Editing and Editing Rates
I am a developmental editor, book coach, and publishing support expert with over 10 years of experience in editing, writing, and criticism. I’ve edited for Bella Books/Bella Media Channel, GLR, NYC-based firm Intrepid Literary, and DecodedPride.com, among others. My writing has been published online and in-print, so I understand the processes of pitching/querying, developing your ideas, structuring, and delivering books, short stories, and essays. (Check out my full bio here.)
Though I am an eclectic lover of the written word, I specialize in fiction (literary, science fiction, fantasy, speculative fiction, contemporary), memoir, how-to, nonprofit topics, and fiction and nonfiction for new writers. I love editing personal essays, short stories, and book-length projects.
And the really good news is…my books are open to editing clients! Think you’re a good fit? Please reach out!
I know you can be the author you’ve been dreaming of–and I can help you get there. But don’t take it from me, check out what some of the folks who have worked with me have to say:
- “I wholeheartedly recommend S.E. Fleenor as both a developmental and line editor. As a writer, I appreciate how incredibly easy they are to work with: frequent communication that sets clear expectations for the editorial process, timely return of all deliverables, and a level of respect for the author’s vision that is unparalleled. Additionally, their compassionate, socially-aware approach makes them a safe haven for marginalized writers traditionally excluded from the publishing process.” —Maria Dong, author of Liar, Dreamer, Thief
- “S.E. is a fantastic editor. They’re insightful, wise, and kind. I’ve loved working with them, and would do so again any time.” —Izzy Wasserstein, author of All the Hometowns You Can’t Stay Away From
- “Brilliant command of language, nuance, subtlety and helping to flesh out the diamonds in the writing. What an utter joy it is to work with someone who understands the writing process in and out as much as how to give a story its publishing legs.” —Akil Wingate, Writer / TV Presenter / Filmmaker
- “S.E. edited my essays often and improved the pieces every time. They were one of the best editors I’ve worked with because of their insight in suggesting angles and solidifying the shape of a piece.” —Sara Century, author of A Small Light and Other Stories
Transparent Pricing
I’m a big believer in transparency. While I can guess at why other editors don’t list their prices online, it just doesn’t make sense to me. I want you to know what to expect in terms of my experience, my skill, and my rates, so I made this page for you. I offer five services: manuscript reviews, developmental editing on a sliding scale, line editing at a standard rate, personalized writing coaching, and hourly editorial support.
I believe in transparent, sliding scale pricing because all writers need editorial support and often that support is inaccessible. I want to be a part of helping more people pursue their writing goals.
A Manuscript Review includes reading your book to determine: what stage the manuscript is at and next steps, the potential publication future, high level recommendations for revisions, and the manuscript’s strengths, as well as a 5+ page editorial letter and a 30 minute video call to discuss my feedback. I recently developed this service so I could offer more affordable but still deeply helpful editorial support to more clients. A manuscript review of a book-length project is $750 and I offer a two-week turnaround at most times of the year.
A Developmental Edit includes reading your book to assess the overall strengths and room for improvement, providing minimal notes in the margins, and writing an editorial letter with specific suggestions for ways to strengthen your book. I will also provide a 20+ page editorial letter outlining my suggestions and we will meet for 30 minutes after you receive my feedback to discuss any thoughts you have. To developmentally edit a book-length project of up to 90,000 words, my sliding-scale range is $1,500 – $2,500. The low end of this range reflects the truly bare minimum for my time and skill. The high end reflects the typical going rate for developmental editing. The timeframe depends on the length of the project.
A Line Edit includes reading your manuscript to assess how your story is communicated on the sentence-to-sentence level, as well as paying attention to clarity, themes, goals, audience, and writing style. The focus overall is on the way you use language to tell your story. I provide line editing on a case-by-case basis only. Line editing requires a high level of attention and effort and so I only take on a few projects a year. To line edit a book-length project, I charge .049/word. This reflects the Editorial Freelancers Association (see more below). The timeframe depends on the length of the project and all line edits include a short editorial letter.
Personalized Writing Coaching is one of my favorite offerings. I adore digging into a book, story, article, or body of work with an author and helping them decipher ways to strengthen their own writing that are relevant to them. I’m a firm believer in a highly personalized approach to coaching which means there isn’t a set number of sessions or rate, but instead, we will get together for a brief planning session during which we’ll determine what will best serve you as an author, what your budget is, and what we can do together within those parameters. Personalized writing coaching is an hourly offering at the rate of $50/hour.
Other Editorial Work: I offer developmental editing of short works (short stories, audioplays, and essays) and self-publishing support at an hourly rate of $50/hour.
Details! I wanna know details!
Where do these rates come from?
The higher end of my sliding scale range for developmental editing reflects what others have charged for my work as a subcontractor, the standards of the Editorial Freelancers Association, and research I’ve done on the rates of other freelance developmental editors. The lower end is the bare minimum I can charge for my years of experience, expertise, and, frankly, time.
It’s also important to remember that in both my hourly wage and my sliding scale, I’m a freelancer. That means that I do not get any benefits. I pay for my own insurance, accounting, marketing, and pretty much every business expense out of pocket–before compensating myself at all.
How do I reserve a spot?
I don’t take on just any client. I have a limited number of spots available on my schedule and at this time, I am booking for Spring 2025 and beyond. If you’re interested in becoming a client, drop me an email and I’ll reply with a few questions for you to respond to. If we agree that we’re a good fit, I’ll accept a deposit and get you on my books.
To reserve a spot on my books, I require a quarter of the total amount as a deposit.
What if my project is longer than 90,000 words?
To developmentally edit any project over 90,000 words, email me and let’s figure out the price that works for you.