When it comes to book production, editing is one of my favorite topics to cover because it is such an integral part of a successful book publishing strategy.
The key to self-publishing well is understanding what goes into creating a great book. A great story is only the beginning. Editing, along with other areas like book cover design, formatting, and marketing, all play a key role in your book’s success.
If you’re looking for affordable book editing services, we’re going to define affordability from a publisher’s standpoint and then consider the options available to you at various price points.
What we’ll cover
When it comes to editing, finding the cheapest editing service possible is not the best strategy because selecting an editing service based on price only is a recipe for disaster, because in publishing, you literally get what you pay for.
So for this article, “affordable” refers to moderately priced services that fit within industry standards. You won’t find any super cheap editing service options in this article, but I will share ways to help reduce the prices of quality service providers.
In several articles on this website and our parent company, selfpublishing.com, we’ve talked about the different types of editing available and how to select the right one for your book. Here’s a quick look at the types of paid editing services to consider:
- manuscript critiques
- structural editing
- developmental editing
- line editing
- copyediting
- fact-checking
- sensitivity reading
- proofreading (technically, not editing)
Why editing matters
If you’re thinking you can run your manuscript through a grammar checker like Grammarly and call it a day, put on the brakes! While tools like Grammarly, ProWritingAid, and others are a good starting point (which we’ll discuss below), they are not a replacement for quality editing.
The reason there are so many different types of editing is that manuscripts need different types of editing support, and no two manuscripts need the exact same thing. Professional editors are trained to analyze manuscripts based on industry standards, genre expectations, and audience preferences to shape a manuscript so that it’s not only technically correct but also enjoyable.
A well-edited manuscript helps with credibility, reader trust, and marketability. If you’ve ever struggled to read a book because it was full of grammatical errors, the storyline didn’t make sense, or the characters fell flat, then you came face-to-face with a book that could’ve benefited from editing support.
Maybe the book was edited, but it needed a different kind of editing. Whatever the case, it’s better to edit it right the first time, so if you don’t know what kind of editing you need, get a manuscript assessment from a professional who can point you in the right direction.
How do you define affordability?
This is a tough one, especially when you’re on a limited budget, as many self-publishers are, but here’s the reality: Quality editing is not cheap.
I am speaking now from an editor’s perspective. Try to remember that you are paying for a specific skillset. Not only does a quality editor have the technical skills to edit your manuscript, but they often have genre and audience experience and know how best to shape your book so that it is engaging and professional.
When you go for the least expensive editing service, you’ll likely have to deal with rushed work, inexperience, or poor quality, which could potentially damage your author reputation. So, while cheap may sound enticing, it can cost you more money in the long run with lost sales.
The long-term value of investing in quality editing includes better reviewers, strong sales, and peace of mind.
How to reduce overall editing costs
Self-edit
Self-editing should never replace professional editing, but it’s a great place to start the process. Try to get the basic edits out of the way, like misspelled words, double or missing punctuation, plot holes, etc.) This will reduce the amount of time an editor has to spend on your manuscript.
Tools
Tools like Grammarly, ProWritingAid, Hemingway App, and others can be invaluable. They are like self-editing on steroids. These tools often miss the things that our eyes naturally overlook. As with self-editing, these tools shouldn’t take the place of a professional editing service, but they are great for helping you find some of the more technical flaws in the manuscript. Most of these tools offer a free version. Investing in the paid version is often a good idea, depending on your specific needs.
Beta readers
Beta readers are indispensable. In my experience, they are great at catching minor mistakes and oversights and can bring story issues to your attention that don’t make sense. Beta readers typically offer to read your book in exchange for a complimentary copy (PDF/digital).
Invest strategically
Additional ways to reduce the cost of editing are to break up the editing into stages. As your editing service, if this is an option. Look for payment plans, and consider freelancers. They are sometimes cheaper than the larger editing companies (e.g., overhead, etc.)
Here are some popular, affordable editing options to consider:
| Service | Typical price (examples) | What’s included | Typical turnaround | Best-for / who benefits |
| Reedsy (marketplace of professional editors) | Per-word or project rates. Freelance averages: ~$0.02–$0.03/word for copy/line; developmental higher; 80k-book editing commonly quoted in thousands ($2k–$4.7k typical range for full editing). | Match to vetted freelance editors; option to request sample edits, profiles/credentials, and negotiate scope (developmental, line, copy, proofreading). | Depends on editor availability — often 2–8+ weeks for full book projects (faster for proofreading/short jobs). | Authors who want professional, experienced single-editor relationships and are willing to pay for higher-quality, personalized human edits. |
| BookBaby (package service for indie authors) | Per-word pricing: proofreading ~$0.015/word; copy edit ~$0.025/word; line edit ~$0.04/word (examples from site). Example: 60k manuscript → proofreading ~$900; copy edit ~$1,500. | Standardized human editing tiers (proofreading, copy, line) plus extras for query/synopsis; delivered as tracked changes + report. | Varies by length and level; commonly weeks (checkout page gives options/estimates). | Self-publishers who want a one-stop service (editing + production/distribution) and predictable per-word pricing. |
| Scribendi (online editing company) | Variable; marketed as competitive rates (multiple turnaround tiers). Often priced per word/page or project; offers fast paid tiers. | Human editing/proofreading with different service levels; returns edits as tracked changes and a “clean” version; editors often add comments/suggestions. | Very fast options available (express tiers). They advertise same-day / 4-hour for short docs and multiple speed tiers for longer works. | Authors who need fast turnaround and a standardized, company-managed workflow rather than a single freelance editor. |
| Fiverr (gig marketplace — budget to professional) | Wide range: very low to mid. Typical proofreading gigs from a few dollars up to ~$0.02–$0.06/word for reliable gigs; higher for experienced editors. (Marketplace guide shows ranges by service.) | Depends on the gig — can include proofreading, copy/line editing, formatting, sample edits; service quality varies widely by seller level. | Seller dependent — 24 hours to several weeks; many offer express fees for faster delivery. | Authors on a tight budget who can vet sellers by reviews and order a paid sample or small portion first. Not ideal for deep developmental edits. |
| Upwork (freelance marketplace; hire hourly or fixed) | Hourly median ~$30–$55/hr for book editors; fixed-price projects for books often $600–$2,200 (small) up to several thousand for large/complex projects. | Flexible: hire for developmental, line, copy, proofreading; can interview, request samples, and set milestones. Quality varies by freelancer. | Depends on contract and editor availability — typically weeks to months for a full manuscript; shorter for proofreading. | Authors who want control over hiring and the ability to negotiate scope and schedule; good if you’ll manage the project and prefer hourly/fixed contracts. |
| Scribbr (editing & proofreading — strong on academic/structure) | Per-project pricing and fast tiers; turnaround options as fast as 3–12 hours for short documents; price depends on word count and options selected. | Human editors focusing on clarity, structure, grammar; offers tracked changes + comments and optional structure/clarity checks. (Originally academic focus, but used by long-form authors too.) | 3 hours → 7 days depending on chosen deadline; explicit fast-delivery options. | Authors who want fast, structured edits (esp. nonfiction authors wanting clarity and structure checks) and those comfortable with a company-managed edit. |
| Automated tools (Grammarly Premium, ProWritingAid, etc.) | Subscription: Grammarly Premium ~$12–30/month (varies by billing); ProWritingAid one-time/annual options. Much cheaper than human editors. | Real-time grammar, style, and consistency suggestions; some tools offer book/report style checks and sentence-level rewrites — not a substitute for human developmental editing. | Instant (automated). Great for quick passes and polishing before human edit. | Budget-conscious authors who need quick grammar/style fixes and multiple passes; best used before or after a human editor, not instead of developmental feedback. |
How to select an editing service
So, how do you know which editing service is right for you?
Follow these simple steps:
- Determine the type of editing you need. There’s no such thing as a “general” edit. Every manuscript has specific needs that are unique to the manuscript. For example, with fiction, you may struggle with character development, story arcs, dialogue, or world-building. Hiring a proofreader won’t straighten out these issues. Your manuscript would benefit most from a developmental editor who specializes in these areas. Even still, you want to select a developmental editor who works within your book’s genre because they’ll have a better grasp of genre and audience expectations.
- Take a realistic look at your budget and what you can afford. Remember that affordability isn’t just about the amount of $$ you’re investing, but what you could lose in the long run if you cut corners.
The Editorial Freelancer Association’s rate page is a great place to start planning the best way to use your budget. The site offers a fee guide based on industry standards and what you can expect to pay for professional editing. If your budget is limited, consider per-word or per-page rates over hourly, then estimate the fee range that you might expect to pay for standard rates.
For example, for a memoir, an author can expect to pay 2.5–3.5¢ per word or $6.25-$8.75 per page (250 words per page) in the United States. If I’ve written a 55,000-word manuscript, I can expect to pay $1,375-$1,925, whether I pay by the word or by the page. This is considered reasonable within the industry for professional editing.
You can find editors above and below these rates, but if their rates swing too far in either direction, find out why. Rates can be affected by experience, cost of living, turnaround time, level of expertise, and other factors. If the rate being charged doesn’t make sense, trust your gut and find another service provider.
Note: If the standard rates are outside of your budget, before you look for a cheaper option, see if payment plans are available or if the rates are negotiable. A word of advice: Don’t try to lowball your editor. Editing is hard work and takes time. You don’t want your editor rushing through your job because you didn’t pay them enough, and they’re trying to rush to the next job. The editing experience should be pleasant for both. - Find a quality editing service (company or freelancer)
- Professional associations like the Editorial Freelancer Association or the Society for Editing (ACES)
- Writing communities. Ask for recommendations.
- Freelance platforms like Reedsy and Upwork.
- Select the best fit
- Request samples
- Look for testimonials and reviews (preferably off-site) and review them carefully.
- Make sure your editor has experience in your genre
- Gauge communication styles to make sure it’s a good fit for you.
Next steps
Editing is a critical part of any self-publishing strategy if you want to produce a high-quality book that can compete in a saturated market.
Don’t let the weighty pricing of professional editing discourage you. Let’s redefine affordability to consider not only pricing, but also communication, turnaround time, expertise, and experience. Affordability is about value, not the lowest price.
Ultimately, the best editing choice is the one that works best for you. Understand your book’s needs, consider your budget carefully, then find a service provider with a reputation for high-quality work that fits within that framework.
Are you looking for a hands-off approach to publishing your book that includes editing and other book production services? Learn more about how selfpublishing.com can help.
