Perhaps the first question that comes to mind when considering copy-editing and proofreading is ‘How much is that going to cost?‘ As one might expect, this is somewhat akin to the ‘How long is a piece of string?’ dilemma. It depends, in this case, on exactly what is required, how much of it there is, and the quality of the input (to borrow a metaphor from IT).
The second question is likely to be ‘Is it worth it?‘ Having spent over 30 years in various senior roles, I have come to realise that – even in the most technical situations – the key skill is communication and the relationships it enables. Communication is not about what you say or write, but about what the other person hears or reads, which can be very different. It is hard to overstate the value of ensuring that the other person hears or reads what you wanted them to, of getting your message across, and this is what I always focus on when I work with you.
Nevertheless, everything has its price and, roughly speaking, Pepperhouse Editorial charges between £9 (for example, a straightforward proofread of a large document) and £19 (for example, a heavy edit of a small document) per 1000 words. Most jobs will fall somewhere in the middle of this range, and if you send a short sample (500-1000 words) of ‘the input’, we can discuss a mutually acceptable figure for ‘the output’.