Fee Schedule

This section  describes the steps of the editing process in detail. Review the table below for my approximate charges.  

Please read the Conditions under which I offer my services.

Standard Edit

Approximate charges per 1000 words. Estimates given based on sample. All fees in US Dollars
Editing Service	Manuscript Type	Examples	Fee
Sample overview and full edit estimate	500 word edit from the first two pages of your manuscript	Academic, fiction, popular non-fiction	FREE
Line Editing	Proof reading of any text	For more polished manuscripts that need a final sprucing up	$8.00
Content Editing	Fiction or popular non-fiction	Novels, short story collections, biographies, self-help books, travel books, children's books, etc.	$10.00
Content, language & line editing	Academic writing	Text book, thesis, research paper, philosophical work, university press, etc.	$5 per double-spaced page using 12 pt Times New Roman font and 1 inch margins

 

Substantive Edit

$5 per double-spaced page

To determine the cost, format your document with 1 inch margins top, bottom, left and right. Use Times New Roman font, 12pt, and double space all lines, indenting the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches. Count the number of pages and multiply by 5 to get the total.

What is the difference between a Standard Edit and a Substantive Edit?

In a Standard Edit, I mark up your document, but I do not re-write it. That is, I will correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar, and also arrange the order of your book in proper format. I will  comment on anything else that needs correction (such as awkward sentence structure, wooden dialog, plot and character inconsistencies, redundancies, poor character development, etc.) marking the exact sentence and page number. Then you correct it!

In a Substantive Edit, I will do all these things, AND rewrite the manuscript for you, while still keeping your material intact. A Substantive Edit takes much more time and concentration, and is naturally more expensive.

Some authors prefer a one-stop-shopping approach, where their editor corrects and rewrites everything. Other authors don't want an editor to touch their material, other than the standard markup. It's up to you!

I am flexible.

Academic writing

requires particularly meticulous editing to rigorous professional standards. Language and formatting must be correct to pass muster in peer reviewed journals. Unless your submission meets required publication standards, it will be rejected before it is even reviewed.

For more information, go here

Content/language editing

deals with dialogue, plot description, character development, vibrancy of language, smoothness and readability of manuscript.

Line editing or proofreading

is the identification of typographical and spelling errors, unnecessary or missing spaces, grammatical errors, incorrect use of punctuation, formatting of text and graphics, and incorrect use of words, called malapropisms.  Malapropisms occur when a word is used when another was intended. 

Malapropisms

can be difficult to spot and can lead to unintended consequences, for example, saying, "there's a lot of dysentery in the ranks," (when dissention is meant) or "I'm prostate with grief" (when prostrate was meant). One of the most common malapropisms is the mix-up of the words principle and principal; for example: "It is important to apply strict-coding principals in this project."
That sort of thing can really ruin your manuscript and make you look foolish!

 

 

In order to give you an intelligent fee estimate, I will carefully  edit the first 500 words of your sample, free. I will also rate the sample using the following categories on a scale of 0-100:

Free Sample Edit Rating

Content	How content-rich is your manuscript? Usually, the more substantive is your narrative, the more it will hold the reader's interest.
Technical	Quality of grammar, spelling, sentence structure, punctuation. Does your document need a Standard or a Substantive edit?
Formatting	How well is your text and graphics laid out?
Vivacity	How brilliantly does your language come off the page? A boring, monotonous style will put your readers to sleep! Here I will look for repetitive, habitual writing patterns that detract from your message, and make constructive suggestions for improvement.
email me your sample

 

a)    Before we agree to work together, I first require a selection of your writing. Please send me, via email, the first 5 pages of your manuscript, to ken@macleanediting.com, along with your requirements. Save the file as a Word document. Include also a brief description of your book, and a word count of your full manuscript. I will then do a free edit on the first 500 words of your sample and give you a cost estimate, based upon the word count, and the quality of the sample.

b)    My professional fee varies according to my estimate of the amount of work needed, and how long it will take to complete the edit. I will determine that from your sample, and the word count of your full manuscript. Approximate charges are set out in the tables above.  Obviously, good writing, regardless of genre, will take less time to edit than poor writing, and my estimate will reflect this.

c)     After we have agreed to work together and payment has been made, send the full manuscript, in Word format, to ken@macleanediting.com  Make sure you zip the file. Do not send the full manuscript or make a payment without prior arrangement.

d)     The fee must be paid in advance of the work. Publishers: once we have established a business relationship, the up-front fee can be waived.

e)    I reserve the right to reject your manuscript if:

1)     There are too many errors or the writing quality is too poor. In this case, I wouldn't be able to constructively help you. You do get a free edit of your sample, however, which will tell you where you need to improve. You may then resubmit your book to me at any time. This way you save money and I utilize my time efficiently.

2)     Your manuscript is polished and in excellent shape. You shouldn't have to waste your money paying a professional editor to critique an already excellent manuscript.

In both cases, I will refund your money -- minus a 20% editing overview fee -- and return your document.

f)      Non-fiction, particularly academic writing, takes more work to edit than fiction.  My quote will reflect this.

g)     In addition to the standard professional edit, I will also make constructive comments about anything I like in your work, as well as anything I feel needs improvement. These comments will be from a general reader's point of view. I always find these suggestions very helpful in my own writing.

h)     If there are similar, repetitive errors throughout the document, I will make all the necessary recommendations for improving the work and then stop at that stage, before reaching the end of the manuscript. This is standard editing practice. There is no benefit to you if I continue to make the same suggestions and changes over and over again.

i)     I will comprehensively edit your manuscript only once through.  I am happy to discuss issues with the author via email. The cost of a follow-up edit depends on the amount of work it takes.

I will edit your material in Microsoft Word. Word gives us a basic manuscript layout, or "look and feel," for editing purposes. Your publisher will then refine and tweak the edited layout for printing.

I will turn on "Track Changes" and you will see the deletes in red. and the additions in blue. My comments will be enclosed within brackets, like this: [you have a plot inconsistency here -- see p. 34].  You can then accept all changes, or view each edit individually. To do this, go to Tools - Track Changes - Accept or Reject Changes. Use the Find buttons to go to the next or previous change. Simple!

I will also include your original manuscript. You can use Word's "Compare Documents" feature in the Track Changes menu, to compare the edited document to the original. Or, if you like, I can leave deleted text in the manuscript, like this:
What this document is trying to address should never be considered completed, but rather be continually kept up to date.

Very often this leaves a cluttered document, however.

 

After the edit has been completed your job is to look over the manuscript and revise the document, following the guidelines and comments I've given you. Especially for creative writing, I will usually make extensive comments that may require you to do some rewriting.

You have the option, for an additional fee, to send the manuscript back to me for a final follow-up proofread/edit.

I will give you an estimate, before I begin the work, of the additional cost. If you have done a good job of rewriting, it will take me less time.

 

To pay your editing fee, go to Payment.php.

You will be directed to a secure https site where you can send the funds either by Pay Pal, or credit card.

P.S. I love books and I love writing. Editing is something I really like to do; it's not just a job. A book is like a child. It's your creation! Having written 8 books myself, I know how much work you have already put into it, and how much you want others to read and enjoy your work. You need someone who is meticulous and who actually cares about what you have written, and has the desire and ability to make it the very best it can be. These are the vital intangibles that I offer to every author and every book that comes to me.

I look forward to working with you!