Book editing....how much should it pay??

Question

i have recently been editing a book for one of my uncle's. He has asked me what i want to get paid for editing it. i have no idea. the book sucks...i am basically re writing the whole thing. not to mention 19 pages of this 200 page book is a story stright out of the bible. i cant go into all of the details....i spend countless hours on this book and i feel like nothing is accomplished, b/c IT SUCKS SO BAD. what should i charge????? (he paid one lady $850.00 to edit another one of his books and he said that when she was done, it really wasn't edited.) help please.

Answer 1

So as not to alienate your uncle, I would refer him to a literary agent. Maybe even help him develop a query. If the book is as bad as you claim, he won't be able to get an agent, thus will (hopefully) want to rethink his premise or style, etc. However, if he does snag an agent, they should handle all the editing for him. Remember: an agent should never charge a reading fee, it's the sure sign of a disreputable agent.

Answer 2

Consider first that it is your uncle, and unless you are a professional editor, your editing is really not "worth" that much. Also editors do not get paid based on "how much they cross out or edit" but typically by how many words the book is. Some people charge 2 cents a word, others 5 cents. Some cost a lot more, but then again, those are for professional editing jobs.

200 pages is really not a lot, so I'd probably say 100 bucks. If it is any consolation, I have a 600 page book I am working on that documents America's Christian Heritage........... So if you think your uncle's book is tedious, try mine.

Answer 3

I really don't know how much you should charge, but if the book is as bad as you say, then really, you would be taking advantage of your uncle by completeing this task and charging him for it. I would simply tell him you don't have the time to edit his book. It sounds like he really doesn't know what he is doing, and it would not be right for you to capitalize on this.

Answer 4

here is what i found out surfing the webManuscript Critique
An overall assessment of your work. We will flag problem areas and make suggestions for improvement, but we will not offer line-by-line revision advice. Fee is $2.25 per page. Most work can be finished within fifteen (15) days of receipt of manuscript.Copy Editing
Corrects grammar, punctuation and spelling errors as well as logic and continuity problems. Fee is $30.00 per hour. Most work will be finished within fifteen (15) days of receipt of manuscript/payment.Line Editing
Checks each sentence for paragraphing, structure, dialog and word usage to ensure a smoothly flowing document. Fee is $35.00 per hour. Most work will be finished within fifteen (15) days of receipt of manuscript/paymentContent Editing
This is also known as substantive editing and is a modified mix of proofreading, copy and line editing. Since all three are done at once, the corrections may be less exacting than the ones that go through either a proofreading and/or a copy or line edit first. Fee is $35.00 per hour. Most work will be finished within fifteen (15) days of receipt of manuscript/payment. Please ask if you need a faster turnaround on any of our services. It is available for an additional charge.