Services

Services

"Lisa is amazing. She calmly manages multiple projects, keeps track of many clients, and carries on smiling ... I trust her attention to detail and ability to make the whole process better. She takes care of my clients as well as I do."


Debbie Jenkins, Author, Writing Mentor & Creation Coach, Founder of the Asset Path

Working with independent authors, publishers, writing mentors and book coaches.

I'm keen that we have a conversation so that I can understand what you're looking for:  proofreading (the last double-check before publication) for your non-fiction book or your fiction project, line- and copyediting (an edit before typesetting) for your business book or your novel, or proof-editing for your book (somewhere in-between).


That's why I offer a free exploratory call so we can see if we suit each other and what your needs are as you prepare to publish.


I often find that people have different expectations about what proofreading means, and this is why I'm so keen to have a conversation before I quote. And it's why proof-editing can be a popular option for independent authors.


Let's talk about what you need
The image has a pastel pink and white striped background with a dark blue rectangle in the center. The text inside reads:
Which of my services would suit you? Download the presentation here.

I will quote a flat fee – you'll know in advance how much your project will cost.

I always ask for your expected word count and your timescales. Based on this, and a conversation about what you need, I'll quote a bespoke flat fee.


Depending on where you are in the publishing process, a short sample edit may be useful. We can talk about this when we have our exploratory call.


As a member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading, I pay attention to their suggested minimum rates (£29.85 an hour for proofreading and £34.70 an hour for copyediting).


I appreciate that a £ per 1,000 word rate might be more helpful than a £ per hour rate when you're considering how much an edit could cost. So I've looked at my typical flat fee and worked out how it relates to a £ per 1,000 word rate. The rate depends on which service you're looking for and varies for each project, based on the level of intervention that's needed and how quickly you need the project back.


For business books, the sizes I've seen most often over the last couple of years (up to early 2024), have been 25,000 words and 40,000 words.


The indicative price for copyediting a 25,000 word business book is £650.


The indicative price for copyediting a 40,000 word business book is £900.


Economies of scale don't have a huge impact until the size of the book goes over 50,000 words.


For smaller projects (like a blog or a business report):


Type of service £ per 1,000 words start from
Proofreading £10
Proof-editing £11
Copyediting £12
Let's talk about what you need

 What has an impact on the quote?


Projects vary widely and, when I'm quoting for your project, these are some  of the questions that I need to think about:

 

  • What are your timescales? 
  • Do you need a quick turnaround?
  • Do you have a style guide or editorial conventions that you'd like me to apply? Are they conventional or unusual?
  • Is the project in Word or PDF? 
  • If it's in Word, am I okay to mark up any suggestions using Track Changes? 
  • If it's in PDF, would you like me to mark up using Adobe's standard tools or BSI stamps?
  • How many words does your project have? I will be thinking about economies of scale.
  • Will the project include tables or artwork?
  • Do you have an automatic table of contents?
  • Do you want a follow-up review after the detailed copyedit?
  • Do you want more than one round of copyediting?
  • Are you in the same time zone as me (GMT)? 

 

Share by: