Use this calculator to get an estimate on how much editing this project might cost. Prices are shown in US dollars.
What’s your word count?*
Word count (rounded up to the nearest 1000)
Line editing
Copyediting
Proofreading
Proof revision (incorporating corrections in .vellum file)
$100 (fixed rate)
Bespoke layout in Vellum (includes proof revision)
$250 (fixed rate)
Packages
If you want multiple services, it’s easier for me to do the business side (contract, invoices, etc.) if you book them all together. This does not require you to pay for it all at once, or rush your publishing journey! It just simplifies my admin, so I’ll discount that 10% admin fee on the subsequent services. Everybody wins!
Line-Copy Combo: Line-editing and copyediting at the same time
(1 round)
House Gecko: Copyediting, then proofreading
(2 rounds)
Jewelled Gecko: Line-editing, then copyediting, with time for revisions between
(2 rounds)
Golden Gecko Express: Line-Copy Combo, then proofreading
(2 rounds)
Golden Gecko: Line editing, then copyediting, then proofreading
(3 rounds)
Payment Plans
I offer a range of payment plans to help spread that cost out a bit. Choose one that works for you, or, if you’ve got a better idea, let me know and we’ll make it work for you.
Default Payment Plans
50:50 – Pay half the total fee at the start of the project, and the rest when I’ve finished editing it.
10:45:45 – Pay the 10% admin fee to secure your spot on my schedule, and then split the editing costs over time.
*Discount: I like big books and I cannot lie
Has your project got a lot of junk in its trunk? If your total word count is over 100k, I offer a 50% discount on that extra baggage.
Use this number in the Word count box above to apply your discount and see how much you’ll save on all my services.
If your original word count was 100k or less, this discount does not apply!
FAQ
Whoa! That’s huge! Why do you offer this discount?
A couple of reasons: One, I love working on fantasy and sci-fi, and that worldbuilding needs extra room. Two, I’ll use the same style sheet as a series wiki to keep details consistent across books. Character details, style decisions and word lists carry over. That means I don’t have to set up a new style sheet from scratch or record all that info anew. Easier for me, and cheaper for you.
PS – This discount applies to real-world epics and series too, such as multi-generation family sagas, or romance series set in one community, with each book focusing on a different relationship.
What if I want to book multiple books at once now, but they’re individually less than 100k?
A series is considered to be one project, so this discount could apply to your whole series. This includes duologies and trilogies, as well as in-universe novellas, prequels, lead magnet stories, and spinoffs.
Books set in the same universe, with the same or overlapping characters, are considered a series. If they’re standalone books that are not in the same universe or without the same or overlapping characters, the discount does not apply.
What if I didn’t know it was going to be a series when I wrote it?
Return clients are the best. I love the relationship we develop over several books together. So if you decide later to come back to me for the second book in the series, I’ll still apply the discount for you. And I’ll do it for the next one, and the next…
I’ve only written the first book but I plan this to be a series. What if I don’t know the total word count yet?
To keep things simple, if the first book is 100k or under, editing is priced at the full rate and subsequent books in the series are half price. If the first book is over 100k, then the discount is applied as if it’s a standalone, and subsequent books are half price.