
4. Use Grammar Tools (Wisely)
Grammar tools like ProWritingAid can help you catch remaining errors (if you don’t follow it blindly).
There are a lot of grammar tools that can help you with your manuscript. The most popular ones are Grammarly and ProWritingAid.
I’ve used both, and I personally lean more toward ProWritingAid for creative writing. Grammarly works best for more corporate writing.
They can help flag errors, but don’t treat them as gospel. Always weigh suggestions against your intent and voice.
5. Learn to Copyedit Yourself
If you can’t afford an editor yet, invest time in learning.
I also highly recommend the book The Chicago Guide to Copyediting Fiction by Amy J. Schneider. This will give you a great start for what to look for in your novel.
Just remember: it’s different to edit your own book compared to someone else’s book. By this stage, you’ve read your book many times. It’s likely your brain has become blind to the mistakes you’ve made.
It helps to switch the font of your manuscript and start reading from the last page to the first page. That way, you don’t have to follow the narrative.
Out of all the options above, my personal recommendation is to get a partial copyedit. I think it combines the best of all options.
This is the road I’d follow:
Get a partial combined line & copyedit of my opening pages (around the first 10k words).
Use their changes, explanations, and style sheet to aid my self-edit of the book (and if you haven’t, study some copyediting fundamentals through courses or books).
Use ProWritingAid to check for any remaining errors (also checking if the suggestions are actually improvements).
Ready to Hire a Copyeditor?
I once worked with an author who simply had a message to share with all women. Would copyediting even help with that? Still, since she was also happy with the developmental editing I’d done for her, she decided to invest.
And you know what happened?
Readers left positive 5- and 4-star reviews, all validating that the book’s message was important and that the author laid it out perfectly.
They could focus on the content because there were no distracting grammar errors and awkward phrases to ruin the experience. That’s when you get positive reviews focused on what you want them to focus on, with perhaps some readers mentioning it’s “an easy read” and that the book “is well written.”
If you’ve done your research and are ready to move forward, start early—editors often book months in advance. Make sure you understand how to find a good copyeditor and evaluate a sample edit.
If you’re still deciding whether you can afford an editor, download my free guide to choosing the right one. It’ll help you find quality editing at a rate that fits your budget.
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What to Look for in a Copyeditor
There are a lot of things that can determine whether you feel comfortable with an editor or not. Here are a few tips that can help you find the right copyeditor for you and your novel:
Ask for a sample edit. Many editors offer a short one for free.
Clarify the scope. Make sure you both mean the same thing by “copyedit.”
Get a clear quote. Understand whether it’s per word, per hour, or flat fee.
Ask what’s included. Will you get a style sheet or summary report?
Check genre familiarity. Especially vital for nonfiction or historical work that requires a lot of fact-checking.
Tip: If a full copyedit isn’t in your budget yet, consider a sample edit on your first chapter. It’ll show you exactly what kind of feedback to expect and which issues come up repeatedly. That knowledge alone can make your next draft stronger.
