Hourly rate
I charge £30 per hour for proofreading or editing, rounded up to the nearest half an hour. This is broadly in line with the professional rates suggested by the Chartered Institute of Editors and Proofreaders (CIEP).
There is no charge for initial enquiries or provision of quotes. However, once you have engaged me for a job, the rate includes time taken on emails or phone calls needed to complete the work.
The starting point for all quotes is the word count, not the number of pages. Any word count should include wording in tables, captions, headings etc, as these all need checking.
You might find the following links useful:
10% Reduction
10% reduction for proofreading on Word documents over 30,000 words.
How long will it take?
The work rate for straightforward proofreading is around 2,500 – 3,000 words per hour. The most efficient proofreading can be done on a Word document. The same text as a PDF will take more time.
Editing takes longer than proofreading. Depending on the kind of help you are looking for, the work rate for editing is around 1,500 – 2,000 words per hour. Any quote is based on the word count of what is given to me, not the final count, which may well end up lower!
Please be aware that these are averages. There are also some sample projects below.
To receive a quote, just email me your document or website link, with a note about which service you would like, the intended audience and any deadline. There’s no obligation.
Are you looking to spread the cost of a larger project? Or do a ‘test run’ on a part-document before committing yourself? Maybe you have a short document to edit now, with more to come later?
I’m happy to be flexible. Just get in touch for a chat about how I can help.
Sample projects
Projects can vary widely in the time taken per 1,000 words. Quotes are based on the type and quality of the written text. 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: £15 (minimum charge)
Small business website
Text Type: Published website. 5 main pages, some links.
Word Count: 1,500
Service/Time: Light edit – 1hr 45 mins
Cost: £60
PhD dissertation
Text Type: PDF. Subheadings, graphs, tables.
Word Count: 27,000
Service/Time: Proofreading – 10 hours
Cost: £300
Memoir
Text Type: Word document
Word Count: 75,000
Service/Time: Edit – 44 hours
Cost: £1,320