Estimating the cost of writing and editing

The cost depends on how long and complex the document is, and how much editing is required. Most editors have a fixed hourly rate, and will quote for a job after they have studied the document. Skilled wordsmiths usually charge more per hour, because they do the job faster. When you find a fine wordsmith, handle with care. They are not exactly thick on the ground.

Be sure to allow sufficient time, whether you do the job yourself or contract a professional editor.

Proofreading
Correcting all errors: a last-minute check before printing
* about 17 minutes per 1000 words to proofread twice

Copy editing
Correcting spelling, punctuation and small grammatical errors in professionally written documents.
* about 35-60 minutes per 1000 words

Editing
All the above, plus rewriting ambiguous sentences, and restructuring some sentences, paragraphs and sections.
* about 1-2.5 hours per 1000 words

Major editing
Restructuring in a logical sequence, rewriting, checking content against external references, adding information that was omitted.
* about 2.5-4 hours per 1000 words

Writing a business document
Writing a document from scratch on behalf of the client or in consultation with the client. Seeking and selecting source material, and writing and editing the document.
* about 6-12 hours per 1000 words

Web copy editing
Editing or rewriting documents for the Web, when content is provided by the client. Organising information into directories. Writing titles, meta tags etc. Editing for high search ranking, on-screen readability, credibility etc.
* about 1-3 hours per page

Web content writing
Writing web content from scratch on behalf of the client or in consultation. Organising information into directories. Selecting and seeking source material, and writing and editing Web pages.
* about 6-12 hours per 1000 words

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