EDITING, FORMATTING, BOOK COVER DESIGN SERVICES
by Rick Taubold
(revised 09/06/2025)
Payment for services is accepted via PayPal or physical check once the project is done and you are satisfied.
The terms for the various types of editing and what they include are not consistent across editing services. I use the following definitions:
PROOFREADING: Refers to final editing prior to publication. This looks for typographical and spelling errors, missing and repeated words, basic grammar errors, missing punctuation.
COPYEDITING: Covers spelling, punctuation, grammar, word usage errors (words commonly confused, incorrectly used words, wrong word choices), consistency of usage and spelling (capitalization, use of numerals, punctuation styles, character names, and made-up terms).
LINE EDITING (also called SUBSTANTIVE EDITING): Cleans and polishes the manuscript line by line to ensure consistency of writing style, sentence structure, and clean up awkward sentences. Some editors lump this in with COPYEDITING.
DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING (also called STRUCTURAL EDITING or CONTENT EDITING): Looks at the manuscript as a whole to assess and fix plot flow, story structure, and the overall writing—what works and what needs work. This may involve the editor doing major revisions or rewriting of the work. This is not a service I offer, and writers who require, or believe they require, this type of service might do better spending their money on writing classes and workshops and getting involved with other writers in critique groups to perfect their craft.
My editing is copyediting (by the above definition) because the distinction between that an proofreading is too fine a line to distinguish. I do not line edit. I will not change your sentences beyond copyediting, even if I feel your writing needs additional help. I do not believe in forcing a writing style, mine or otherwise, on the author. I will respect your choices and decisions but will question anything I am unsure of. An editor’s job is to make your writing understandable and presentable and to polish and adjust for consistency, not rewrite or change the story or the author’s voice.
If you do not feel that your manuscript is ready for a final edit by me, have it critiqued by someone. If you feel comfortable with your manuscript as is, I will proceed with editing and charge the rates given below.
CAVEAT: I will not fix any issues with your writing or storytelling beyond spelling, grammar, and basic word-choice errors, name inconsistencies, or factual errors. Other writing issues are your responsibility and fall in the realm of line editors, developmental editors, and beta readers.
I charge by word count, not by the hour, which ensures that you know exactly what it will cost you in the end. I prescreen manuscripts to be sure they are ready for my services and to determine the exact rates that will apply.
All services are guaranteed. After I complete the work, if you feel I have not done the job you paid for, I will adjust the charges appropriately or I will fix things at no charge—at your option.
MY COPYEDITING SERVICE INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING:
—Look for and fix continuity errors and anomalies to the best of my ability, with no promises that I will catch them all. These are the author’s responsibility. I will either correct them if the change is obvious or contact you if I cannot determine what is correct or have questions. Typical problems include inconsistent spellings of character names or other made-up names or terms, or inconsistent descriptions.
—Fix punctuation to ensure the manuscript reads as you intend and that the punctuation style is consistent. There are different punctuation styles, and I will try to respect yours as long as it is a clear and consistent one.
—Limited fact checking. I possess a broad knowledge of many subjects and several foreign languages. I will try to catch errors on those subjects within my expertise or things that strike me as possibly incorrect. I will look up anything I’m unfamiliar with to confirm its correctness. However, getting the facts right are the author’s responsibility, and unless something raises a flag for me, I may miss it.
—I will not change dialogue except for obvious spelling errors or an obviously missing word. I will not alter your voice or the characters’ voices, and I will consult you on anything I am unsure of.
USE OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IN YOUR MANUSCRIPT: You cannot use quotes or parts of someone else’s copyrighted work in your book without written permission unless the work is in the public domain. I may be able to advise you on certain things in this regard. This especially applies to poetry and song lyrics. You cannot quote any part of a song, other than the title, without permission. In most cases, you may freely use titles of works unless the title is trademarked (such as Star Trek or Star Wars). Merely citing the work or reference is not sufficient. I will try to give you my best advice, but I am not a lawyer and cannot give legal advice.
A free sample edit of 5-10 pages (max 2500 words) is available so you can see my work first.
No editor is perfect. The more errors and problems that an editor has to correct, the greater the chances of missing some. The more work you put in to refine your writing and fix mistakes, the greater your chances of having a clean manuscript in the end. Experience has taught me that we almost never catch all the errors. Even books from commercial publishers frequently contain errors, sometimes significant ones. I do my best to catch everything.
Turnaround time depends on my current workload and the size of the project.
ESTIMATING TIME TO EDIT A MANUSCRIPT
I estimate I can edit on average about 7K words per day on a daily basis without wearing myself or my eyes out. I arrive at this 7K number based about 30 pages per day with an average of 230 words per page (a 6×9 page with 1.5 spacing, which is how I set up the manuscript prior to editing). I edit 1-3 chapters at a time, then I go back and take a second pass (usually the next day) through those before moving on to the next set of chapters.
Therefore, to estimate editing time in days for a manuscript, take the total word count, multiply by 2 (to allow for 2 passes), and divide by 7000. Then add 5–10 days to allow for initial prep and cleanup and final cleanup. If the manuscript requires extra attention, add 20% to the time estimate.
Example: Figure a normal 100,000-word novel will take 5-6 weeks to edit from start to finish. The actual completion date will depend on when I’m able to start the project.
EDITING RATES (per 1000 words, no hourly rate)
Copyediting (my normal editing process):
Up to 5000 words: $6/1000 (minimum charge $10)
Over 5000 words: $10/1000 normal rate
$12/1000 if excessive work needed to clean it up
I will advise after reviewing the manuscript, and prior to editing, which rates will apply.
These rates assume the author has made an obvious effort to clean-up and spell-check the manuscript beforehand, meaning it has been gone over several times and is not a first draft riddled with errors. If a piece needs major clean-up work of any sort, I will advise of this and give you the option of revision or we can discuss a possible course of action and negotiate a fair rate for the extra work involved.
I check facts and verify anything that does not look right or that I am not sure of. I will watch for basic story continuity elements, comment if I believe you need to make changes, and clean up occasional messy sentences. If I find myself correcting the same problems and errors too often, this may be cause for additional charges. Again, I will advise you if I run into this.
Before I begin the actual editing, I do basic manuscript clean-up to remove junk (extra spaces, tabs, and other problems) that may have crept into the manuscript. This is included in the cost of all services. I can do a normal cleanup in an hour or less, but if I have to spend more time that that, I will charge an extra $25 cleaning up a messy manuscript. After you have completed your manuscript and revised it to your liking, check it for consistent scene breaks and paragraph breaks.
If I find any of the following issues with any frequency in the manuscript, it will result in an additional clean-up charge because they all require varying degrees of time to fix.
—NEVER use multiple spaces to indent paragraphs or adjust appearance. Use First Line Indent.
—NEVER use multiple returns (as you had to do on a typewriter) to create a new chapter.
Never use an enter/return at the end of every line on the page. Use these only to start a new paragraph, not a new line. If I find this problem in substantial or recurring sections of the manuscript, I will notify you of the problem. You have the option of fixing this yourself or I will add an extra $1 per/1000 words because fixing it requires extensive manual effort.
NOTE: If you plan to produce an e-book, tabs and extra spaces and returns will corrupt the formatting. I can format the manuscript as well for a nominal extra charge.
*** SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL CHARGES: I assume that the manuscript as delivered to me is in its final form. After I have completed editing, I will send you the manuscript to approve, to address any outstanding issues, and to make any corrections. That done, I will then complete the editing process. However, if you decide to make significant changes or revisions to the edited manuscript, then I will charge an additional $25 per hour to incorporate your revisions and to verify that you did not introduce new errors and to re-edit those changes as necessary to ensure a clean final manuscript.
FORMATTING A MANUSCRIPT FOR PUBLICATION
E-book and print book (either or both combined). This includes setting margins, page, and scene breaks, making the word spacing on a line look decent, and making the manuscript look nice. For anything beyond this, I will quote any extra charges applicable.
without editing job: $100 up to 50k + $20/25k over that
with editing job: $60 up to 50k + $10/25k over that
These prices include up to 3 images (pictures, tables, charts) inserted in the manuscript (such as an author photo or similar). Over 3 images, I will add $3 per image. This assumes all images are ready to be inserted with no more than basic cropping, resizing, or rotation. If extra processing is required on images, I will add $2 per applicable image.
Special Formatting: In general, I do not do special formatting beyond the basics, such as for textbooks, but I may undertake simple projects like self-help and reference books that include minimal tables, diagrams, or images. I will quote you the charge for the extra work.
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BOOK COVERS
In most cases, the cost of the cover includes any necessary stock images obtained from royalty-free sites. I will under no circumstances violate owner copyrights and use permissions in obtaining these. If a required image is not available from one of the places I subscribe to, or the use requires additional licensing fees, I will inform you of this before proceeding. To date I have not had to use such images.
Front cover (e-book) only: $80 (with editing services $60)
Full cover (includes e-book): $100 (with editing services $80)
Hardback cover (KDP only): add $30 to full cover price
I prefer to do covers only for those books that I have read or edited because that way I can get a better feel for what would be a suitable cover. If I have not edited or read your book, you will need to provide me enough information about the story to give me a good feel for it. If you have a particular concept in mind, I will do my best to give it to you.
If for any reason I am unable to provide you with an acceptable cover, I will not charge you for the work. While I have done many covers, cover design is not my primary business. I include it because I enjoy it and can do it inexpensively because I’m not trying to make a living from it.
Paying for a high-priced commercial cover designer may increase sales but does not guarantee them. The perfect cover won’t sell a poorly written book. Book cover design is highly subjective. The opinion of one design expert may not agree with another. In the end, a book cover’s job is to attract the attention of prospective buyers and to attempt to convey the type of book.