Line Editing vs Copyediting vs Proofreading: What to Charge

For fiction, the Editorial Freelancers Association's 2026 Rate Chart reports proofreading at 1.2–2.0 cents per word, copyediting at 2.0–2.7 cents per word, and line editing at 2.7–3.5 cents per word. Rates typically rise from proofreading to copyediting to line editing, because each tier demands closer, slower attention to the text. Proofreading catches typos in a near-final file, copyediting corrects grammar, spelling, and consistency, and line editing reworks sentence-level style and flow. Price a manuscript by naming the tier, not just "editing," and scope it as a fixed-price, fixed-turnaround custom request. Custom Work lets you offer clearly scoped commissions and services: you set the price, the scope and the delivery time, and followers submit a brief and pay before you start.

No monthly fee, you only pay a small platform fee when you get paid. 8% platform fee when a follower pays for work, 5% platform fee on tips and goals. Card processing is separate. pricing

Most "can you edit this?" DMs don't specify a tier, so the price a writer expects and the work an editor plans to do often don't match. The Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) defines the tiers this way: line editors "work at the sentence or paragraph level of a manuscript," copyediting "involves correcting spelling, grammar, usage, and punctuation," and proofreaders "check for typographical errors and formatting mistakes" (EFA Editorial Service Definitions). The EFA's 2026 Rate Chart, published March 24, 2026, drew responses from over 1,100 individuals — the most since the survey began in 1991 — and was the first edition to include editors outside the EFA's own membership (EFA 2026 Editorial Rate Chart announcement). Naming the tier up front is what lets a price hold.

"The EFA Rate Chart, along with our glossary of editing services, is a premier reference for gauging what freelancers charge for various types of work." — Vina Orden, EFA Director of Communications and Marketing, EFA 2026 Editorial Rate Chart announcement

What does line editing actually include?

Line editors work at the sentence or paragraph level of a manuscript, correcting errors like copyeditors do but focusing mainly on improving the language and style of the text (EFA Editorial Service Definitions). Line editing costs more than copyediting because it asks for judgment about voice, not just consistency rules.

The EFA's 2026 Rate Chart reports fiction line editing at 2.7–3.5 cents per word or $50.00–$60.00 per hour, above the same chart's fiction copyediting range, and puts fiction line-editing pace at 5.0–9.5 pages per hour against copyediting's 6.0–10.0 pages per hour (EFA Editorial Rates).

A line edit is a good fit for a manuscript that already has a solid structure but reads clunky, repetitive, or flat at the sentence level. Line editing is the wrong tier for a writer who needs plot or structural feedback (that is developmental editing) or one who just needs a final typo sweep before publishing (that is proofreading).

What does copyediting actually include?

Copyediting involves correcting spelling, grammar, usage, and punctuation, checking cross-references, and preparing the style sheets that guide consistency and accuracy across a manuscript (EFA Editorial Service Definitions). Copyediting is rule-based rather than a judgment call on voice, which is the line that separates copyediting from line editing on both scope and price.

The EFA's 2026 Rate Chart puts fiction copyediting at 2.0–2.7 cents per word or $40.00–$50.00 per hour, while the same chart lists business/marketing copyediting at 3.0–4.0 cents per word and medical copyediting at 3.0–5.0 cents per word, because denser and specialized text takes longer to verify (EFA Editorial Rates).

Copyediting is the right tier when a manuscript's prose already reads the way the author wants it to, and the remaining work is catching grammar slips, inconsistent spellings (British vs. American, character-name variants), and punctuation errors rather than reworking sentences.

What does proofreading actually include?

Proofreaders check for typographical errors and formatting mistakes, comparing the latest stage of a project — the publisher's "proof" — against the previous one to confirm every change was made correctly (EFA Editorial Service Definitions). Proofreading is not a rewrite pass and does not touch sentence structure.

That narrower scope is why proofreading is the least expensive tier: the EFA's 2026 Rate Chart reports fiction proofreading at 1.2–2.0 cents per word or $35.00–$45.00 per hour, below both fiction copyediting and fiction line editing (EFA Editorial Rates). Selling proofreading as a flat per-project price instead of an open-ended "edit" avoids scope confusion, since a proofreading buyer who actually wants prose reworked is really asking for a different tier.

Why do the three tiers charge such different rates?

Rates rise from proofreading to copyediting to line editing because pace slows and required judgment increases at each step. The EFA's 2026 Rate Chart shows fiction pace falling from 10.0–15.0 pages per hour for proofreading to 5.0–9.5 for line editing, with per-word rates rising across those three tiers (EFA Editorial Rates).

(EFA 2026 Editorial Rate Chart)

The same rank order shows up outside the US. The UK's Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading lists suggested minimum hourly rates for 2026–27 of £31.92 for proofreading, £37.11 for copyediting, and £42.66 for substantial editing, rewriting, and development editing (CIEP suggested minimum rates).

"Individual members' rates may vary considerably, depending on multiple factors, including type of work, delivery time, degree of expertise, local cost of living, training, and years of experience." — The Editorial Freelancers Association

How should you price each tier as a custom request?

Set one price and one delivery time per tier rather than a single open-ended "editing" listing. With Brillay Custom Work, your client pays upfront as a guest, sends the manuscript files, and receives the defined edit later at the fixed price and delivery time you set (how it works). A flat per-project price removes hourly estimating.

To translate a per-word range into a flat quote: multiply the genre's per-word range by the manuscript's word count, then round to a number you're comfortable committing to for a fixed delivery time. For a 70,000-word novel, the EFA's fiction copyediting range of 2.0–2.7 cents per word works out to roughly $1,400–$1,890 before rounding — an illustrative calculation, not a guaranteed price, since scope and experience level both move the number (EFA Editorial Rates).

The delivery time windows below are this guide's illustrative recommendations, not Brillay limits and not EFA figures. On Brillay, you set a delivery time of up to 5 days, so size each listing to work you can finish within that time. The windows leave room for the working time the EFA's pace figures imply — a 10,000-word manuscript is 40 standard 250-word pages, which at the EFA's fiction copyediting pace of 6.0–10.0 pages per hour is roughly 4–7 hours of actual editing (EFA Editorial Rates) — plus scheduling slack.

State the word-count band, the tier, and what's excluded (for example, "copyediting only — this listing does not include line-level rewrites") directly in the listing so a client isn't surprised mid-project. How to Write a Custom Request Offer covers scoping a listing so a request stays inside what was purchased.

Should a quick grammar question ever be a Paid Question instead?

Paid Questions let a follower pay upfront to ask one private question, and you send one written reply on your own time — no live call or scheduling.

A custom request is built for file exchange: the client can attach up to five files of 50 MB each, and you deliver once with a written note, files, and/or a link.

Use the split to route mismatched requests: "Is this one sentence grammatically correct?" fits a quick paid question; "can you copyedit my 80-page manuscript?" needs a scoped custom request with a stated word count and delivery time. Mixing the two under one listing is a common source of scope disputes.

What if a manuscript needs more than the tier a client purchased?

Followers pay upfront, and you can decline and refund any request you'd rather not fulfil. A stated boundary reduces the mismatch.

If a manuscript clearly needs a heavier tier than what was requested, name the mismatch and point the client to the correct listing (or a higher tier, such as a full manuscript critique) rather than either declining silently or quietly doing more than the price covers.

What else can support an editing offer?

Paid Questions handle one-off grammar questions, Goals can fund editing tools or training without selling an edit — see how novelists can crowdfund their editing budget — while Tips support free writing content and Brand Collaboration Inquiries keep partnership pitches separate from client editing work.

• Goals: Followers contribute cash toward a stated goal, such as software or training that improves delivery time — a funding progress bar, not a purchase of the edit itself.
• Tips: Tips let followers send a one-time thank-you, with nothing for you to deliver and no membership for them to join.
• Brand Collaboration Inquiries: A separate intake for publishers, writing-tool companies, or platforms proposing a paid partnership rather than a per-manuscript edit.

Keeping each tier as its own listing, with its own price and delivery time, is what lets a client self-select the right service instead of messaging to ask "which one do I need?"

For per-word and per-hour benchmarks across every genre the EFA tracks, not just fiction, see how much freelance editors charge per word. For landing a first paying client once your tiers are priced, see how proofreaders get their first paying client. Writers shopping for an editor may find Brillay's page for writers and BookTok creators useful as context. Editors who also take on branded or sales writing may want the same tiered breakdown applied to ghostwriting versus copywriting rates.

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about the three editing tiers cover which one costs most, which costs least, whether per-word pricing is possible on Brillay, whether a certification is required, and what Brillay deducts from an editing sale. Each answer below cites either the EFA's 2026 Rate Chart or Brillay's own documentation.

Is line editing more expensive than copyediting?

Yes. The EFA's 2026 Rate Chart reports fiction line editing at 2.7–3.5 cents per word against 2.0–2.7 cents per word for fiction copyediting, because line editing requires slower, more judgment-based sentence-level work (EFA Editorial Rates). Genre and subject matter shift both ranges, so compare within the same genre.

Is proofreading the cheapest of the three tiers?

Generally yes. The EFA's 2026 Rate Chart reports fiction proofreading at 1.2–2.0 cents per word, below both fiction copyediting and fiction line editing, reflecting proofreading's narrower scope of catching typographical and formatting errors rather than reworking prose (EFA Editorial Rates).

Can I charge per word instead of per hour on Brillay?

For Brillay Custom Work, you set a single price for a defined deliverable, so convert a per-word target rate into a flat quote for a stated word-count band before listing it.

Do I need a certification to sell editing services?

You do not need a follower minimum or a platform application to offer Custom Work, but describe your actual editing experience accurately so clients know what they are buying — professional norms and any regulated-title rules can vary by context and jurisdiction.

What does Brillay charge on an editing sale?

Brillay's platform fee is set out earlier on this page; card processing is separate, and Stripe's published pricing lists US online card processing at 2.9% + $0.30 per successful charge (Stripe pricing).