Editorial Milestones

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EDITORIAL MILESTONES

Many editors have a flexible fee schedule and may ask you if you prefer to pay a lump sum fee, or if you’d rather pay by the hour.
Some work for ‘milestones’ which are a set number of pages or some sort of identified goal.
If the novel is of any length, then typically the first third is paid for, then the next third of the novel, with the final third of the novel rounding out the final payment for services.


It pays to ask questions. Many editors, worth their fees, will have no problem answering the following questions:

1. How long have you been an editor?

2. Is there a specific genre that you specialize in?

3. Can you show me some work that is somewhat similar to mine that you have edited?

4. Have you had any of your own books published?

5. Have you worked in any other capacity in the publishing world?

6. Do you have other connections in the publishing world and would you be willing to make introductions for me?


Finding a good quality editor is second only to setting aside an appropriate budget to pay the editor for their time and expertise.
One quick way to choose a good quality editor is to offer them no money and a percentage of the sales when your book ‘hits it big’. That only works if you are already popular with a following and the sales are guaranteed.


What follows is an expanded listing of a typical fee schedule for a full time editor.
However, understand that almost all editors are willing to negotiate pricing to some extent, especially if it is a project that they are interested in.


Novel length book: 250+ pages…………………………………. $500-1,000

Short Story: less than 15 pages……………………………………$75-125

Poetry collection: 100 pages………………………………………….$350+

Academic Textbook ..……………………………………..………$2,500-3,500+

Nonfiction book: …………………………………………….…………….$1,000+

Children’s book (picture book): …………………………………$250-350