GradeDraft
Book Editing Services and Formatting for Authors
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; student-facing work lives under our academic editing and proofreading services instead.
- Starts at
- $0.025 per word for manuscript editing; book formatting from $199
- Sample edit
- 1,500 words, free, returned in 3 business days
- Revisions
- 14-day revision window after delivery
- What arrives
- tracked-changes manuscript, clean copy, style sheet, and an editorial letter on developmental orders
- Formats
- print interior PDF, EPUB, and KPF, built to KDP and IngramSpark specs
Four edits, in order - and how to tell which one your manuscript needs now
A 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 edit service book package; here, it's four separable passes, priced separately.
Editorial assessment
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.
Developmental edit
Structural work on plot, argument, pacing and chapter logic, in the margins and in a full editorial letter — see the excerpt below.
Line and copy edit
Sentence-level work: rhythm, word choice, consistency, grammar, spelling and punctuation, without changing structure.
Proofread
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.
The draft-state test
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. Editing coursework instead of a book manuscript? See the academic editing and proofreading menu instead.
What a developmental edit on a novel actually returns
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.
The editorial letter: how long and what is in it
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.
In-manuscript margin notes
Comments flag scene-level issues as they occur — a dropped subplot, a POV slip, a repeated beat.
Plot, pacing, POV and dialogue notes
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.
An excerpt from a real editorial letter
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.
Line editing a novel: 500 words, before and after
This is what professional book editing services should show you for a fiction manuscript: real before-and-after work, not a marketing claim.
The original passage
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.
The line-edited passage
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.
Change log: what was changed, and what voice was left alone
- Cut throat-clearing ("she was thinking about") and let the action carry the emotion.
- Replaced vague phrasing with a concrete detail — the comment about her mother.
- Left the clipped, unsentimental voice alone; kept the short paragraph rhythm, matching this book's pacing elsewhere.
Non-fiction and memoir: structure, sourcing and permissions
Book editing for non-fiction differs from novel editing services: the unit is the chapter's promise, not the scene.
Chapter architecture and the promise-per-chapter test
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
Before
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.
After
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.
What changed
The claim moved to sentence one; the anecdote became evidence for the claim instead of the on-ramp to it.
Fact and citation checking
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 material, permissions and fair use
Quoted lyrics or a substantial copyrighted passage require written permission before publication — a step most book editing companies never mention, and one that can hold up a KDP release if caught late.
Book formatting: what we build and what you receive
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.
Print interior: trim size, margins, gutter, bleed, running heads, drop caps
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.
EPUB and KPF files
Reflowable EPUB for wide distribution, plus a KPF file for Kindle. MOBI on request, though Amazon's pipeline now converts EPUB and KPF directly.
Front and back matter
Title page, copyright page, dedication, table of contents, and an author's note, matched to the interior style.
Pre-upload checks for KDP and IngramSpark
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 instead follows manuscript editing for journal submission conventions.
Same chapter opening: manuscript page vs. typeset print interior
Before
A plain Word page: 12 pt Times New Roman, single column, no drop cap, default header and page number.
After
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.
What changed
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.
Formatting software compared: Atticus, Vellum, Scrivener, Reedsy Studio and Word
Book formatting software ranges from free to a few hundred dollars; the right choice depends on how many books you'll format.
The comparison table
| 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 ~$70/yr | Mac, Win | DOCX, PDF | Medium | Word-fluent authors |
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Reedsy Studio is free ebook formatting software with solid EPUB output, but no print layout. None of these five is fully free for a print run — Atticus and Vellum charge to export a final file.
Atticus book formatting software: the one-time fee explained
Atticus book formatting software charges once, not per book — the better buy once a second title is planned.
Atticus in practice: what it does well and where it costs you time
Atticus handles EPUB and print layout from one file, updating both together, which Vellum and Word can't. It costs time on front-matter templates and non-fiction layouts with footnotes.
When doing it yourself beats paying for it
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 editing price list.
What it costs to edit and format an 80,000-word book
Book editing prices at a glance
Book editing prices scale by word count and edit level, not a flat "per book" fee.
Per-word rates by edit level
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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Worked budgets at 50,000, 80,000 and 120,000 words
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 flat fees
Formatting starts at $199 for an EPUB-only ebook; a full print-plus-EPUB package for 80,000 words lands between $349 and $599.
What 'affordable book editing' actually buys
Affordable book editing services at the low end buy one pass at your manuscript's current stage — usually a proofread or copy edit — not a full developmental-to-proofread path. A shorter manuscript bound for a journal, not a bookshelf, prices differently — see manuscript editing.
Marketplace, freelancer or managed service?
What a marketplace gives you and what it costs in time
Reedsy lists over 1,000 editors with reviews and sample rates Checked — real breadth, at the cost of reading profiles and comparing quotes yourself.
Freelancer: continuity vs capacity
A freelance editor you find directly gives continuity across your series, but finite capacity — a good one is often booked out months ahead.
Managed: who carries the deadline risk
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.
Recorded facts about each ranked option
| 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, up to 1,500 words |
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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. For shorter projects — journal articles, proposals — see manuscript editing instead.
Send 1,500 words for a free sample edit
Every book editor services enquiry comes down to one question: can you edit my book the way I write it? Send any 1,500-word section and the edit level you think you need; if unsure, say so. The same offer applies across every editing service GradeDraft runs.
Send my 1,500 words for a free sample
We return a sample edit in 3 business days with tracked changes and a recommended edit level.
What authors ask before handing over a manuscript
How much does it cost to proofread a book?
At GradeDraft's rate of $0.018 per word, an 80,000-word book costs $1,440 to proofread — 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.
How long does it take to proofread a book?
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.
Who proofreads a book before publication?
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.
Do literary agents edit manuscripts?
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.
What does book editing entail?
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.
What is the difference between a copy edit and a line edit?
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.
How do you know if a book has been edited?
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.
Can I edit my own book instead of hiring an editor?
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. For a research manuscript instead of a full book, manuscript editing for journal submission runs the equivalent process at the article scale.