Proofreading rates
Many proofreaders apply one standard proofreading price per thousand words. However, the bald fact is that fewer corrections take less time, and complex writing takes longer to read. So I work to an hourly proofreading rate, which means you always pay a fair price for what your work needs.
I charge £32/hour. Speed rates for proofreading usually vary between 2,000 and 3,500 words per hour. This means a likely proofreading cost per thousand words of £9.50 – £16.
My minimum charge (eg, for very small pieces of text) is £16.
You might find the following links useful:
What affects proofreading rates?
I will proofread whatever you send me! However, I strongly recommend not asking me to proofread a first draft. Please see my blog Are you really ready for proofreading? for more guidance.
The following factors (in no particular order) increase proofreading time:
- PDF rather than a Word document
- Complex structure, eg, quotes, footnotes, nested subheadings, captions, tables
- Not formatted consistently
- English is not your first language
- First draft
- Website copy
- References/Bibliography
- Poetry
Editing rates
The charge for editing is £32/hour, as for proofreading. However, editing takes longer; a usual speed rate is 1,000–2,000 words per hour. This means the editing cost per thousand words could vary from £16 – £32, depending on the level of help required.
Any up-front quote for editing is based on the number of words that are sent to me, even if your final word count is lower (I have to look at them all!).
What’s the difference between proofreading and editing?
The following table shows the recommended order of any editing process (whether done by me, you, or anyone else). As I do it, there is usually some overlap between the different levels; eg, when doing structural editing, I may well make line editing suggestions too, if I spot recurring issues. If you choose line editing, proofreading is included as I go along.
Sample projects
Here are some examples of typical projects, with their costs at current rates.
CV
Text Type: Word document
Word Count: 800
Service/Time: Proofreading – 20 mins
Cost: £16
Small business website
Text Type: Published website. 5 main pages, some links.
Word Count: 1,500
Service/Time: Light edit –1hr 45 mins
Cost: £64
PhD dissertation
Text Type: PDF. Subheadings, graphs, tables.
Word Count: 27,000
Service/Time: Proofreading –10 hours
Cost: £320
Memoir
Text Type: Word document
Word Count: 75,000
Service/Time: Edit – 44 hours
Cost: £1,408