Rates

I've been asked to post a rough idea of what it's going to cost you to hire me.

"It depends...!"

Guideline number one: Proofreaders, editors and ghostwriters generally do not work "by the hour," or "by the page," they work "by the word."

The following are rough estimates, not cast in stone. All rates are quoted in US Dollars (USD).

Proofreading: generally 1 to 1.2 cents per word for a non-rush job (2-4 week turnaround, depending on manuscript length/complexity), to a high of 3-4 cents per word for a "hot rush" job, depending on just how hot the "rush" is.

Light to average copy editing: Starts at 1.8 cents per word to about 2.5 cents per word for non-rush; rush jobs 50% higher and up, depending on time frame.

Substantial copy editing with some developmental editing: Starts at 2.8 cents per word; most likely 3 to 3.5 cents per word if you are submitting self-help, psychology or business related which are niches requiring specialized knowledge. These rates are for non-rush jobs; I'm reluctant to take on rush jobs of this nature because I am NOT a Miracle Worker!

Proofreading and copy editing combined: From around 2.2 cents per word for non-rush jobs; rush jobs 50% higher and up, depending on time frame.

Ghostwriting Services: Ghostwriting is usually expensive, so let's talk about ways to keep your costs down by having you do as much work as possible, yourself. In general, you can expect to pay from 15 cents per word and up, depending on where our starting point is. That means your typical 60,000 word book will set you back a minimum of $9,000. Because I handle mostly non-fiction in the self-help, spirituality and business niches — which will require research and specialized knowledge — most likely you will be looking at 25 cents per word as a starting point.

"Per Job" rates for ghostwriting will more likely apply if you are asking to have a monthly blog post or column written (for example from voice notes/ideas) on a contract basis.

Payment: 

Unless we have agreed otherwise, standard terms are:

Book-length (40,000 words or longer):

25% deposit when the work starts
25% when the work is about 50% competed
50% due on delivery of final work

Articles, business letters, shorter papers, short stories and novellas:

50% deposit when the work starts
50% due on delivery of final work

I accept cash, checks, credit cards and PayPal; 95% of my payments are processed via PayPal.

I have an agreement with my bank that they will not edit books, in return for which I have agreed to not extend credit or make loans...