As with any self-publishing business, the cost of an editor is determined by a variety of factors. A copy editor costs about $0.018/word, a developmental editor costs about $0.025/word, and a proofreader costs about $0.01/word. However, because these rates are based on a range of genres and manuscript “readiness” levels, your actual editing fees may differ in offsite website publishing. However, you should expect to pay $1,000-$3,000 each volume for copyediting and proofreading. You should expect to pay $5,000-$10,000 to ghost writing team for developmental editing.
Although it may seem self-evident, authors frequently overlook the length of their work when budgeting for editing services. This is why it’s a good idea to keep track of your word count and reduce it as much as feasible.
