Fees
Fees are always agreed in advance and aligned with a scope of work.
I usually quote on a whole-project basis although some clients will prefer me to charge for hours worked and submit a weekly timesheet.
I am happy to discuss retainer fees if you want to work with me on an ongoing monthly basis.
Payment terms are outlined in my Terms of Business.
Copywriting rates
Based on a day rate of £650
Copyediting rates (CopyDoc)
- Copy restyle/rewrite: based on a day rate of £500
- Copyediting: from £50 per hour
- Proofreading: from £40 per hour
Non-fiction editing rates
- Developmental editing: based on a day rate of £500
- Combined copy/line editing: from £50 per hour
- Proofreading: from £40 per hour
Process
STEP
Let’s talk
If you want to discuss a potential job, head over to my contact form to leave a message or book a no-obligation introductory phone call or online meeting. Let me know briefly what you’re looking to achieve (for example, a new website, a stakeholder report, a case study, a book edit) so I can be sure I’m able to help.
STEP
Your objectives
I may send you a short questionnaire before we talk, to get an idea of the scope of your project, your objectives and timescales. Alternatively, we can talk this through in our meeting.
STEP
Proposal
Once we’ve established what you need, I’ll send you an outline proposal detailing how I could help, including an indication of cost. If you need a detailed proposal before signing off on the project, I’ll charge an upfront fee for one day to cover this, refundable against the overall project cost if we go ahead.
STEP
The brief
Once we’ve agreed to work together and you have signed my contract, we’ll agree a detailed brief and delivery schedule, including project milestones and pagination plans where appropriate. We’ll also firm up on the fee and scope of work.
STEP
Delivery
For a copywriting project, I’ll provide copy in a Word or Google Doc, and am happy to give you access for feedback and editing after each draft (not while I’m writing or editing though – I can’t work with Anonymous Armadillo looking over my shoulder). If necessary, I can write in a corporate reporting platform such as Workiva.
For a copyediting project, I’ll edit in either Word or a Google Doc and use track changes and marginal comments for my edits.
See this article for how I deliver non-fiction editing projects.
STEP
The small print
For detailed information on payment terms, changes to the scope of work, feedback and revisions, copyright and other expectations, head over to my Terms of Business.
The AI question
AI. Love it or loathe it, it’s probably here to stay. It’s an existential issue for most writers and editors and we have to learn how to live and work alongside it.
My stance on generative AI is summed up in my AI policy. But in essence:
- I sometimes use AI when researching a subject or an issue and I want an answer to a specific question. I don’t cut and paste the results, and I always drill down to the original source to get to the truth.
- I don’t use AI to write or edit anything. No exceptions. It’s literally my job to do it myself (plus making sense of an AI-generated project often takes longer than writing or editing from scratch).
- If you’ve used AI to create content and it’s not good enough, I can rewrite it for you.