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The Freelance Editorial Rate Cheat Sheet
The EFA 2026 freelance editorial rate cheat sheet.
141 rate bandsEditing
| Task | Per word | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Copyediting — Academic, humanities (student) | 3¢ to 4.5¢ | $50 to $60 |
| Copyediting — Academic, humanities (faculty, publication) | 4¢ to 5¢ | $50 to $60 |
| Copyediting — Academic, STEM (student) | 3¢ to 5.5¢ | $45 to $60 |
| Copyediting — Academic, STEM (faculty, publication) | 3.8¢ to 5¢ | $50 to $65 |
| Copyediting — Academic, other | 3.9¢ to 5¢ | $50 to $60 |
| Copyediting — Business/marketing | 3¢ to 4¢ | $50 to $60 |
| Copyediting — Children’s Board Book | 2.7¢ to 3.5¢ | $45 to $45 |
| Copyediting — Children’s Middle-Grade Book | 2.3¢ to 3¢ | $40 to $45 |
| Copyediting — Children’s Picture Book | 2.5¢ to 3.5¢ | $50 to $60 |
| Copyediting — Children’s YA Book | 2¢ to 3¢ | $45 to $47.50 |
| Copyediting — Fiction | 2¢ to 2.7¢ | $40 to $50 |
| Copyediting — Graphic novels | 2.7¢ to 2.9¢ | $33 to $38 |
| Copyediting — Legal | 3¢ to 4.5¢ | $50 to $62.50 |
| Copyediting — Medical | 3¢ to 5¢ | $60 to $75 |
| Copyediting — Medicolegal | n/a | $55 to $75 |
| Copyediting — Memoirs | 2.7¢ to 3.5¢ | $49 to $55 |
| Copyediting — Nonfiction | 3¢ to 4¢ | $45 to $60 |
| Copyediting — Technical | 3.4¢ to 4.5¢ | $55 to $75 |
| Copyediting — Other | 3¢ to 4¢ | $50 to $62.50 |
| Developmental Editing — Academic, humanities (student) | 4¢ to 6¢ | $55 to $75 |
| Developmental Editing — Academic, humanities (faculty, publication) | 5¢ to 7.3¢ | $60 to $82.50 |
| Developmental Editing — Academic, STEM (student) | 5¢ to 7.5¢ | $50 to $75 |
| Developmental Editing — Academic, STEM (faculty, publication) | 5¢ to 7.3¢ | $60 to $80 |
| Developmental Editing — Academic, other | 5.8¢ to 7.8¢ | $60 to $85 |
| Developmental Editing — Business/marketing | 4.5¢ to 6¢ | $60 to $75 |
| Developmental Editing — Children’s Board Book | 3.2¢ to 4¢ | $55 to $65 |
| Developmental Editing — Children’s Middle-Grade Book | 3¢ to 3.8¢ | $55 to $70 |
| Developmental Editing — Children’s Picture Book | 3.6¢ to 4.5¢ | $60 to $65 |
| Developmental Editing — Children’s YA Book | 3¢ to 3.5¢ | $60 to $75 |
| Developmental Editing — Fiction | 3¢ to 3.5¢ | $52.50 to $70 |
| Developmental Editing — Graphic novels | 4¢ to 9¢ | $50 to $67.50 |
| Developmental Editing — Legal | n/a | $62.50 to $77.50 |
| Developmental Editing — Medical | 5.3¢ to 6.8¢ | $75 to $95 |
| Developmental Editing — Medicolegal | n/a | $65 to $82.50 |
| Developmental Editing — Memoirs | 3.5¢ to 4.5¢ | $60 to $75 |
| Developmental Editing — Nonfiction | 4¢ to 5¢ | $57.50 to $70 |
| Developmental Editing — Technical | 2.8¢ to 3.8¢ | $62.50 to $80 |
| Developmental Editing — Other | 3.5¢ to 5¢ | $57.50 to $70 |
| Formatting — Academic, humanities (student) | 2¢ to 2¢ | $50 to $67.50 |
| Formatting — Academic, humanities (faculty, publication) | 3¢ to 4¢ | $55 to $65 |
| Formatting — Academic, STEM (student) | 1¢ to 2¢ | $50 to $100 |
| Formatting — Academic, STEM (faculty, publication) | 2¢ to 3¢ | $55 to $70 |
| Formatting — Academic, other | 2¢ to 3¢ | $60 to $70 |
| Formatting — Business/marketing | 1.4¢ to 1.8¢ | $60 to $63.50 |
| Formatting — Children’s Board Book | 25¢ to $1.00 | $60 to $80 |
| Formatting — Children’s Middle-Grade Book | 1.5¢ to 1.5¢ | $50 to $70 |
| Formatting — Children’s Picture Book | 13.3¢ to 25.8¢ | $60 to $80 |
| Formatting — Children’s YA Book | 1.5¢ to 1.6¢ | $55 to $70 |
| Formatting — Fiction | 1.1¢ to 1.4¢ | $52.50 to $67.50 |
| Formatting — Graphic novels | 4¢ to 4¢ | $47.50 to $55 |
| Formatting — Legal | 2¢ to 3¢ | $50 to $60 |
| Formatting — Medical | 2¢ to 4¢ | $50 to $67.50 |
| Formatting — Memoirs | 1.3¢ to 2¢ | $60 to $70 |
| Formatting — Nonfiction | 2¢ to 2¢ | $60 to $70 |
| Formatting — Technical | 2¢ to 3¢ | $69 to $100 |
| Formatting — Other | 2¢ to 2.5¢ | $62.50 to $77.50 |
| Line Editing — Academic, humanities (student) | 4¢ to 5.1¢ | $50 to $65 |
| Line Editing — Academic, humanities (faculty, publication) | 4¢ to 6¢ | $50 to $70 |
| Line Editing — Academic, STEM (student) | 3.6¢ to 5.7¢ | $50 to $72.50 |
| Line Editing — Academic, STEM (faculty, publication) | 4¢ to 6¢ | $50 to $70 |
| Line Editing — Academic, other | 4¢ to 6¢ | $50 to $70 |
| Line Editing — Business/marketing | 3.2¢ to 5¢ | $55 to $75 |
| Line Editing — Children’s Board Book | 4¢ to 5¢ | $50 to $50 |
| Line Editing — Children’s Middle-Grade Book | 2.8¢ to 4¢ | $47.50 to $57.50 |
| Line Editing — Children’s Picture Book | 3.5¢ to 5¢ | $60 to $70 |
| Line Editing — Children’s YA Book | 2.8¢ to 4¢ | $50 to $70 |
| Line Editing — Fiction | 2.7¢ to 3.5¢ | $50 to $60 |
| Line Editing — Graphic novels | 4¢ to 6¢ | $40 to $62.50 |
| Line Editing — Legal | 4¢ to 4¢ | $50 to $65 |
| Line Editing — Medical | 4¢ to 5¢ | $60 to $85 |
| Line Editing — Medicolegal | n/a | $50 to $65 |
| Line Editing — Memoirs | 3¢ to 4¢ | $50 to $65 |
| Line Editing — Nonfiction | 3.5¢ to 5¢ | $50 to $65 |
| Line Editing — Technical | 3.6¢ to 5¢ | $50 to $75 |
| Line Editing — Other | 3¢ to 5¢ | $55 to $70 |
| Proofreading — Academic, humanities (student) | 2.5¢ to 4¢ | $40 to $55 |
| Proofreading — Academic, humanities (faculty, publication) | 2.8¢ to 4¢ | $41 to $50 |
| Proofreading — Academic, STEM (student) | 2.5¢ to 4¢ | $45 to $55 |
| Proofreading — Academic, STEM (faculty, publication) | 3¢ to 4.5¢ | $50 to $60 |
| Proofreading — Academic, other | 3¢ to 4.5¢ | $45 to $55 |
| Proofreading — Business/marketing | 2¢ to 3¢ | $45 to $60 |
| Proofreading — Children’s Board Book | 2.5¢ to 3.5¢ | $44 to $46 |
| Proofreading — Children’s Middle-Grade Book | 1.3¢ to 2¢ | $35 to $40 |
| Proofreading — Children’s Picture Book | 2.3¢ to 4.3¢ | $50 to $55 |
| Proofreading — Children’s YA Book | 1¢ to 2¢ | $35 to $39 |
| Proofreading — Fiction | 1.2¢ to 2¢ | $35 to $45 |
| Proofreading — Graphic novels | 1.6¢ to 1.8¢ | $29 to $33.50 |
| Proofreading — Legal | 2.5¢ to 2.5¢ | $50 to $57.50 |
| Proofreading — Medical | 3¢ to 4¢ | $55 to $65 |
| Proofreading — Medicolegal | n/a | $55 to $75 |
| Proofreading — Memoirs | 1.7¢ to 2¢ | $40 to $50 |
| Proofreading — Nonfiction | 2¢ to 3¢ | $40 to $55 |
| Proofreading — Technical | 2¢ to 3.5¢ | $55 to $65 |
| Proofreading — Other | 1.5¢ to 2¢ | $45 to $60 |
| Other Editing | 2.8¢ to 2.8¢ | $75 to $135 |
Reading
| Task | Per word | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Beta Reading | 0.5¢ to 0.8¢ | $50 to $70 |
| Manuscript Assessment/Evaluation | 1.5¢ to 1.8¢ | $40 to $54 |
| Sensitivity/Authenticity Reading | 1¢ to 1.5¢ | n/a |
| Sensitivity/Authenticity Reading — Sensitivity | 1.2¢ to 1.5¢ | $50 to $60 |
| Sensitivity/Authenticity Reading — Authenticity | 1¢ to 1.5¢ | $50 to $55 |
| Sensitivity/Authenticity Reading — Sensitivity and authenticity | 1.5¢ to 1.8¢ | $40 to $52.50 |
| Other Reading | 1.4¢ to 1.6¢ | $50 to $59 |
Translation
| Task | Per word | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Translation — From English | 12¢ to 19¢ | $60 to $75 |
| Translation — To English | 6¢ to 18¢ | $47.50 to $62.50 |
Writing
| Task | Per word | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum Development — Curricula, primary school | 5¢ to 25¢ | $50 to $65 |
| Curriculum Development — Curricula, secondary school | n/a | $80 to $115 |
| Curriculum Development — Curricula, undergraduate | 8¢ to 10¢ | $80 to $122.50 |
| Curriculum Development — Curricula, graduate | n/a | $67.50 to $92.50 |
| Ghostwriting — Articles/essays | 15¢ to 30¢ | $75 to $100 |
| Ghostwriting — Blog posts | 25¢ to 40¢ | $75 to $100 |
| Ghostwriting — Business/marketing | 50¢ to $1.00 | $87.50 to $125 |
| Ghostwriting — Fiction, full-length | 25¢ to 50¢ | $80 to $100 |
| Ghostwriting — Graphic novels | 0.5¢ to 1¢ | $75 to $100 |
| Ghostwriting — Journalism | 23¢ to 29.5¢ | $87.50 to $163 |
| Ghostwriting — Legal | n/a | $75 to $126 |
| Ghostwriting — Medical | $1.00 to $1.50 | $100 to $126 |
| Ghostwriting — Medicolegal | n/a | $75 to $126 |
| Ghostwriting — Memoir | 50¢ to $1.00 | $80 to $100 |
| Ghostwriting — Nonfiction, full-length | 33¢ to 50¢ | $85 to $100 |
| Ghostwriting — Nonfiction, short-form | 27.5¢ to 50¢ | $70 to $75 |
| Ghostwriting — Scientific | 50¢ to 50¢ | $72.50 to $188 |
| Ghostwriting — Short story | 3¢ to 4¢ | $75 to $100 |
| Ghostwriting — Technical | 87.5¢ to $1.08 | $75 to $126 |
| Ghostwriting — Other | 50¢ to $1.25 | $77.50 to $100 |
| Work-for-Hire — Articles/essays | 25¢ to 45¢ | $70 to $100 |
| Work-for-Hire — Blog posts | 25¢ to 45¢ | $74.50 to $87.50 |
| Work-for-Hire — Business/marketing | 32¢ to 87.5¢ | $65 to $75 |
| Work-for-Hire — Fiction, full-length | 13.5¢ to 20¢ | $80 to $100 |
| Work-for-Hire — Graphic novels | 8¢ to 10¢ | $100 to $126 |
| Work-for-Hire — Journalism | 40¢ to 50¢ | $75 to $85 |
| Work-for-Hire — Legal | n/a | $75 to $126 |
| Work-for-Hire — Medical | $1.00 to $1.50 | $90 to $113 |
| Work-for-Hire — Medicolegal | n/a | $75 to $126 |
| Work-for-Hire — Memoir | 11.5¢ to 20¢ | $95 to $125 |
| Work-for-Hire — Nonfiction, full-length | 10¢ to 15¢ | $90 to $112.50 |
| Work-for-Hire — Nonfiction, short-form | 30¢ to 30¢ | $65 to $75 |
| Work-for-Hire — Scientific | $1.00 to $1.20 | $87.50 to $113 |
| Work-for-Hire — Short story | 8¢ to 10¢ | $77.50 to $100 |
| Work-for-Hire — Technical | $1.00 to $1.00 | $60 to $98.56 |
| Work-for-Hire — Other | 25¢ to 40¢ | $65 to $82.50 |
| Other Writing | 30¢ to 30¢ | $70 to $100 |
Rates charged during the 2025 calendar year, reported by over 1,100 EFA members (more than a third of EFA membership); published as the EFA 2026 Rate Chart.
Rate bands: Editorial Freelancers Association 2026 Rate Chart (the-efa.org/rates). The EFA neither sets nor recommends rates.
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