Hire a Book Editor: Book Editing Services Across All Four EFA Levels

Each level has its own window, counted from the day you sign the contract: developmental editing 15 to 25 business days, line editing 7 to 12, copy editing 5 to 10, and proofreading 3 to 7. Those windows hold to 60,000 words, and longer manuscripts take longer. When you book several levels, they run in order, and your exact delivery date is in the quote before you pay. If you have a launch date, tell us on the call and we will confirm whether it fits.

Shortlist two or three editors who work in your genre, and ask each for a sample edit of your own pages. A portfolio shows someone else’s finished book, while a sample shows what happens to yours. Before you pay, check three things: genre experience, what happens if the first round misses, and whether the quoted level matches what your draft needs. Most authors find editors through the Editorial Freelancers Association directory, author referrals, or agencies that match editors to books. At AuthorWings, the sample costs $49 and comes off your edit, your editor is matched to your subgenre, and reassignment costs nothing.

Yes. Self-publishing editing services matter more, not less, because no publisher’s editor checks your book before readers see it, and readers still compare it with traditionally published titles that went through developmental, line, copy, and proofreading passes. Most books need at least copy editing and a proofread before publication. Whether you also need developmental or line editing depends on the draft, and a $49 sample edit shows you. Once the edit is done, our book publishing services cover design, formatting, and distribution.

You are never charged more without approving it first. This happens occasionally on projects where the sample chapter was the strongest part of the manuscript. The editor flags the mismatch before starting the edit, with a written note explaining what the manuscript actually needs. You then choose: keep the levels you booked (the editor does what was contracted, knowing the manuscript needs more) or add the deeper level, with the price difference quoted transparently. No surprise upgrades mid-project.

Like yours. A good editor strengthens your existing voice rather than replacing it. Line edits that read like the editor wrote them are a sign the editor is overstepping, and that is grounds for pushback or editor reassignment. The sample edit is your first checkpoint: if the sample feels like your prose, only sharper, the editor is doing the job correctly. If it feels like a different writer, tell us before you sign, and we will talk it through on a call.

You accept or reject every tracked change. The editor cannot override your decisions. If you reject a change the editor strongly recommends, the comment thread explains the editorial reasoning, and you can decide based on that. The author has final authority on every line. Rejected changes can be discussed again at the next level, if needed.

The reassignment clause activates. The new editor inherits the existing tracked-changes file, comment threads, style sheet (if started), and editorial letter (developmental editing). You do not start over. The existing edit work continues from where it left off, with the new editor maintaining consistency with the tone and decisions already made. No additional cost.

Yes. Your editor signs a project NDA before receiving the manuscript, and a mutual NDA is available before the first call if you ask. You keep 100% of the rights to your work. Your manuscript is never uploaded to AI tools or training pipelines, as set out in our AI Policy.

No. Every editing pass is done by a human editor. Your manuscript is never uploaded to an AI training pipeline, pasted into ChatGPT for “first-pass” work, or shared with any third-party tool that retains text. During copy editing, an editor may use deterministic consistency checkers such as PerfectIt and the Word grammar checker, and reviews every suggestion before it reaches your file. Our full position is in our AI Policy.

We have editor specialists for memoir, business and authority books, academic and technical writing, romance, thriller, fantasy, sci-fi, literary fiction, children’s books from picture books to YA, poetry collections, and screenplays. The intake form asks for your genre, and we match accordingly. Picture books, early readers and chapter books have flat prices on our children’s book editing page. If your manuscript is in a niche outside the standard pool, we tell you on the consultation call rather than guessing.

Yes. The default is the Chicago Manual of Style for fiction and nonfiction in the US, AP Stylebook for journalism-adjacent nonfiction, APA, MLA, or Modern Humanities Research Association for academic work depending on your field, and house style for trade publishers if you have one. If you have a custom style sheet from a previous editor or publisher, send it with the manuscript and we will follow it. The editor will document any deviations.

Yes. The editor follows the English variant and style guide you specify, whether that is US spelling with Chicago, UK spelling with New Hart’s Rules or your house style, or Canadian or Australian conventions. Tell us your preferred variant on the intake form, or send an existing style sheet, and the editor documents every choice so spelling, punctuation, and vocabulary stay consistent throughout. If you are unsure which convention fits your market, we will flag it during the sample edit.

Yes, as a separate service quoted outside the editing levels. Sensitivity reads are done by specialists with lived experience of the identity, culture, or subject on the page. When a manuscript would benefit from one, such as memoir touching on race, faith, disability, or trauma, or fiction with characters outside your own experience, we flag it in the sample edit and connect you with a reader. The read runs alongside editing where possible.

Generally no. Editing requires the whole manuscript to evaluate pacing, structure, and through-line. The exception is a proofread on its own, where the manuscript should already be near-final, in which case chunked delivery is fine. For every other level, send the complete manuscript. If you want craft guidance while writing, book coaching is the better fit.

Microsoft Word (.docx) is the default. Tracked changes work natively in Word, which is the format we return the edit in. Google Docs is acceptable. We convert it to Word for the edit and return both versions. Scrivener, Pages, plain text, or PDF need to be converted to Word before editing begins, ideally by you so the formatting matches your intended structure.

No, and any editor who promises a 100% error-free manuscript is overselling. Layered editing catches the great majority of errors before publication. Copy editing fixes grammar, punctuation, and consistency, and the final proofread catches typos introduced during revision. Booking line, copy and proofreading gives your manuscript several passes, with the proofread run last on the revised file, because a few stray errors can survive any human process.

Yes. The style sheet from book one transfers automatically. The voice work is already calibrated. Editor and author continuity is what makes the second book move faster than the first. We track editor-author pairings and prioritize continuity on repeat engagements. Pricing on book two follows the same per-genre rates, with no loyalty penalty for coming back.

You do not need a local editor, because book editing is remote work and a tracked-changes file is the same from any city. AuthorWings is registered in Brooklyn, New York, with editors across US time zones, and works with authors in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Manuscripts, samples, and revision rounds move by email. When searching for book editing services near me, the questions worth asking are time-zone overlap and response time.