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Editing prices

How much does book editing cost?

The Urban Writers charges 2.3 to 3.1 cents per word at standard prices, depending on the editing level. For an 80,000-word book, Essential Editing costs $1,840, Line Editing costs $2,160 and Developmental Editing costs $2,480.

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Calculate your editing cost

Enter your word count and choose an editing level.

Word count

Editing level

TUW standard price$810Insider price $720

Freelance rate range

Fiction$810 to $1,050

Nonfiction$1,050 to $1,500

Freelance estimates use the EFA 2026 rate chart. Freelance copy editing usually excludes proofreading.

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Editing prices by book length

Find your manuscript's word count below to compare standard prices across all three editing levels.

Word count	Essential Editing	Line Editing	Developmental Editing
30,000	$690($630)	$810($720)	$930($840)
50,000	$1,150($1,050)	$1,350($1,200)	$1,550($1,400)
80,000	$1,840($1,680)	$2,160($1,920)	$2,480($2,240)
100,000	$2,300($2,100)	$2,700($2,400)	$3,100($2,800)

Insider prices appear in brackets beside standard prices.

Compare per-word editing rates

TUW charges by word count. Fiction and nonfiction have the same prices at every editing level.

	Per word	Per 100 words	Per 1,000 words	Insider per 1,000 words
Essential Editing	2.3 cents	$2.30	$23	$21
Line Editing	2.7 cents	$2.70	$27	$24
Developmental Editing	3.1 cents	$3.10	$31	$28

Essential Editing

Per word: 2.3 cents
Per 100 words: $2.30
Per 1,000 words: $23
Insider per 1,000 words: $21

Line Editing

Per word: 2.7 cents
Per 100 words: $2.70
Per 1,000 words: $27
Insider per 1,000 words: $24

Developmental Editing

Per word: 3.1 cents
Per 100 words: $3.10
Per 1,000 words: $31
Insider per 1,000 words: $28

What affects book editing cost?

Your word count

TUW prices each editing level by word count. A longer manuscript costs more at the same rate.

Your editing level

Essential Editing covers corrections. Line Editing also addresses sentence clarity and flow. Developmental Editing provides feedback on the book's structure and content.

Fiction or nonfiction

The EFA freelance rate chart lists higher ranges for nonfiction. TUW charges the same rates for fiction and nonfiction.

A separate proofreading pass

Freelance copy-editing rates usually exclude proofreading. Essential Editing and Line Editing both include copy editing and proofreading.

What each editing level includes

Choose the work your manuscript needs. Rewriting or adding material requires a writing package. Formatting requires a formatting service.

Essential Editing

$2.30 per 100 words

Copy editing and proofreading
Spelling, grammar, punctuation and typos
Word choice, consistency, quotations and citation details
Up to 2 revision rounds
US or UK English

Explore Essential Editing

Line Editing

$2.70 per 100 words

Clarity, flow, phrasing and transitions
Sentence structure, wordiness and preserving your voice
Copy editing and proofreading, same editor
Up to 2 revision rounds
US or UK English

Explore Line Editing

Developmental Editing

$3.10 per 100 words

Comments throughout and a written assessment
Structure, focus, audience and market fit
Inaccuracies and balance
No tracked changes or sentence editing
No revision round

Explore Developmental Editing

Compare editing costs for 80,000 words

Compare freelance ranges with TUW standard prices for the same word count. Check the included work as well as the price.

Editing levelFreelance rangeTUW standard price

Essential EditingCopy only: fiction $1,600 to $2,160. Nonfiction $2,400 to $3,200.$1,840 includes copy editing and proofreading.

Line EditingFiction $2,160 to $2,800. Nonfiction $2,800 to $4,000.$2,160 includes line editing, copy editing and proofreading.

Developmental EditingFiction $2,400 to $2,800. Nonfiction $3,200 to $4,000.$2,480 includes comments throughout and a written assessment.

Freelance comparisons use the Editorial Freelancers Association's EFA 2026 rate chart. Copy-editing ranges cover copy editing alone, with proofreading usually separate.

Ways to pay less for editing

Compare Insider prices

Insider prices per 1,000 words are $21 for Essential Editing, $24 for Line Editing and $28 for Developmental Editing.

Check your Book Writing order

Every TUW Book Writing order includes Essential Editing. For a TUW-written book, the Line Editing upgrade costs $0.95 per 100 words.

Avoid a separate Essential order

Line Editing includes copy editing and proofreading from the same editor. Customers choosing Line Editing do not need a separate Essential Editing order.

Check the cost of hiring a ghostwriter if you need writing and Essential Editing together.

Common questions

How much does it cost to edit a book?

At The Urban Writers, standard prices are 2.3 cents per word for Essential Editing, 2.7 cents for Line Editing and 3.1 cents for Developmental Editing. For a 50,000-word book, those prices are $1,150, $1,350 and $1,550 respectively. You can post your project for free and see your price before paying.

How much does editing an 80,000-word novel cost?

At standard TUW prices, an 80,000-word novel costs $1,840 for Essential Editing, $2,160 for Line Editing or $2,480 for Developmental Editing. Essential Editing includes copy editing and proofreading. Line Editing includes both plus work on clarity and flow. Developmental Editing provides comments throughout and a written assessment.

How much do book editors charge per word?

TUW standard rates are 2.3 cents per word for Essential Editing, 2.7 cents for Line Editing and 3.1 cents for Developmental Editing. The EFA 2026 rate chart lists freelance copy editing alone at 2.0 to 2.7 cents per word for fiction and 3.0 to 4.0 cents for nonfiction. Freelance proofreading is usually separate.

How much does book proofreading cost?

TUW includes proofreading with copy editing in Essential Editing, priced at $2.30 per 100 words at the standard rate. That makes Essential Editing $1,840 for an 80,000-word book. Line Editing also includes copy editing and proofreading, so customers choosing it do not need a separate Essential Editing order.

How much does developmental editing cost?

TUW Developmental Editing costs $3.10 per 100 words at the standard rate, or $2,480 for 80,000 words. The Insider price is $2.80 per 100 words, or $2,240 for 80,000 words. It includes comments throughout and a written assessment of structure, focus, audience, market fit, inaccuracies and balance. It excludes tracked changes, sentence editing and a revision round.

Does nonfiction editing cost more than fiction editing?

TUW charges the same prices for fiction and nonfiction. Standard rates per 100 words are $2.30 for Essential Editing, $2.70 for Line Editing and $3.10 for Developmental Editing. The EFA 2026 rate chart lists higher freelance rate ranges for nonfiction across copy editing, line editing and developmental editing.

Are revisions included in book editing prices?

TUW Essential Editing and Line Editing each include up to 2 revision rounds. Developmental Editing includes comments throughout and a written assessment, with no revision round. None of these editing levels includes rewriting, adding material or formatting.