how i do it

how i arrive at an estimate and final fee

Let’s say you have a novel manuscript of 74,000 words.

First, I’ll ask you to send me a sample from your manuscript of no fewer than 5,000 words — usually, your first few chapters — and no more than 10,000 words. I’ll track how long it takes me to do the edit and prepare story notes (if requested). With developmental editing, I’ll also ask for a detailed story synopsis.

Let’s say you’ve sent me an 8,300-word sample, and I needed 2.25 hours to make edits and prepare notes on it (if needed). So:

— 74,000 divided by 8,300 gives us a multiplier of 8.91.

— 8.91 x 2.25 is 20.06 estimated hours, rounded down to 20.

— 20 x my hourly rate = $1,100 for line editing, $1,200 for developmental editing, $1,000 for copy editing ($1,100 for copy editing with style sheet), or $800 for proofreading.

I’ll recommend what level of editing I think you need, and spell out my rationale in a memo. Then you decide.

keep in mind as you decide

The estimate is only an estimate.

Sometimes, the more I get accustomed to a writer’s style and voice, I’ll hit a “cruising speed” during my editing work that may allow me to shave a hour or two off the job. If so, that savings will be reflected in my final invoice.

(The reverse, unfortunately, is occasionally true; sometimes the most polished writing is at the beginning of a manuscript, and the deeper I go, the more work I’ll have to do. If that’s the case, and I anticipate the final invoice coming in above the estimate, I’ll let you know as soon as possible and we’ll discuss how to proceed.)

Also, should the estimate give you sticker shock, also keep in mind that I offer flexible payment terms. Some clients prefer to make one payment; others prefer two or three payments. A few find that smaller monthly installments best fit their budgets; I accept such arrangements with payment of one-third of the final invoice up front. Any of the above is fine as long as we spell it out in clear terms when the time comes.

if the answer is yes

Great! I’ll offer you a date on my work calendar — and sometimes that will be several weeks out, depending on how deeply I’m booked with work at a given time.

If your work is especially time-sensitive, I may be able to fit you in sooner, depending on the flexibility of the clients ahead of you in the queue. If I can’t fit you in as soon as you want or need, I’ll refer to you one of several trusted editors I know and can vouch for.

Once I have your full manuscript and your calendar date comes up, I’ll ask for a payment of one-third of the estimate up front. I generally need a turnaround time of five to ten days for copy editing; fifteen to twenty days for line editing, and twenty to thirty days for developmental editing. If I need more time, I’ll make that clear and we’ll arrive together at a completion date.

if the answer is no

Should you decide not to hire me to work on the full manuscript, I’ll ask for a $100 “kill fee” for my good-faith work on the sample, and I’ll thank you for the opportunity. For samples of more than 6,000 words, I may ask for a little more if more than three hours is needed for the work.

(Note: I get enough referral work that I no longer participate in competitive-bidding situations, in which an author tries out several copy editors, gathers estimates, and eventually settles on one person. If you’re looking to take this approach, I’ll understand, but I’ll decline to participate.)