How Much Should You Pay To Have Your E-Book Edited?

Congratulations on your decision to take your writing seriously and invest in a copyediting service. Now you have to decide who you should hire to edit your book.

Here are some things to consider before handing over hundreds-or even thousands-of dollars to have your e-book edited.

• Do you need copyediting or content editing? A copyeditor will make certain words are spelled correctly and used properly. They will fix grammar, remove repetitive words, do basic fact-checking, and look for consistency. A content editor, on the other hand, will take your writing and make changes, suggest deleting sections, changing characters, locations, etc. In other words, the copyeditor looks for basic errors, while a content editor looks to make more significant and general changes to your book.

• Some services are operated by people whose expertise may be graphic design, rather than copyediting. If you want your book copyedited, look for a copyeditor, not a design expert or an e-book formatting service.

• Paying more does not necessarily mean getting better service or editing. Some services charge more than $1,000 to edit an average length book, while others charge far less. Expect to pay at least $300-plus if your manuscript is more than 75,000 words. But you shouldn't pay more than that for a book that is less than 50,00 words.

• What kind of experience do the copyeditors have? You're always taking a bit of a risk when hiring anyone online. Do you really know if they're qualified, or if they are farming out your manuscript to people working a low hourly wage? Choose carefully. E-mail the site with questions. They should be prompt and responsive.

• Beware of any copyediting service that provides a "rush" service for an added, exorbitant fee. A properly edited manuscript takes time and should never be rushed. We know you're in a hurry to see your baby on Amazon or another site, but take the time to do it right.

• Look for copyediting services that allow you to "see" the changes they've made. Some will simply hand you back an edited copy. The best give you back two copies of your e-book-the edited version and a version showing each change made.

• Copyediting services should polish, not change, your book. Your voice is unique, and copyediting should not change the essence of your writing.