A little of column A, a little of column B. When I first started editing, it was more of a hobby. I had a full time job that paid my bills and covered the necessities, and even some savings and a few luxuries. So I could afford to price myself *way* under the value of my services because the goal wasn't to make money, it was to help independent, self-published authors make better books and more money. The only reason I didn't offer my services for free is because I had to value my time at something, at the very least. My situation's changed a bit, though, and I'm relying more on the editing income for a bit more than I was before. I still am undercharging - and by a lot* - so my authors are still getting incredible value for my services. Just, by one tenth of a penny per word less than I was undercharging before now. * Consider that the low end of average on the per-word payment schedule is .005/word or thereabouts, and you have to pay that for substantive, proofing, copy, and line separately rather than my two categories of substantive and "line" (which combines proofreading, copyediting, and traditional line editing) and authors are still getting a hell of a deal.
Also, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. I forgot to post a note letting y'all know about the price hike that went into effect on September first before it went into effect. I remembered to let all of the authors I work with know individually, but forgot to announce it here beyond just editing the OP.
...now I'm curious about what you do in regards to Developmental Editing. I wonder about this because... well, I want to know if it's worth it to do that, even if you do have a negotiable price for that one.
It depends on how involved you want me to be in the process, and what you've got already before you bring me in. That category covers everything from concept to first draft. So if you have an idea for a story, I'll help you flesh it out with characters and plot elements. If you've already got an outline and just need someone to bounce things off of when you've written yourself into a corner, I can do that, too. The more involved I am, the more I charge, basically.
Okay, I understand. Thanks for the heads up... wait, how much do you scale the charge in those circumstances? Just need a rough estimate for this one.
It really does vary on a case-by-case basis. I couldn't even begin to give you an estimate without knowing more about the project you've got in mind.
Okay, fair enough. Essentially, I had it in mind that I want to write a lengthy series... unsure if my desired length would be enough to entice readers to read all of them (I was thinking of a minimum of 26 novels, each being a minimum of 75k words, give or take). What would you charge if you were to work with me from that point?
Sorry for the radio silence, but Life Happened and I’m currently closed for business until further notice. It’ll probably be some time in 2020 before I can get back to work editing.
