book editing services
You have a finished draft, and need to know two things: which edit it needs next, and what file to upload once it's done. GradeDraft's book editing services cover both: developmental, line, copy and proofreading passes, plus print and EPUB formatting to Amazon KDP and IngramSpark specs. This page is for authors, not students: essays, theses and course papers go through the student-facing academic editing menu and our proofreading services instead.
Nothing upfront — a Stripe invoice (card or bank transfer) after you approve the delivered draft
Send my briefA manuscript needs edits in a specific order, or you waste money and the editor's read. Self publishing editing services that jump to a copy edit on a broken draft still don't work: assessment before developmental, developmental before line and copy. It's sometimes sold as one package; here, it's four separable passes, priced separately.
A 1,500–2,500 word letter diagnosing the manuscript without touching a sentence: what the story is doing, where it loses momentum, which edit comes next.
Structural work on plot, argument, pacing and chapter logic, in the margins and in a full editorial letter. See the excerpt below.
Sentence-level work: rhythm, word choice, consistency, grammar, spelling and punctuation, without changing structure.
The last pass before upload, on typeset pages, not a Word draft. Book proofreading services here catch typos, widow lines and hyphenation slips that only exist once laid out.
If you can't summarize your plot or argument in three sentences, you need a developmental edit, not a copy edit. Once you can, and beta readers stop flagging confusion, you're ready for line and copy. Turning a dissertation into a book? Start with the dissertation edit while it is still an academic draft.
Fiction editing services are usually described in the abstract ("we'll strengthen your plot") without showing what a developmental edit delivers. Professional novel editing services give you two things: in-manuscript notes and a written editorial letter.
Expect 5–10 pages: what's working and why, three to five structural problems ranked by size, chapter notes, and a recommended order of work.
Comments flag scene-level issues as they occur: a dropped subplot, a POV slip, a repeated beat.
Graded by where they sit: a slow-inciting-incident note in chapter 2 outweighs the same note on chapter 20. For a journal article or research manuscript rather than a full book, see manuscript editing for journal submission instead.
Developmental letter excerpt, contemporary novel, 82,000 words
What's working: Your protagonist's voice is the strongest asset here — dry, specific, consistent. Keep it exactly as is through the changes below.
Structural problem 1 — the midpoint doesn't turn anything. Chapter 14 reads as incident, not reversal: her goal and plan don't change.
Structural problem 2 — the antagonist is offstage for 60% of the book. Only two scenes total. One more before the midpoint would make the ending threat feel earned.
Structural problem 3 — the subplot with the sister resolves off-page. Set up over four chapters, paid off in one line in chapter 26 — cut the setup in half, or write the payoff.
Recommended order of work: fix the midpoint turn first, then the antagonist's presence, then the subplot.
This is what professional book editing services should show you for a fiction manuscript: real before-and-after work instead of a marketing claim.
Composite sample written by GradeDraft.
She was walking down the street, thinking about the argument they'd had last night, and it was still bothering her a lot, like it wouldn't leave her alone.
He'd said some things that were pretty harsh and she hadn't had a good response at the time, so now she was replaying it, wishing she'd said something different.
She walked fast, replaying last night's argument in a loop she couldn't switch off. He'd said the harsh part about her mother, and she still hadn't found the comeback she wanted at 2 a.m., let alone at the time.
Book editing for non-fiction differs from novel editing services: the unit is the chapter's promise, not the scene.
Every non-fiction chapter should open with the claim it proves, not the anecdote leading into it. If a reader can't state the chapter's job after page one, restructure the opening.
Non-fiction chapter opening, 120 words
When I was twenty-six, I took a job I wasn't sure I wanted, for a manager I'd spoken to for eleven minutes. That decision taught me more about negotiation than any class I later took.
Most people negotiate salary once and regret it for years. This chapter argues you should renegotiate every 18 months, using the same three questions that doubled my offer at twenty-six.
The claim moved to sentence one; the anecdote became evidence for the claim instead of the on-ramp to it.
Editing services for writers of non-fiction verify names, dates and figures against your source, flagging anything unsourced. The same fact-checking discipline applies across every editing service GradeDraft runs.
Quoted lyrics or a substantial copyrighted passage require written permission before publication. Many book editing companies never mention this step, and it can hold up a KDP release if caught late.
Book formatting services turn a manuscript into the files a printer or retailer accept. Print-plus-EPUB or just an ebook formatting service: our ebook editing services and formatting run through one manuscript, so nothing gets reformatted twice.
We set trim size (5.5×8.5 in and 6×9 in are most common for fiction), margins and gutter sized to page count so text doesn't vanish into the binding, plus bleed, running heads and drop caps.
Reflowable EPUB for wide distribution, plus a KPF file for Kindle. MOBI on request, though Amazon's pipeline now converts EPUB and KPF directly.
Title page, copyright page, dedication, table of contents, and an author's note, matched to the interior style.
We run the file against both platforms' spec sheets (margins, font embedding, image resolution, file size) so your upload doesn't bounce back. Formatting is a book-specific step; a journal manuscript follows journal conventions instead.
Same chapter opening: manuscript page vs. typeset print interior
A plain Word page: 12 pt Times New Roman, single column, no drop cap, default header and page number.
6×9 in trim, 0.75 in inside margin plus a 0.125 in gutter for a 280-page book, three-line drop cap, and a running head with the book title on verso, chapter title on recto.
Every setting is sized to the book's page count and trim. A 400-page book needs a wider gutter than a 150-page one, or text vanishes into the spine.
GradeDraft is independent of and not affiliated with Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Atticus, Vellum, Scrivener, or Reedsy Studio.
Book formatting software ranges from free to a few hundred dollars; the right choice depends on how many books you'll format.
| Tool | Cost | Platform | Output formats | Learning curve | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atticus | $147 one-time | Web, Mac, Win, Linux | EPUB, MOBI, PDF, DOCX | Low–medium | A second book coming |
| Vellum | $199–$249 one-time | Mac only | EPUB, MOBI, PDF | Low | Mac fiction authors |
| Scrivener | $59–$70 one-time | Mac, Win, iOS | Basic PDF/DOCX | Medium–high | Drafting, not final formatting |
| Reedsy Studio | Free | Browser | EPUB, PDF | Low | Budget-conscious first-timers |
| Microsoft Word | Owned, or a Microsoft 365 subscription | Mac, Win | DOCX, PDF | Medium | Word-fluent authors |
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Reedsy Studio is free ebook formatting software with EPUB and PDF export but few layout choices. Of the paid tools, Vellum is free to try and charges when you export a final file; Atticus charges up front.
Atticus book formatting software charges once, not per book, which makes it the better buy once a second title is planned.
Atticus handles EPUB and print layout from one file, updating both together, which Word can't. It costs time on front-matter templates and non-fiction layouts with footnotes.
A single, image-free novel in Word or Atticus over a weekend: DIY beats paying. It stops working once photos, footnotes, or a second title are coming, where a reusable template earns back the cost. For anything you'd rather have priced and delivered than DIY, see the full price list.
Send your word count and edit level for a fixed price within 2 hours, 8 am–11 pm ET.
See book editing prices for my manuscriptBook editing prices scale by word count and edit level, not a flat "per book" fee.
Novel editing rates run $0.018 per word for a proofread up to $0.045 for a line or substantive edit; manuscript editing runs $0.025–$0.045 depending on the work needed.
| Edit level | Rate per word | 50,000 words | 80,000 words | 120,000 words |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proofread | $0.018 | $900 | $1,440 | $2,160 |
| Copy edit | $0.028 | $1,400 | $2,240 | $3,360 |
| Line/substantive edit | $0.045 | $2,250 | $3,600 | $5,400 |
| Manuscript editing (developmental) | $0.025–$0.045 | $1,250–$2,250 | $2,000–$3,600 | $3,000–$5,400 |
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An 80,000-word novel through all three passes runs $2,000 + $3,600 + $1,440 = $7,040. Most order one or two, closer to $2,240–$3,600.
Formatting starts at $199 for an EPUB-only ebook; a full print-plus-EPUB package is priced from that base once page count, images and trim size are known.
Affordable book editing services at the low end buy one pass at your manuscript's current stage, usually a proofread or copy edit, rather than a full developmental-to-proofread path. A shorter manuscript bound for a journal, not a bookshelf, prices differently.
Reedsy lists a large roster of editors with reviews and sample rates: real breadth, at the cost of reading profiles and comparing quotes yourself.
A freelance editor you find directly gives continuity across your series, but finite capacity. A good one is often booked out months ahead.
With a managed service, the company carries the risk of an editor falling through and reassigns the work rather than leaving you to re-source it. Our guarantees cover the revision window, and how it works shows each step from file to invoice.
| Option | Editors set own fees? | Rates published on-site? | Free sample edit? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reedsy (marketplace) | Yes | No — quote per editor | After you request quotes |
| Taylor & Francis Editing | No, fixed | No — quote-only | Yes, up to 1,500 words |
| Editor World | Browse and pick | Via calculator only | Varies by editor |
| GradeDraft | No, fixed | Yes — this page | Yes, a sample passage before you pay |
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Professional book editors on a marketplace and on a managed roster do the same craft; the difference is who's accountable if a deadline slips. Shorter projects such as journal articles and proposals follow the manuscript route instead.
Every inquiry comes down to one question: can you edit my book the way I write it? Send a chapter and the edit level you think you need; if unsure, say so. We edit a sample passage from it before you pay anything. See who reviews your paper, full samples and who runs the editing desk first if you like.
Brief received
Reference GD-000000
A priced quote comes back to your email. Replies within 2 hours, 8 am–11 pm ET, 7 days a week.
Add your files and detailsSend my chapter for a sample edit
You get a fixed price within 2 hours, 8 am–11 pm ET, and a sample passage with tracked changes and a recommended edit level before you pay.
Replies within 2 hours, 8 am–11 pm ET, 7 days a week
FAQ
Replies within 2 hours, 8 am–11 pm ET, 7 days a week
At GradeDraft's rate of $0.018 per word, an 80,000-word book costs $1,440 to proofread. It is the cheapest of the four edit levels, since a proofread fixes surface errors on typeset pages rather than structure or sentence-level rewriting, and it's usually the fastest of the four to turn around.
A proofread on an 80,000-word manuscript typically takes 5–10 business days, depending on how many other orders are in the queue and whether the pages are already typeset or still in a Word draft, since typeset pages take longer to mark up.
Traditionally published books use an in-house or contracted proofreader the publisher assigns; self-published authors hire their own, directly or through a service, and should schedule it after formatting, on typeset pages, not before, since page numbers and line breaks shift during layout.
Some agents give editorial notes before submitting to publishers, but that feedback is aimed at making the book sellable, not a full developmental or copy edit. Most agents expect the manuscript to already be in strong shape.
It entails one or more of four distinct passes (editorial assessment, developmental edit, line and copy edit, and proofread), each addressing a different layer of the manuscript, from overall structure down to individual commas, run in that order.
A copy edit fixes grammar, spelling, punctuation and consistency; a line edit also reworks sentence rhythm, word choice and clarity at the sentence level. Many editors, including GradeDraft, combine both into a single line/copy pass at one rate.
Ask for the deliverables: tracked changes on the manuscript, a style sheet listing the decisions made (spellings, hyphenation, character names), and, for a developmental edit, an editorial letter. A book with no style sheet and no letter likely only had a light proofread.
You can proofread your own book with a read-aloud pass and a style sheet you keep yourself, but self-editing rarely catches structural problems, because you already know what you meant to write. A developmental edit needs a reader without that context. A research manuscript runs the equivalent process at the article scale.