Realistic Fee Setting

One of the most common questions I’m asked by newer editors is “How much should I charge for editing?”

I’m going to answer this question with a little story.

Good Work Takes Time

A while back, my hair stylist moved to Indiana from Los Angeles. I only found this out when I called to make an appointment.

That led me down a rabbit hole of Googling “hair stylists near me,” which segued into “read a Reddit about Supercuts versus high-end salons” and an argument that stylists all have the same skills so a pricier haircut isn’t better than an inexpensive one.

Then, an actual working stylist came on the thread and said, “Consider the difference between having to do four haircuts an hour and two haircuts an hour to earn the same income. Which is more likely to lead to a better cut?”

It is very hard to do a good job cutting someone’s hair in less than fifteen minutes (because there also has to be time to call people over to the chair, take their money, and so on). This is true even if the stylist is skilled and has lots of experience.

In fifteen minutes, I’ve barely gotten my butt adjusted in the seat and the cape on.

The connection with freelance editing? Newer editors are often concerned about pricing their work too high, but just as Supercuts ($30/cut) and Nine Zero One (starts at $225/cut) exist in the same universe, so too can lower- and higher-priced editors.

Notice how Nine Zero One charges nearly ten times (and gets it!) what Supercuts charges. They are offering different experiences.

I’m not dogging on Supercuts; my daughter got a super cute cut from the one down the street from us. But it was a very simple cut, just a trim, and she didn’t expect anything other than her hair to look a little neater when she was done. That’s what she got. She doesn’t even remember the name of the person who cut her hair.

Charge More to Create a Sustainable Business

My point is this: If you would like to gross, say, $50,000 a year from editing and charge $500 an edit, then you have to edit one hundred manuscripts a year. A full-time year at forty hours a week is two thousand hours of work. (Assuming you take two weeks off each year, and you’ll need them at this pace.)

That means you can only spend twenty hours on each manuscript (20 hours per manuscript x 100 manuscripts = 2000 work hours per year). You’d have to edit two manuscripts a week, plus all of the marketing required to get the work in, plus all of the admin work, such as invoicing and paying taxes. And in your work year, you only have those two weeks off. You can never ever have an unexpected cold or have to take a Friday off to visit your ailing mother or go to the dentist.

Can you really do good work when, realistically (after marketing, admin, etc.), you have twelve or fifteen hours to edit an 80,000-word manuscript?

Trying to do too much at a low price to remain “competitive” is a sure road to burnout, not to mention the risk of producing lower-quality work. Word-of-mouth is crucial in this business, so you need to maintain a good reputation. Charge a little more and give yourself a break.

Editing Starter Package (DE 1 – 6) Now Half Off!

Save $175!

The developmental editing starter package, affectionately known around here as DE 1 – 6 is now on sale for just $175, a savings of 50% off the regular price.

If you’re interested in exploring developmental editing as a career, this is the course package you’ll want to start with.

To get the discount use the coupon code: StarterPack

For more information and to purchase the course package, click here.

Coupon code is good through midnight Pacific time on July 31, 2025.

Start Your Editing Business Now!

Course package – $150 (through July 31, 2025)

Lately I’ve been writing a lot of posts about taking the leap and starting your editing business, so I’ve put together this package to help you do it on a budget. These classes would cost $230 separately, but you can save $80 by buying the bundle.

Get all the essentials for starting your editing business in one place. This course package includes four webinars, a full self-paced class, and a book!

• Marketing Toolkit: SEO for Editors (normally $50)

• Marketing Toolkit: Content Marketing for Editors (normally $50)

• Marketing Toolkit: Social Media for Editors (normally $50)

• Website Basics (with Carol Stambaugh)

• Finding (and Landing!) Indie Author Clients (normally $80)

• Plus, a PDF of The Club Ed Guide to Starting and Running a Profitable Freelance Editing Business

Go at your own pace with this collection of webinars and written materials intended to help you start your editing business now.

For more information and to sign up, click here.

For Members

The accountability forum has changed its name to open forum to reflect the suggestion that we leave it active but change its focus a bit. You are still free to post your weekly goals and accomplishments, but it will be more of a place for asking questions and sharing ideas.

The current marketing challenge is underway. You can join the next one starting October 17, 2025.

New discount for PerfectIt and Draftsmith software! Save 30% off your purchase of PerfectIt and 20% off your purchase of Draftsmith. PerfectIt is a well-regarded program that many copy editors use to help ensure their edits are applied correctly across an entire manuscript. Use the coupon code you’ll find in the Membership Program classroom.

Upcoming Classes

Instructor-led classes starting soon:

• Editorial Toolkit: Beta Reading, starts Sep 3, 2025

• Editing for Plot and Story Structure, starts Sep 8, 2025

• Editorial Toolkit: Coaching Writers, starts Oct 1, 2025

• Editing for Character Development, starts Oct 6, 2025

• Editorial Toolkit: Book Doctoring and Ghostwriting, starts Oct 29, 2025

About Jennifer Lawler

I help editors figure out what the hell they’re doing.

If you’re an aspiring, new, or established book editor or story coach, I can probably help you learn how to do the work better and more profitably.

Through Club Ed, I offer developmental editing classes, a freelance editor membership program/support group, and a slightly bony shoulder to cry on.

I’ve worked as an editor for more than twenty years. I learned how to edit in the trenches of traditional publishing with its insane deadlines, pitiless competition, and crushing bureaucracy. To that I added a Ph.D in English literature with a specialization in medieval literature because of a long story.

Editorial clients have included Simon & Schuster, Girl Friday Productions, Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, Barnes and Noble Custom Publishing, and others, along with many independent authors. 

For fiction self-paced classes, click here.

For fiction instructor-led classes, click here

For nonfiction self-paced classes, click here

For nonfiction instructor-led classes, click here

For on-demand instructor-led classes, fiction and nonfiction, click here