Free tool · Live estimate
Book editing cost calculator
Slide the word count. Mark the stage. Watch the market range move. Educational bands—not a Polar Bear quote.
Estimated market range
—
Move the slider to see an educational range.
- Per word
- —
- Editor hours
- —
- Calendar
- —
Ranges follow common indie-market bands. Complexity, fact-checking, and sample-page findings change real quotes.
Same word count · every pass
Compare the path, not just the sticker
Condition and rush modifiers apply to all rows. The selected service is marked.
| Service | Range | Hours |
|---|
FAQ
Before you treat the number as a quote
Educational ranges, not Polar Bear quotes. Pick the right pass before you trust the sticker.
How did you calculate these ranges?
Word count times the educational per-word band for the selected service, then adjusted for manuscript condition and rush. Bands: critique $0.008–$0.018, proofreading $0.010–$0.020, copyediting $0.018–$0.035, developmental $0.030–$0.060, package $0.045–$0.080. They match the tables in our book editing cost guide.
Is this a Polar Bear quote?
No. It is an educational market range, not an invoice. A real quote needs sample pages, a written scope, and your actual word count. Request a scoped quote when you want a human number.
What if I pick the wrong pass?
The number will look cheaper and the book will not get the work it needs. Proofreading a first draft is how rough books ship polished. If structure is still moving, start with a critique or developmental edit.
What is a typical novel length?
Commercial fiction often lands near 70,000–90,000 words. This calculator defaults to 80,000 because that is the planning number most authors search. Novellas cluster around 40,000; epic fantasy can run 120,000 and up.
How to use this number
If developmental editing looks high, do not “save money” by buying proofreading instead. That is how rough books ship polished. Adjust stage, not reality.
Clean manuscripts sit toward the low end. Rough drafts and rush calendars push the high end. None of this replaces a sample-page scope.
Next: compare types of editing, then tell us genre, word count, and goals for a scoped quote.