Why Fiction Editing costs so much, and 5 ways to make it more affordable 

As a new writer, the price of editing knocked me on my arse the first time I looked into it.  

I was quoted £1000+ for an initial edit and thought that editing couldn’t be for someone like me – an indie writer working on her first book.

When I didn’t know if I was even going to make money off my book, this price seemed unattainable. But the quote wasn’t the issue – that editor was a professional with years of experience. The issue was that it wasn’t the right fit for my budget, and I didn’t realise there were any alternatives.  

But there are always options to make editing more affordable. 

First, though, you need to understand where the price of an editor comes from to know how to lower the cost.

 

 

Why Fiction Editing costs so much

  

 When an editor gives a quote, there are two factors that come together; 

• Their hourly wage; based on the market and their expertise. 

• The hours of work; based on the length and complexity of the project. 

With these 2 factors, the cost break down becomes clearer when you consider a 100,000 word manuscript could take between 30-50+ hours to complete depending on its complexity. 

For example, I recently quoted a Full Developmental Edit for a ~100,000 word manuscript, which I estimated to take 40 hours to complete based on previous editorial projects, as £850. That’s £21.25 an hour, IF I’ve estimated the workload correctly, and is far below the CIEP suggest rate of £42.66 an hour for Developmental Editing (CIEP, 2026). 

Though that £850 looks like a large lump sum, the hours that go into such a project, soon add up. 

There’s also the editor’s expertise to consider too. 

My quote was on the low side because I have only been in the field for a year. Even with my prior knowledge of writing craft and the editing specific courses I’ve taken, I am still growing my business and client base, and my rates will reflect that.  

But a more experienced editor will charge more.

 

How to make Fiction Editing more affordable 

 

Editing costs as much as it does because you are paying for a professional’s expertise, built over years of training and experience, and the time it takes to thoroughly critique a manuscript. 

So that means there are two avenues to look at to make it cheaper;  

• Hire a Developmental Editor with less experience. 

• Make the project less complex and take less time. 

On the surface these sound like I’m telling you to sacrifice quality, but that isn’t the case. 

There are 5 ways to make editing more affordable while maintaining a good quality. Let’s look at each of these in turn.

 

 

 Find your price range

 

 As I mentioned before, newer Developmental Editors are very likely to have a lower price range, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t do a good job. 

The best way is to look into the editor and contact them, to have your own vetting process to see which will be a good match for you. Some suggestions; 

• Research or ask about their professional history. Though I’ve only been Developmental Editing for 1 year, I have written 7 books and studied writing craft at a degree level. These give me more experience in a related field than an editor starting from the beginning. 

• Contact the editor to discuss their quote and process. Not only does this give you a look at their communication style, but you can see how they respond to questions and how clear their answers are. 

 

Here are some green and red flag behaviours to look out for; 

Green Flags; 

• Communicative. 

• Happy to answer questions. 

• Their answers are clear and informative. 

• They have a website and/or social media. 
• 1+ testimonial.

• Previous professional history in a related field of work e.g. an author or copywriter, non-fiction editor. 

• Has education in a related field e.g. Creative Writing, English Language or Literature. 

Red Flags; 

• Bad communication. 

• Ignores questions or provides weak answers. 

• Only has a profile on websites such as Upwork or Fiverr, and no online presence elsewhere. 
• Bad reviews.

• Offers to do editing for an extremely low price. 

• Focuses on getting the ‘sale’ rather than being a good fit. 

• No professional or educational history in a related field. 

There will absolutely be some genuine editors that might have some of the ‘red’ flags because they are just starting out in a new field and still learning, however to get the best out of a newer editor, I’d suggest trying to focus on the green flags to lower risk.

 

Make your manuscript the best it can be 

 You might be saying here; ‘but Anna, I’ve already edited my story and made it great, and now I’m ready for editing.’. If so, you’re a step ahead of me so you can skip this section, but I have received manuscripts before which read like a first draft. 

By first draft, I mean something like the wonky first pancake before you’ve cracked the process. It’s technically a pancake, but you could neaten up the edges and present a better version for critique. Some writers do edit as they go, but I only start editing after my first draft and find a lot of writers think their work is over after they’ve written ‘The end’. 

Here, I’d suggest putting the work into learning writing craft. Some books I’d recommend for this are; 

• Monkeys with Typewriters – By Scarlett Thomas 

• On Writing – By Stephen King  

• Reading like a Writer – By Francine Prose 

• Steering the Craft – by Ursula Le Guin. 

It’s important to read different writer’s points of view on the craft as there is no one right way to do it and part of the fun is finding your unique style. However, improvement is key. 

Part of a quote, is based on the complexity of a project. A part usually estimated when an editor asks for a sample of your work. Lower complexity = less hours = cheaper quote.

 

Exchange a service

This suggestion is equally old and new.  

Bartering is an exchange of goods without the involvement of money, and recently I’ve seen more and more smaller businesses engaging with it again. 

I can’t guarantee this would be received by every editor but if you have a service to offer in exchange for an edit, then it’s worth an ask.  

Some examples could be; 

• Marketing and SEO/GEO help. 

• Website creation or upgrade. 

• Accounting. 

• Legal work with creating contracts or regulation compliance. 

Two big nos for this; 

• Offering ‘exposure’ for a service is quite crass these days. I wouldn’t advise offering this. 

• You can only barter with something you have skills in. E.g. don’t offer to do marketing for an editor if you have no experience in marketing. 

 

 Focus the scope

 So you’ve found the editor you want to work with, but their quote is still a little over budget. That doesn’t mean you’ve hit a dead end. 

I will preface this advice by saying this is different to negotiating. You’re not trying to haggle for a deal here, or lower their rate, but you’re focusing the project scope so the editor spends less hours on the work. 

Again, this isn’t asking you to compromise on quality, but to be more specific. 

This would require you to be honest about your goals and intentions for the book, and know where your strengths and weaknesses are with writing. 

For example; 

• You want to commercialise the book; You might ask for specific feedback on how the book will perform in the market and how to improve this. (Not all editors offer this as a service). 

• You have a great plot but struggle with characters; You might ask the editor for specific feedback on making your characters come alive and develop through the story. 

• You are writing a personal book about themes that are important to you; you might ask an editor to provide feedback on deepening and strengthening those themes. 

In these situations, the editor will focus on a single element rather than providing feedback on multiple areas, which will lighten their workload and potentially lower the price of a project. 

However, not every editor will be willing to reduce the scope like this and are well within their right to refuse to tailor their service this way, but starting with an honest conversation about your budget, goals and areas you want to target could help you find an editor who will work with you in this way.

 

 

Staged Editing and Payment plans 

 

 Another option is to accept the full price quoted for your project, but discuss payment options with the editor. This could be in the form of; 

• A Payment Plan; where you could set up monthly payments until the project is paid off. 

• Staged Editing; where the editing is broken into logical parts and completed one step at a time as and when you have the ability to pay. 

Both of these options are at the discretion of the editor and can come with downsides. For example; 

• A staged edit could be spread far enough that an editor has to refresh their memory of the story each time, adding more time to the project and therefore cost. 

• A Payment Plan might come with the agreement that the project will only be delivered once the final payment is made, delaying either the start of the project or when you get the feedback. 

This also comes with a lot of trust for both the writer and editor, which can be hard to undertake with someone you haven’t worked with before.

 

Conclusion

 

 Fiction editing quotes can seem expensive, especially for indie authors and new writers, but there are affordable alternatives to consider. 

Not every manuscript needs the most expensive editor for it to be a success. But the answer isn’t about cutting corners – it’s about assessing your goals and budget, having honest communication with your editor and picking the right editorial support for you. 

It may be working with a newer editor, focusing the scope of the work or doing the editing in stages, but there are options that make it more affordable. 

If you’re currently looking for a Developmental Editor, please feel free to get in touch to start a conversation around your manuscript, goals and budget. Or please follow along for more tips and advice about the world of editing!

  

FAQs

 

What does a Developmental Editor actually do? – They look at the big picture elements of your story such as plot and characters, but you can read all about it in my previous blog What does a Developmental Editor actually do? 

How much should I budget for Developmental Editing? – Your budget for a Developmental Edit is personal to you. There is no defined figure, and hopefully there are some tips in this blog to help you find a good editor at any budget.  

Do all editors offer payment plans? – No, offering this is at each editor’s discretion. 

Does a lower priced editor mean a lower quality of work? – Not necessarily. It is good to research the editor and start a conversation with them to gauge if they’d be a good fit for you. 

How do I eliminate any chance of being ripped off by a fiction editor? – Unfortunately, there is no way to completely guarantee this, but that risk is the same for editors too. Look for green flags such as having a contract in place, a clear process and defined expectations around payment. 

Why is fiction editing so expensive? – Because of the combination of an editors years of expertise plus the time it takes to edit a manuscript. If you are looking for a more affordable option, read this blog post to find 5 ways which could work for you.

What kind of editing does my story need? – This can be tricky to know, but take a look at my blog The 5 Types of Fiction Manuscript Editing to find your answer.

 

Sources

https://www.ciep.uk/knowledge-hub/suggested-minimum-rates.html.