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How much do you charge per hr for freelance editing?
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amother
Sienna


 

Post Tue, Jan 10 2017, 10:36 am
I have some ongoing clients for whom I do a steady amount weekly and I give them a better rate of $20/hr.
Some new clients expressed interest. They would provide steady business but at a much lower volume, so it would only be worth it to me if I charge more (otherwise it's too much to keep track of and too much effort for too little compensation).
Is $30-35 hr too much? I'm a fast worker.
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Elizabeth W




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jan 10 2017, 10:47 am
I charge $35/hr
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Fox




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jan 10 2017, 10:50 am
I typically charge $50 per hour.

For some context, I work almost exclusively with Jewish non-profits, mostly Chassidish. I've never had anyone quibble over my rates.

I do a fair amount of pro bono work for organizations or projects I happen to support, and I also occasionally donate an hour of my time to an organization that is struggling to pay.

However, I never cut my rates. If I want to help someone but they claim they really can't pay, I tell them I would rather donate my services and receive a brocha from their Rebbe.
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TwinsMommy




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jan 10 2017, 7:53 pm
for one of my businesses I created a one sheet explaining that for 8 hours a week I charge $xxx per month paid in advance (breaks down to under $30 an hour). For 5 hours a week I charge $xxx per month (breaks down to $30+ an hour). For 2 hours a week I charge $xxx per month (breaks down to a higher rate per hour--- can't remember offhand!)

Everyone pays a month in advance, I keep track of hours, and it's all laid out in black and white so if they want to pay less they can switch to a package which allows more hours per week. I don't WANT ten 2 hour a week clients. 5 and 8 hour a week clients are easiest--- dealing with fewer people, doing more in depth work and getting better results, etc.

But I'm not in editing--I do social media consultation-- but it's still a neat idea to create packages and not feel guilty charging people different amounts.
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amother
Mustard


 

Post Tue, Jan 10 2017, 11:20 pm
I started out at $25/hr about 10 years ago.

Now I charge $50/hour for new clients, $40 or $45 for existing clients and $35 for students.

And I am excellent at what I do.

I also have a minimum.

I have a colleague who charges $75-$100/hr but she has 30 years more experience than I do (and is also very good and very, very quick).
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 12:31 am
TwinsMommy, I like that package idea.

Fox and amother mustard, can you please share what makes the difference between a $50/hour editor and a $30/hour editor? Do you have some special qualifications for that?

I just agreed to a large editing job as part of a kind of barter arrangement and I'm trying to figure out how to put a value on my time. I have innate feel for editing, a good grasp of grammar and such, and the benefit of background knowledge in the content matter for this job, but I wouldn't ace a really nitpicky formal editing test. I haven't taken specific editing courses. I know plenty of basic grammar and punctuation rules but I'd sooner go with intuition and what sounds good than waste time worrying about obscure persnickety rules that only grammar nazis harp on. Does that make me a $20 editor?

I've done a lot of unpaid editing as favors for friends and family because it's actually kind of fun for me, but no formal jobs yet. I think I'm reasonably paced, I won't rush because I don't want to miss anything but you'll be getting your hour's worth out of me.

How much am I worth?
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perquacky




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 1:20 pm
Are you talking about editing or copyediting? Editing will pay much more, especially if your editing in a very specialized field like medicine or finance. Copyediting manuscripts in those areas will also pay more than fiction.
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 2:07 pm
My main specialty is education (though I'm well-versed in other subjects, too) - not on the caliber of medicine or law, but my background does offer a benefit to relevant jobs.

Both editing and copyediting but if you can clarify the exact difference it would be helpful.
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perquacky




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 2:12 pm
I think this about sums it up (found it online):

Editing refers to making changes to the content of a piece. For instance, you might reorganize, rewrite, revise, reposition -- there's a lot of "re" stuff going on. Typically, it's a very collaborative process with the writer.

Copyediting, on the other hand, involves fewer sweeping changes. It focuses more on accuracy, formatting, and sometimes (though not always) proofreading.

Different skills. And editing takes many more hours.
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 2:16 pm
OK, so anyone want to weigh in on specific rates that would be appropriate to charge?
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amother
Scarlet


 

Post Thu, Aug 10 2017, 2:52 pm
Bumping this. I was recently asked to edit a document (over 25 pages) and quoted my hourly rate for my other work ($80 per hour). I was under the impression that it was already edited and just needed an overview, but once I began working on it, I realized that there is a lot of work to be done. I've already spent over five hours on this project and expect at least another couple of hours to finish. Should I lower my rate (because it is taking me longer than I assumed it would), or does $400-$600 sound like a normal price to pay for editing?
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amother
Forestgreen


 

Post Thu, Aug 10 2017, 3:07 pm
amother wrote:
Bumping this. I was recently asked to edit a document (over 25 pages) and quoted my hourly rate for my other work ($80 per hour). I was under the impression that it was already edited and just needed an overview, but once I began working on it, I realized that there is a lot of work to be done. I've already spent over five hours on this project and expect at least another couple of hours to finish. Should I lower my rate (because it is taking me longer than I assumed it would), or does $400-$600 sound like a normal price to pay for editing?


Your client agreed to $80 per hour. Did you give your client an estimate of how many hours you expected to spend?
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sweetpotato




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 10 2017, 3:54 pm
When I freelance edit, I charge at least $35/hr.
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amother
Scarlet


 

Post Thu, Aug 10 2017, 8:30 pm
amother wrote:
Your client agreed to $80 per hour. Did you give your client an estimate of how many hours you expected to spend?


Based on the knowledge that it was already edited and a brief overview of the doc, I told them that I thought it would take 1-2 hours. Unfortunately, it needs a lot more work than what I assumed.
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 10 2017, 10:08 pm
I would have contacted them as soon as I noticed the writing needed more work. I'd explain to them what I'm seeing and how that differs from my original understanding of the job, and ask whether they want to proceed with a larger job at the same rate.
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amother
Forestgreen


 

Post Thu, Aug 10 2017, 10:50 pm
amother wrote:
Based on the knowledge that it was already edited and a brief overview of the doc, I told them that I thought it would take 1-2 hours. Unfortunately, it needs a lot more work than what I assumed.


You need talk to them before you continue and tell them how much time you've put in, and how much is left, and how do they want to proceed.

Personally - I wouldn't jump to offer a discount, but I would be flexible. (I would also consider who I'm doing the work for).

In theory, the time you spend doing discounted work for this client, is time you could be spending doing full price work for someone else.

Seems like you are feeling guilty about your rate.

ETA: 120 minutes for 25 pages is just under 5 minutes a page. Even for something already edited - what can you do in 5 minutes?
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amother
Scarlet


 

Post Thu, Aug 10 2017, 11:59 pm
amother wrote:
You need talk to them before you continue and tell them how much time you've put in, and how much is left, and how do they want to proceed.

Personally - I wouldn't jump to offer a discount, but I would be flexible. (I would also consider who I'm doing the work for).

In theory, the time you spend doing discounted work for this client, is time you could be spending doing full price work for someone else.

Seems like you are feeling guilty about your rate.

ETA: 120 minutes for 25 pages is just under 5 minutes a page. Even for something already edited - what can you do in 5 minutes?


I must clarify that I am not a professional editor, although I am a freelance writer and have done some freelance editing work. I charge $80 per hour for another line of work. My estimate was based on inexperience (I now have a better idea about how long editing takes!). When I researched editing rates (here and on google), I found that the going rate is between $20-$50, with $85 at the high end. I am wondering if it is ethical to charge $80 even though the client is willing to pay and knows that I am not a professional editor. He also knows that the job is taking way longer than 2 hours.
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amother
Forestgreen


 

Post Fri, Aug 11 2017, 12:23 am
amother wrote:
I must clarify that I am not a professional editor, although I am a freelance writer and have done some freelance editing work. I charge $80 per hour for another line of work. My estimate was based on inexperience (I now have a better idea about how long editing takes!). When I researched editing rates (here and on google), I found that the going rate is between $20-$50, with $85 at the high end. I am wondering if it is ethical to charge $80 even though the client is willing to pay and knows that I am not a professional editor. He also knows that the job is taking way longer than 2 hours.


How much did your client rely on you to tell him what market rates are?
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amother
Scarlet


 

Post Fri, Aug 11 2017, 1:05 am
amother wrote:
How much did your client rely on you to tell him what market rates are?


I'm not sure what you mean. He didn't ask for market rates. He asked me how much I charge for editing. Since I do not have a specific rate for editing, I used my regular working rate.

It seems to me that he is prepared to pay whatever fee I quote. I simply do not want to overcharge. Does $400 sound like highway robbery for editing a 25 page document? This includes shaving off a significant amount of hours worked. I guess it's pretty obvious that this is not my regular line of work (that's not to say I didn't do a good job Wink.
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amother
Mustard


 

Post Fri, Aug 11 2017, 2:03 am
It sounds like you are learning on the job, which means you certainly should not be charging a high end rate.
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