oh joy ... spam

Question for the freelance editors around here: a friend has been asked to edit a full-length book, nonfiction I think. What would be a reasonable rate to charge for that service?

I can't speak from experience, but here's the EFA:

[link]

thanks, Dana

I'm curious. Which of those categories is giving editors notes? I.E: "This approach isn't working. You need to go into more detail here less here. Your tone is too serious/not serious enough." I'm guessing "developmental".

My take is that developmental editing is anything that is shaping the text. (My McGraw-Hill title was developmental editor.)

If you are providing notes/queries it could also be considered heavy copyediting. Line editing would be if you are diving in and rewriting. This happens quite a bit with textbooks, but less so with fiction or academic/narrative non-fiction.

I find that for tasks such as the one mentioned above, what people generally mean is heavy copyediting (proofreading, identifying awkward word choices/suggesting alternatives, minor rewriting of sentences to clarify, style consistency, etc.) This is what I do for California History or other academic articles.

I would not recommend charging less than $40 an hour for that but that can add up quickly so many people that do personal (not publisher) gigs end up charging less.

So, I might have a contract training opportunity coming up. A company that I worked for back in the 90s asked if I'd be interested in developing two training sessions and a job aid. I could do all of these, but I have no idea how to price it. It would probably take me a week or two to to pull together, plus a few hours for the actual training. If anyone has any suggestions, please, that would be very helpful.

I mentioned an amazing new opportunity on my horizon in Bitches, but I'm hoping to get some advice here.

It would be a government contract to consult at the highest level of an agency.

I'm humbled by their trust and energized to take on something I am uniquely qualified to do.

I need two things, references from people who understand what I do and some guidance on how to price this service. It's been a long time since I have consulted to the government and, the last time, I was sponsored by an organization.

Anyone have advice on where to look for resources on pricing consultation services at a high level?

I think I will check with SCORE, but I don't know how current their advice might be.

I ended up sending 6 enthusiastic references today...that should be enough, right?

I got some good advice on pricing from an old friend with whom I have also served as a consultant. She confirmed that the initial number I threw out was good and that, when it comes time to write up the scope of work, I can increase the hourly rate for functions like analysis and interpretation.

Phew. This thing might just work!

Go bonny go!!