
Cheryl Courtney Semick

Author, Speaker, Publisher
Playwright, Poet, Essayist
Indie Book Imprint Owner, Website Creator
Radio, TV, Newspaper Columnist
Cost Estimates

Estimate the Cost to Edit Your Book
10,000 words (20 pgs)@ 13.5 hrs = $472.50
20,000 words (40 pgs) @ 26.5 hrs = $927.50
30,000 words (60 pgs) @ 40 hrs = $1400.00
40,000 words (80 pgs) @ 53.5 hrs = $1872.50
50,000 words (100 pgs) @ 67 hrs = $2345.00
60,000 words (120 pgs) @ 80 hrs = $2800.00
70,000 words (140 pgs) @ 93.5 hrs = $3272.50
80,000 words (160 pgs) @ 107 hrs = $3745.00
90,000 words (180 pgs) @ 120 hrs = $4200.00
100,000 words (200 pgs) @ 133.5 hrs = $4672.50
Estimate the Cost to Type Your Book
10,000 – 30,000 words = $110 – $315
40,000 – 60,000 words = $415 – $625
70,000 – 100,000 words = $735 – $1050
How I estimate quotes for editing . . .
I derive my quotes to edit books with a formula that is based on your total word count. I estimate that each 8.5 X 11 page you type (double-spaced) has approximately 500 words. Then, with my average edit time of 1.5 pages per hour, times my hourly rate of $35/hour, I multiple that figure by the number of pages of your total manuscript.
Please note, I require 50% down before beginning your project.
Thank you.
FYI: If you feel my estimated hours to edit your book are high, here’s what the Chicago style guide estimates: “As a very rough estimate, a 100,000-word book manuscript, edited online by an experienced editor, may take seventy-five [75] to one hundred [100] hours of work before being sent to the author, plus another ten to twenty [10-20] additional hours after the author’s review.” (pg. 71, The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition)