So after my last self-publishing post, I wanted to go into a little deeper review of some of the services I’ve used before. Specifically covers and editors since they’re so important, and I’ve used a couple different businesses. Please keep in mind this is just my personal opinion and experience. I’ll try to keep it short and sweet.

When I started looking for an editor, as usual, I had no idea what I was doing, and I quickly found that editors can often run into the $1000s of dollars. I love writing, but as of this post, it’s definitely more like an expensive hobby for me than anything else, so that was way out of my price range. There are some fabulous indie authors who don’t use editors, but I have neither the confidence nor the experience for that, so I definitely still need some help.

Then I stumbled across Beta Frank Editing on Twitter. Huzzah!

For $500 I got a developmental edit and a line edit on my 75k word manuscript, a query edit, and a synopsis edit. There was a time when she wasn’t offering line edits, but at the time of this writing it looks like she is offering them again. Her prices have risen in the past 3 years, so that same combo would run about $745 now. Turn around time was 1-2 months and the developmental analysis was spot on! I ended up cutting out like 4000 words and revamping the first third of my book (which naturally made the line edits less helpful, but still really useful to learn from.) However I would like to mention that it’s called Beta *Frank* for a reason. She does not hold back on the honesty, so be prepared!

When I was looking for an editor for my second and third books, Beta Frank wasn’t offering line edits so I reached out to Charlie Knight.

Charlie has a super sharp eye and is very encouraging in their feedback. They have a lighter editorial hand than Beta Frank, and they did two passes for me (which took about two months.) The multiple passes are great because in theory, it allows you to fix your developmental problems before digging into line edits and essentially wasting your line edits. A 75K word line and developmental edit will run you $225, which is AWESOME. The only real problem is that Charlie is often booked out 4-6+ months ahead, so advanced planning is required.

Then I found MK Editing while I was out searching for professional Beta Readers. I love their beta reading service so I decided to go for the full edit. They were able to get me in within the month, and I was definitely impressed with the thorough level of detail. I got two passes with both constructive and encouraging feedback, and I really liked that MK Editing takes the time to explain why they recommend the changes they do. A line & developmental edit ran me $450 for a 78K word manuscript, but since then, their rates have risen to $550 for 75K-90K words.

Too long; didn’t read version:

  • Beta Frank: $0.009/word. Great honest developmental analysis. 1-2 month turn around.
  • Charlie Knight: $0.003/word. Encouraging & sharp. 2 month turn around with multiple passes. Need to schedule in advance 4-6 months in advance.
  • MK Editing: $550 for 75-90K words. Thorough & constructive. 2 month turn around with multiple passes.

So hopefully, that’s at least a little helpful. I’m honestly not sure who I’ll choose as my next editor. I’ve learned a LOT from all of my editors so far, which is actually part of the reason why I’m always open to trying someone new! (As long as they’re within my $550 editing budget. 😅) So if you have any recommendations, I’d love to hear about your editing experiences as well!

Thanks for reading!