Comments on: The Editing Hour: Freelance Editing Rates

By: Dina

Dina — Thu, 19 May 2011 18:15:25 +0000

Editors do not have intellectual property rights.

By: Meghan Ward

Meghan Ward — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 07:58:42 +0000

Veronika, What confuses me is why people charge different rates for different types of editing. The way I see it, copyediting is much quicker than developmental and line editing, so the job will take fewer hours. But my time is equally valuable whether I'm copyediting or developmental editing, so why would I charge less per hour for copyediting? (I'm mentioning this because I lost a copyediting job yesterday to someone who bid a lower hourly fee than I did and yet who estimated the job would take more hours. I wonder if some editors are purposely padding hours when charging a lower rate.)

By: Veronika Walker

Veronika Walker — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:59:12 +0000

It took me a long time to figure out how much to charge for clients. I'm glad you're confirming them for me here.

By: Lori Ann

Lori Ann — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 14:36:39 +0000

I was advised to prepare a book treatment for consideration by publishers prior to completing the entire manuscript. The treatment would include an introduction, chapter descriptions, the first two chapters, a bio and possibly a marketing plan. Do you think this is wise, or should I go ahead and write the entire manuscript first? And if a treatment is a good place to start, should I hire someone to edit it, or wait until a publisher decides to pick up my project?

By: m++

m++ — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:27:21 +0000

Yes, intellectual property law has a term for this: work-for-hire. In such an arrangement, the employer owns all copyright and distribution rights over the work they paid to have done. I believe courts will consider the work-for-hire arrangement the default when money is involved, but it is best to make such things explicit in writing. On the flip side of this, creative work done outside of work hours on your own equipment (not on your work provided laptop) is property of the person that generated that content (in particular California has specific employment laws to provide such protection).

By: Meghan Ward

Meghan Ward — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:38:38 +0000

Stephanie, as far as I know, unless the editor co-write or ghost wrote the book and had a contract with the author that (s)he would be given credit as coauthor, the editor has no right at all to the work.

By: Stephanie Denise Bro

Stephanie Denise Bro — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:47:17 +0000

I've always wondered if the final published product can be considered the intellectual property of the author. If an author paid a freelance editor for developmental and content, and the manuscript sold, would the author have to put the freelance editor's name as a co-author or is there a contract that expresses each person's rights?