Per Word, Per Hour, Or Per Project: Understanding Editing Rates

Gary Smailes
Gary Smailes | 17 November 2025
Per Word, Per Hour, or Per Project: Understanding Editing Rates

Per-Word Pricing: Transparency and Predictability

Per-word pricing offers authors something rare in the service industry: complete cost transparency before you commit. Count your words, multiply by the rate, and you know exactly what you'll pay. No surprises, no meter running, no budget anxiety.

The math makes sense for everyone

Per-word rates create instant clarity. Your 80,000-word manuscript at $0.05 per word costs $4,000. Period. You budget confidently, editors price fairly, and everyone knows the deal upfront.

Typical per-word ranges:

A 70,000-word novel breakdown looks like:

The wide ranges reflect editor experience, manuscript complexity, and specialized expertise. A romance editor charging $0.04 per word brings genre knowledge worth the premium over a generalist at $0.02.

Perfect for mechanical editing tasks

Per-word pricing works brilliantly when editing scope stays predictable. Copyediting and proofreading fit this model perfectly.

Copyediting at $0.03 per word includes:

The work required stays relatively consistent. Every manuscript needs commas fixed, spelling corrected, and style standardized. Word count predicts workload accurately.

Proofreading at $0.015 per word covers:

Again, the scope remains standard. Proofreaders know what they're hunting for, and word count correlates strongly with time investment.

Authors love the certainty

Budget planning becomes simple with per-word rates. Authors know their investment before starting and avoid billing surprises later.

Sarah, a debut novelist, compared editing quotes:

Sarah chose Editor A. The per-word rate eliminated guesswork and fit her budget exactly. No wondering about hour estimates or hidden project costs.

Editors benefit from streamlined pricing

Per-word rates simplify editor pricing decisions. Experienced editors know their average words-per-hour rate for different editing types.

An editor who completes 2,000 words per hour during copyediting and wants to earn $60 hourly charges $0.03 per word. The math works consistently across projects.

Editor efficiency calculations:

This pricing approach rewards editing efficiency. Fast, skilled editors earn more per hour while maintaining competitive per-word rates.

The model breaks down with complex manuscripts

Per-word pricing assumes consistent editing intensity across all manuscripts. Reality doesn't always cooperate.

A polished manuscript from an experienced author needs light copyediting. A first-time novelist's rough draft requires heavy intervention. Both pay the same per-word rate, but editing time varies dramatically.

Problem scenarios for per-word pricing:

Jessica hired an editor at $0.04 per word for copyediting her 75,000-word historical novel. The quote: $3,000. But her manuscript had serious timeline inconsistencies, anachronistic language, and factual errors requiring extensive research. The editor spent twice the expected time but couldn't charge more under per-word terms.

Length variations reward efficiency

Per-word pricing scales naturally with manuscript length. Short stories get affordable editing. Epic novels pay proportionally more.

Scaling examples:

This scaling makes sense. Longer manuscripts require more editing time, and authors pay proportionally. No arbitrary project minimums or length penalties.

Quality expectations remain constant

Per-word pricing promises consistent quality regardless of manuscript length. Your 50,000-word thriller gets the same attention per word as someone's 100,000-word literary novel.

Quality standards at $0.04 per word copyediting:

These standards don't change with word count. Authors know exactly what quality level their investment buys.

Hidden limitations authors should know

Per-word rates work best for straightforward editing projects. Complex manuscripts may need additional services not covered by base

Hourly Rates: Flexibility for Complex Projects

Hourly billing gives editors freedom to tackle your manuscript's unique challenges without watching the clock. When your story needs intensive developmental editing work, plot restructuring, or character development, hourly rates ensure you get the attention your manuscript deserves.

The hourly landscape varies widely

Editorial hourly rates span a broad range based on editor credentials, specialization, and market location.

Typical hourly ranges:

Geographic location affects these ranges significantly. An experienced editor in rural Montana might charge $60 per hour for the same expertise that costs $120 per hour in Manhattan. Remote work has narrowed these gaps somewhat, but location still influences pricing.

What drives premium hourly rates:

Perfect for developmental editing complexity

Developmental editing defies predictable word-count formulas. One manuscript might need minor plot tightening. Another requires complete structural overhaul. Hourly rates accommodate this variability.

Developmental editing at $75 per hour includes:

Tom's thriller manuscript looked polished on the surface. His developmental editor discovered fundamental pacing issues in the first act, weak character motivations throughout, and a climax that fell flat. The editor spent 15 hours restructuring the plot outline, 20 hours providing detailed scene-by-scene feedback, and 8 hours in consultation calls. Total: 43 hours at $80 = $3,440.

A per-word rate would have undercharged for this intensive developmental work, potentially resulting in surface-level feedback instead of transformative manuscript improvement.

Editors focus on results, not efficiency

Hourly billing removes the pressure to rush through complex problems. Editors invest whatever time necessary to address manuscript issues thoroughly.

Problem-solving examples:

Maria's historical romance had anachronistic language throughout and several historical inaccuracies. Her editor spent extra hours researching 18th-century speech patterns, verifying historical details, and providing extensive notes about period-appropriate alternatives. The thorough research improved manuscript authenticity significantly.

Under per-word pricing, this research time would eat into editor profits, potentially resulting in superficial historical review instead of the deep expertise Maria's manuscript required.

Time tracking builds trust and accountability

Professional editors using hourly rates maintain detailed time logs showing exactly how hours were invested in your manuscript.

Typical time tracking includes:

Sarah received weekly time reports from her developmental editor:

This transparency helped Sarah understand where her investment went and built confidence in her editor's thoroughness.

Budget uncertainty challenges authors

The biggest drawback of hourly rates: you don't know final costs until the work finishes. This uncertainty complicates budget planning for authors.

Common author concerns:

Managing hourly rate projects effectively

Smart authors and editors use several strategies to control hourly billing uncertainty.

Upfront estimates provide guidance:
Most editors offer project estimates based on manuscript assessment:

Milestone check-ins prevent surprises:

Hour caps provide safety nets:
Some editors offer hour maximums: "I'll complete developmental editing within 50 hours maximum, regardless of manuscript complexity." This hybrid approach combines hourly flexibility with budget certainty.

Communication becomes crucial

Hourly projects demand regular author-editor communication to stay on track and within budget expectations.

Weekly progress updates should include: