I have been a full-time developmental editor for twenty years, and during this time, I have edited about 1,000 books. I have also worked with several Big Five publishers and countless smaller imprints. I have worked with just about every genre and even worked as a story consultant on three different indie computer games.
The reason I say this is that the rates I charge reflect my experience. I am not a ‘cheap’ editor.
here’s my rates
[PRICE CALC]
My pricing means that I am outside the budget of some authors, and as a result, I regularly come across writers looking to find alternative, reliable, cheaper editors.
This is OK. I get it. Self-publishing is a budget-senstive process.
So when this happens, I try to give guidance on hiring editors who will still do a reasonable job within their budget.
There’s no perfect way to hire any editor, no matter the budget, but when looking at the thousands of lower-priced editors, it’s even harder than normal.
In this situation, you need to develop a strategy.
This article is a collection of the advice I’ve compiled over the years for locating budget-friendly editors.
Let me start by saying that hiring ANY editor is a bit of a gamble. This is even more so for editors at the lower end of the scale, since this is where most of the scammy people tend to operate.
This is not to say that all lower-end editors are scammers, **they are not**, but it’s going to take a bit of extra work to weed out the gems.
Before you read this article, I would suggest that you start with THIS POST about spotting red flags. This is a post that I keep updated, which outlines some red flags I have spotted over the years when hiring an editor.
I would also suggest you take a gander at THIS POST about developemental editing This will give you a clear picture of what to expect from an editor.
Why are they cheap?
So… here’s the first question you need to be asking: **Why is the editor so cheap?**
Here’s the thing to consider.
Let’s take a novel that’s 80,000 words in length, which is pretty average. A good developmental editor is going to give this two reads. The first will be to understand the story; the second will be to edit the book. They will be taking notes all the way through. This is standard practice. Let’s assume that they are reading and editing about 10,000 words a day. (BTW, this is a lot; it’s probably half this for most novels.) But at 10,000 words per day, that’s eight days for the read-through and another eight for the edit. That gives us sixteen days. Let’s add another day for the report, and then there’s the post-edit meeting and revisions. That means that an 80,000-word novel will require **at least** twenty days’ work, probably more.
If the editor is charging $10 per 1,000 words, that’s $40 a day.
Do you want a trained professional working on your book for $40 per day?
What kind of job are they doing for that price?
Now, I know that $10 is very low, but you can see the calculation and adjust it based on the price the editor you have seen is offering to get a feel for their daily rate.
This all said, there are reasons an editor would undercharge. However, I’d argue there’s only one good reason.
Good reason—new editor
The editor is new and is building a portfolio.
This is exactly how I started with self-published authors. I set my prices low and let my editing do the talking. In fact, in my [developmental editor training course], one of the strategies we discuss when setting up a new business is to ‘go low’ and build a portfolio.
If you are looking for a cheap but good editor, this is what you are after.
Bad reason—quick cash
Here’s the problem you face. There’s no official qualification for developmental editors. That means that anyone can simply declare themselves an editor and start taking people’s money.
When looking for cheap editors, you WILL come across under-qualified, inexperienced and downright scammyeditors who are just looking to make some quick money.
As with all things, it’s a ‘buyer beware’ situation.
Bad reason—AI
This is really an extension of ‘quick cash’, but the growth of AI has made it much easier for wannabe editors to create something that looks like it might be of value but is actually just slop.
Scammy editors are seeing that they can make some quick cash and then bang out a crappy report.
Once again, buyer beware.
If you can get into a situation where you have a pretty good idea why an editor is cheap, then you can take some steps to further limit the risk.
Steps to limit risk
Below are a series of steps you can take to limit the chances of wasting money on a crappy editor.
Education
Although there is no official qualification for a developmental editor, there is an educational path that tends to produce good editors. You are looking for people who have a degree in something such as English literature. Ideally, they will have a second degree in a similar subject.
I would add a special word here for degrees in creative writing. These often contain editorial training as part of the course. These degrees will provide some ‘training’ for future editors. There’s a much better chance an new editor with this type of education actually knows what they are doing.
If possible, look for editors with these qualifications.
Free sample edit
This is my go-to tip.
**ALWAYS** ask the editor for a free sample edit. All legitimate editors will be happy to provide this for you. It’s normally the first few thousand words of your book.
If the editor wants to be paid for this, it’s not necessarily a red flag. There are some really good editors who charge for a sample. Trust your gut on this.
If the editor refuses point-blank to carry out a sample, be like Mr Gump and run.
Payment plans
I find that every editor is different, but for me, the best way to approach payment is with a partial payment upfront and the rest upon completion.
The key thing here is that you are not parting with all the cash before you have the edited files. It is fair to pay an initial deposit, but it’s a red flag if the editor expects you to pay everything upfront.
It’s all about spreading the risk. You and the editor should be sharing the risk.
Contract
Legitimate editors tend to offer a contract. It protects both parties. If one isn’t offered, then ask why. It might simply be that the editor is new and this is the first time the issue has come up, but it might also be that they don’t want anything in writing.
One bonus tip is that if your alarm bells are ringing, to ask for a non-disclosure agreement. This is a nice test. I find that writers ask for NDAs on occasion. I have had lawyers draw up a boilerplate contract, which I now use. However, this cost me money upfront and is therefore a good way to see just how serious your editor really is about the whole thing. Not all editors will have done this, but it’s a good way of testing the water.
AI policy
Try asking the editor about their AI policy. I actually have one on my site.
What you are trying to do is get the editor to show you their policy on the use, or, ideally, non-use, of AI in writing.
I feel this is a topic that is going to become increasingly nuanced. It is only a matter of time before all businesses use AI to help with administration behind the scenes. What you are looking for is a transparent AI policy that specifically states that your work will **NOT** be fed into an LLM.
You don’t want AI to be involved in the critical thinking process.
As with some of the other tips, you will find very good, legitimate editors who don’t have an AI policy, and that’s fine. However, it’s yet another little flag for you to spot.
Face-to-face contact
One of the problems editors face is that it’s very hard to clearly communicate the nuances of feedback in a written report. A face-to-face meeting is a great way to explain your thinking to an author. In addition, I will often carry out a pre-edit video meeting if I feel I don’t fully understand the approach an author is taking.
Scammy editors tend to avoid meetings.
I hope this all helps.