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First, we’ll have a short introductory call to learn more about your content editing needs and goals. You can ask any questions, and we’ll talk you through our editing services and process.

We’ll kick off a pilot (which usually lasts a month) so you can try our content editing and we can learn your style guide and refine our service based on your needs.

Your project manager will fully onboard your team (usually via Slack) and, based on your pilot, curate an editing team that seamlessly integrates into your content production pipeline.

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We’ll support your team by editing your content and continuously refining our service – and your style guide – based on your feedback. We will scale with your content and production cycle, allowing your team to focus on strategy and content creation.

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Absolutely. We start with a one-month pilot to understand your content and needs and set you up on the best plan. You pay only for the editing services you use, so if we’re not the perfect fit, you can walk away, no strings attached.

Schedule a call with us today to find out more.

While we’re able to provide classic proofreading, copy editing, line editing, and developmental editing, we like to assess your content during the pilot and design a tailored service based on your style guide and exact editing needs.

Yes. We can provide a fact-checking service (which is popular with clients publishing AI-generated content).

We also offer formatting and a range of other editorial services and can work in third-party applications and content management systems. We pride ourselves on being nimble, so don’t hesitate to ask if there’s something you think we can help with.

We are experts at editing AI-generated content ; many of our clients have transitioned to creating content via AI.

We’ve also established our own AI content editing guidelines, spearheaded conversations about how to ensure SEO best practice and ethical standards, and partnered with Hypotenuse.ai to offer seamless AI content generation and human editing – helping our customers rapidly scale their content creation.

Yes, we can edit to specific SEO requirements, and we have editors who specialize in SEO content. We are experts at ensuring that content is edited in line with Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines and regularly edit to incorporate keywords in a natural and conversational way.

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We recruit only the top graduates, and most of our 1,000+ editors have additional qualifications, providing a depth of experience across all industries and content types. So if you have a specific content request, we can provide an editor qualified in that field. Just let us know.

We support lots of clients with seasonal content and can structure a plan with this in mind, ensuring that you pay only for the editing services you need.

Yes, our Business Lite and Managed Services plans benefit from having a dedicated editing team that will learn your style guide(s) inside out and develop a deep understanding of your team’s tone, brand voice, and unique editing needs – ensuring thoroughly consistent content.

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• Freelance Tips

How to Set Freelance Editing Rates

• Sep 05, 2023
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Knowing how much to charge for your services can be difficult for new freelancers, but it’s important to get your editing rates right. You don’t want to undersell yourself, nor do you want to price yourself out of the market!

While there’s no single perfect way to set freelance editing rates, we have a few helpful tips to share with you. Keep reading to learn more about setting your freelance editing rates.

How to Set Your Freelance Editing Rates

There are a number of important steps to take when setting your freelance editing rates. You should:

• Decide whether to charge by the hour, word, or page
• Research average rates for your services and experience level
• Establish a baseline rate for each service you provide
• Adapt your baseline rates to fit each job

1. Decide How You’ll Charge

The most common ways to charge for freelance editing services are by the hour, by the word (or number of words, such as per 1,000 words), or by the page. Each of these methods has its own merits.

• Charging by the hour means you’re guaranteed to be paid for your time. However, it’s also easy to misjudge how long a job will take, especially when you’re just starting out. You might therefore either quote too much or too little for the whole project and end up underpaying yourself or overcharging your client.
• Charging by the word or page , meanwhile, makes it easy to quote a price for a project. But different projects may require different amounts of work, even for documents of a similar length. And if you don’t take that into account, you may find yourself charging the same for a well-written document that only requires minor tweaks as for one that needs significant work.

Ultimately, whether you advertise your services with rates set by the hour, word, or page will be a matter of preference, with the final decision depending on what you think will appeal to your target clients (e.g., if you mostly work on longer documents, a per-page rate may be the most attractive to potential clients). But flexibility is also helpful here – for example, if you list your rates by the hour, you could add a note saying that you’re willing to quote by the word or page if preferred.

2. Research Average Editing Rates

Once you know how you plan to charge, you’ll need to decide how much to charge. It’s a good idea to research the standard editing rates in your region. Here are a couple of examples:

• The EFA (US) recommends charging $36–$50 per hour for copyediting , and between $46–$70 per hour for developmental editing (depending on the type of document).
• The CIEP (UK) recommends a minimum hourly rate of £33.30 for copyediting and £38.30 for substantial editing, rewriting, and developmental editing.

The average rate can change over time, though, so always check how up-to-date (or otherwise) the information is and keep an eye on any changes. As a freelancer, it’s important to know when to raise your rates .

And don’t forget, research can be as simple as asking a friend in the same field how much they charge for their services. If you don’t know any freelance editors, you can always find other editors’ websites via search engines or connect with them via social media . Do your best to find people at a similar experience level, though, as well as those who are providing the same service(s) as you.

3. Work Out Baseline Rate(s)

Once you’ve done your research, you can decide on baseline rates for all of the services you provide. Your baseline rates will act as a guide to help you quote prices for each job.

Note the plural here: you should price separate services differently. Think about the services you’re able to offer and their respective levels of difficulty. Typically, this should reflect the amount of work involved.

For example, it’s important to understand the difference between proofreading and editing . You’ll need to set separate rates for these services.

4. Adapt Your Rates to Reflect the Work

Baseline rates are just that: a baseline. You won’t want to deviate from them too much when quoting prices – after all, potential clients aren’t likely to stick around if you ask them to pay a rate way above the one you advertise! But as long as you clearly label them as a baseline, there’s room to adjust your rates to fit the situation at hand.

There are a range of factors to consider when quoting a price for a job; here are the key ones:

• The service type and level of editing requested. For example, while you might have a base rate for developmental editing, different editing jobs can vary significantly. You may want to ask to see a writing sample, or offer a sample edit, to get a stronger sense of what will be involved.
• Whether the job requires any specialized knowledge.
• The volume of work involved. One client might ask you to review a manuscript and offer advice on how to improve it, after which they will redraft themselves, while another might ask you to redraft the document. Other things to consider are whether the client is seeking a single pass on a document or ongoing support, whether it’s one document or several, and how long the document is.
• The complexity, topic, and genre of the document.
• How quickly your client needs the work finished.
• The relationship you have with your client. Many editors offer a discount for clients who provide regular work .

Y ou can then use this information to decide whether you need to adjust your baseline rates when quoting a price for a job. Likewise, if required, you can change the way your charge (e.g., charging by the page when your usual rates are by the hour). It’s about finding an arrangement that works for both you and the client before you start working on a document.

Remember that your rates are not set in stone! It’s a good idea to examine what you’re charging at least every six months. Here are some valid reasons for raising your rates:

• Your skills have improved or you’ve undertaken additional training.
• None of your clients are questioning (or complaining) about your rates.
• There’s a rise in industry rates.
• You’re having trouble covering your business costs.

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Our proofreading and editing courses are CPD accredited and will teach you everything you need to know to begin or develop a career in the field. Give a free trial a go today to find out more!

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Josh Bernoff

How to price and bill for writing and editing projects

After eight years as a freelance writer and editor, I’ve figured out what works and doesn’t work for my business — and for clients. This post includes everything I’ve learned about pricing and billing.

One principle drives everything you are about to read: all freelance arrangements should create value for the client and be rewarding (both emotionally and financially) for the freelancer. Find the intersection between the client’s interests and your own, and you’ve found the ideal type of project.

First, pick the right projects

Generic writers get low rates, because they’re easily replaced. And generic projects attract generic writers.

Unless you want a dreary and low-paid writing life, specialize. Learn a lot about writing and editing memoirs, or life science content, or business strategy, or research-heavy white papers. If you get good at those, the people who need them will pay more for your time and you’ll be able to complete the projects more quickly and with more confidence.

Based my experience, the best projects include the following qualities:

• The project is a good match for your abilities . You can reasonably state that you’ve done something like it before.
• The project is financially rewarding enough to take on. This includes big projects (editing a manuscript, ghostwriting a book) and repeating projects (for example, a series of articles). A small project that takes less than 2 hours to complete is unlikely to be worth the time it takes to close the deal and bill for it, unless it is a simple and repeatable type of project, that is, an “off-the-rack” standard deliverable.
• The client has budget. Clients who can’t realistically pay are time wasters. I’ve worked with big companies, small companies, and individuals; it’s not about the size or type of company, it’s about the seriousness of the client. If you get a sense that people are just tire-kickers, tell them a price range in an email and see if that scares them off.
• The project fits in your schedule. If you’re in the midst of a big, intense project, don’t sign another big, intense project that has to start immediately. But you can often fit small projects into the gaps in bigger projects.
• You’ll learn something. I prefer projects where either the content or the format is new. I’ve now learned about AI chatbots, marketing technology, management consulting, business psychology, small-business branding, networking strategies, and the history of health breakthroughs. I’ve also learned how to write Twitter threads, op-eds, web copy, and marketing tag lines. None of these projects was completely outside my expertise (or else the clients wouldn’t have hired me), but they were close enough to the edges that I knew I’d learn something new and expand my capabilities.

How to price by the project

I don’t price by the hour, because that creates an incentive to go slow and creates trust issues with clients. And I don’t price by the the word, because that implies that I’m interchangeable with other writers (and because some words are more expensive to prepare and write than others). I almost always price by the project , which gives both the client and me some certainty about what to expect. Pricing by the project impresses people with your knowledge and professionalism. But it also means you need to assess costs very carefully, because otherwise you could be getting paid too little for a project for which the time balloons out of control.

To compute the total price, I start with a rack rate (mine is about $400 per hour, because I have a unique, specialized background and proven experience). I estimate the hours that the project will take and multiply.

When making an estimate of this kind, it’s important to take into account time spent:

• Closing the deal. You need to get paid back for that time once you’re working on it.
• On introductions and working out how the relationship will work (can be significant for larger projects).
• Working collaboratively on ideas.
• In meetings.
• Gathering information from the client (this can be a one-time thing, or multiple ongoing meetings).
• Reviewing source materials from the client for research.
• Web research.
• Interviews, such as case study interviews.
• Travel. (You can’t bill for every hour spent traveling, but that time isn’t free either.)
• Actually writing.
• Reviewing feedback (from one person or multiple people, in one round or multiple rounds).
• Managing tasks other than writing (for example, working with illustrators, copy editors, or publishers).
• Arguing with accounting (I bill higher for companies with annoying payment bureaucracies and amazingly, they are often less price sensitive).

This means that two projects that ostensibly look similar may cost different amounts. Editing a 50,000-word manuscript could cost three times as much if it’s in terrible shape and needs lots of attention as compared with a manuscript that’s already pretty close to perfect. And one 60,000-word ghostwriting job might cost twice as much as another because of the need to do extensive research or deal with multiple reviewers. This is why there are no standard prices on my site — because there are no standard jobs.

Billing breakdowns for specific types of jobs

Here’s how I bill for some typical deliverables.

Article writing

I assess the level of effort required to research and write, including review of client materials and client discovery meetings. Invoice milestones are as follows:

• 50% up-front.
• 50% on completion.

Book idea development

Unlike other projects, the idea development project is fairly standard: it requires a single 90-minute meeting and the deliverable is a title, subtitle, and one-page treatment for the book. Because of the high value of this project for the client, I price it at $4,000, which compensates me at far higher than my usual hourly rate. (A lot goes into it; the 90-minute meeting is just the only part the client is present for.) If multiple passes or meetings are necessary (which is rare), that’s included in the price. Invoice milestones:

Book proposal

A book proposal intended for pitching a book to publishers is a complex project, involving the idea development as well as an analysis of the market, a book marketing plan, and a sample chapter. Pricing varies based on how much work I do and how much work the client does, but given the work involved, is often about one-quarter of the cost of ghostwriting the whole book. There is a lot of value here, because the proposal I deliver may generate an advance in excess of $50,000. I will often include a bonus that pays me a small share of that advance, so the author and I can share in the upside. There is typically one part of the proposal that drags the project out for a while (such as the marketing plan or the sample chapter). This is why I set the invoice milestones the way I do:

• 35% up front.
• 55% on completion of all parts of proposal but one.
• 10% on completion of full proposal.
• Bonus on advance payments.

Book developmental editing (on completed manuscript)

I start by assessing the hours required. This depends on two qualities: the length of the manuscript and the type of problems it has (for example, idea weaknesses, structural issues, or writing flaws). I can usually get a sense of these qualities by reading about 3,000 words. Invoice milestones as follows:

• An additional 50% of the original cost if the client requests a second pass edit of the revised manuscript.

Book ghostwriting

These projects are the biggest, most complex, and most varied that I take on. For me, pricing varies from $60,000 to $100,000 based on the length, time required, amount of research required, and review process. I try to match the invoice milestones to the work deliverables. (The final stage, supervision of copy edits and page layout, is often time-consuming, but clients won’t typically pay too much for that time, so I fold it into the earlier deliverables.) Invoice milestones:

• 20% on delivery of first drafts of half of chapters.
• 20% on delivery of first drafts of all chapters.
• 20% on delivery of final draft of manuscript.
• 5% at conclusion of supervision of copy edits and page layout.

I love creating book indexes, but I can only make it worth my while on books I wrote or edited, because then I am much more familiar with the content. This is the lowest per-hour compensation of any work I do; it’s a labor of love. The going rate is about $1,500 for a 65,000 word book, and that likely takes me 15 hours of work. I can’t increase the price because no one pays extra for a good index, and there are lots of other indexers who can do the work. I bill on completion.

Editorial coaching

Some clients want ongoing coaching as they develop their skills. My objective is to make them smarter, not make them dependent on me. Pricing is $1,000 per coaching session, which includes time spent on editorial review of chapters by the author before each session.

A few more notes on billing and contracts

I prefer actually getting paid to the promise that I eventually will be paid. That means I am not shy about billing. People who are shy about billing end up starving for no good reason. Just send the invoice.

I bill the up-front invoice immediately upon agreement to do the work. There is no reason to wait for this.

I bill additional invoices immediately upon completion of milestones.

I wait two or three weeks after sending invoices to remind clients. Sometimes they forget to approve invoices for payment.

If the client has a purchase order process and a purchasing department, I will start work upon commitment to pay, rather than on actual payment. I may end up waiting longer to get paid, but I do end up finally getting paid.

For coaching, I typically bill about once a month.

For clients who look like they will be slow, I may put a retainer arrangement in place. That is, I send a monthly bill, and when I hit milestones, I subtract retainer payments already billed from the cost of those milestones. This creates an incentive for clients to get moving, and compensates me for projects that have long gaps in the middle where the client isn’t ready for me to engage.

When I work through an agency, the agency will charge a fee (typically 15%). I still bill the agency close to the same amount, because they are still competing for my time with other clients who pay the full amount. The agency deserves to get paid for finding and vetting clients and dealing with contract and billing issues, but I’d like the client to bear most of that cost.

I don’t usually do contracts for small, simple, short-term jobs where the greatest loss would be me doing work and not getting paid. My basic principle is: you own what I create for you, and you are also ultimately responsible for the consequences of publishing it. I do have contracts for larger and more complex projects. This includes all book ghostwriting jobs. Note that this is not legal advice; you should determine your own risk tolerance before deciding whether to use a contract on any given job.

These principles have worked for me. Over eight years and hundreds of projects, 98% of my clients are referenceable, I’ve never gotten stiffed for work in, I’ve made a good living, and I like most of the people I work with. It’s a good life .

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"I received really good feedback on my work. The editor understood my work very well and sometimes commented on the paragraph structure. My paper has been accepted as "well-written" work in an academic journal. As an international student, this was a breakthrough for me. Thanks Editor World!"  -Niloufar, Amherst, Massachusetts

How Much Does an Editor Cost?

The cost of professional editing varies widely, and is affected by things such as the level of experience an editor has, how in demand they are, and where they are located. However, as with all things in this world, you get what you pay for.

Rates for Professional Editing Services

As a guideline, you should expect to pay at least $12 per 1,000 words for proofreading, $25 per 1,000 words for copy editing, and $70 per 1,000 words for content editing or rewriting. As the word count increases, many editing services will charge a lower rate per word. This is only a guide, but it is worth knowing what sort of price you will be expected to pay. A few online editing services charge the following prices for 5,000 words and a 1-day turnaround as of 2023: Scribbr - $355; Scribendi - $223; ProofreadingServices.com - $190; PaperTrue - $185; Editor World - $170. Choose your expert editor today and get started.  Prices for editing a dissertation with 80,000 words vary from $1,680 to $2,800. For more details on dissertation editing costs, see How Much Does Dissertation Editing Cost?

Some editors charge per word, other editors charge per thousand words, and others charge by the hour. It is important that you check how the editor you choose sets prices so that you can be clear on what the cost will be before you get started. 

You may find an editor who is happy to edit your 50,000-word book for just $100, but how can you be sure they will edit your book properly for that figure? In short, you can't. However, if you research the editor you are looking to use, check any testimonials they have from previous work they have done, and look at their qualifications and experience, you can assure yourself that they are likely to work hard on your book. For a book of 50,000 words, for example, you should expect to pay at least $1,100 for editing services.

The price you pay for editing services is also affected by the level of editing you require. Content editing, or substantive editing (also referred to as rewriting ), will be the most expensive, and copy editing will cost more than the final stage of proofreading. This is due to the level of work involved in these processes.

Having your document edited means your work will be in the best state it can be, so it is important to make use of professional editing services. If your essay, article, or book is full of spelling mistakes, punctuation errors, and grammatical mistakes, it will not be taken seriously. After all, first impressions count.

Due to the above, it is worth spending money to ensure your document is as perfect as it can be. You took the time to write the document, so you want to be certain that it reaches its intended audience in the best way possible. Researching editors to help you choose the best one for your work is very important.

If you need a long document edited very quickly, you should expect to pay a higher price. If time is not as issue, then the price will be lower. This is because an editor who is expected to turn your work around very quickly will not be able to take breaks or take on any other work. All these things should be kept in mind when considering the price for editing services.

In conclusion, the price of professional editing services varies widely. Your timeline and the length of document you need edited are the main factors that will affect the price. The stage of your document and the type of editing required is another factor. Editing and proofreading are essential activities for every document.

About Editor World’s Prices for Editing & Proofreading Services

Editor World offers professional  document editing services  at affordable  prices . We serve as your on-demand, personal  editing team . As of November 2023, the  cost to edit a document with 300 words is $8.40 for a 3-day turnaround.  Have your 300-word edited document returned in 2 hours for $17.40. Learn more about professional document editing costs as well as prices for  writing services  and rewriting or  paraphrasing services  using our  Instant Price Calculator . Editor World is also available for  academic editing ,  dissertation editing , thesis proofreading, and so much more!

Get a free quote for your writing, rewriting, or editing needs using our  instant price calculator .

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Last updated on May 05, 2022

How to Choose Your Proofreading Rates: A Freelancer’s Guide

This post was written based on extensive data from Reedsy Marketplace and with insights from professional proofreader Leonora Bulbeck .

If you’re hoping to become a proofreader , or searching for reliable information on the cost you can expect when hiring a proofreader , then you might be a tad overwhelmed by the contrasting information online  — are rates per hour, per word, per 1,000 words? — and by the very different averages provided on each site. 

We’ve drawn our data from over 9,000 quotes given by experienced editors and proofreaders on the Reedsy Marketplace , so we can confidently offer you the average freelance proofreading rates in the publishing industry below. And we’ve thrown in some tips for freelance proofreaders on deciding how to charge, in case you needed them!

Average freelance proofreading rates

How much should you charge for proofreading, per word or per 1,000 words? Below you will find the average proofreading rates charged by Reedsy’s professionals for different genres of writing: 

We’ve also created a rates calculator for anyone (whether proofreader or potential client) who wants to find out the expected cost of proofreading a book, depending on the genre and length of the manuscript.

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How much do proofreaders make?

In terms of wages, you might want to look at hourly wages. What is the hourly rate for proofreader? Here are some data points worth checking out: 

Statistics from the US Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics show that in 2021, the mean hourly wage of employed proofreaders was around $22.12 . Those who proofread in the legal and public relations fields tend to earn higher than those working in publishing , and the annual proofreader salary typically falls within the $30,000-$50,000 range. 

Freelance proofreaders who offer copy editing and copywriting services alongside proofreading set higher rates. In combining these services and maintaining constant business, you can earn as much as you’d do with full-time employment. 

Do you think you have what it takes to be a proofreader? Take this test to find out: 

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Now, so far we’ve covered both per word rates and hourly rates — but what should you go by as a freelancer? Let’s see what the smartest way to go about setting your proofreading rates is. 

How to set your proofreading rates 

Using the averages in the tables above as baseline rates, here are five steps to determining what you want to charge your proofreading projects:

1. Decide to set per word or per hour (hint: go with per word!) 

While people like to use hourly rates to make it easy to compare between different professions,  it’s not the most efficient approach for proofreaders, especially those working with long-form content. 

As a newcomer to the trade, it’s difficult to gauge how long a project will take and pick a rate that appropriately reflects your work’s quality. Clients understand this — they are less likely to sign a contract with a proofreader offering an hourly quote to avoid the risk of paying for services that aren’t as efficient as they’d like. 

So when is an hourly rate a good idea? When you’re working on a manuscript that’s in terrible shape, or one that requires more specialized proofreading (think scientific papers or historical pieces) — in other words, a manuscript that would require more of your time and care. In such a case, an hourly rate could account for that. 

However, even if you charge for proofreading services by the word, you can still account for these nuances — and here's how. 

2. Determine the amount of work with a sample proofread 

Not all manuscripts are created equal, which is why it's important to get an accurate overview of any project that you plan to take on. Before you send out a freelance quote for the project, ask for an extract from the manuscript, and do a sample proofread. This helps you to estimate how much work needs to be done, and the client to get an idea of your abilities. 

Proofreader Leonora Bulbeck bases her rates on the samples clients include in their briefs on Reedsy:

In other words, the more mistakes there are, the more correcting you will have to do — and the higher the rate you should charge. 

3. Consider the deadline 

Deadlines become important only when your client has left things to the last minute. If you’re asked to do your job extra quickly, you can raise your rates. 

As a rule of thumb: projects of 10,000 words should be done within five days. Anything faster than that (if it’s doable given your current workload) should come with extra compensation in addition to your baseline rate, since you’ll be working in your personal time. 

You should also let clients know when they have unrealistic expectations. As an experienced freelance proofreader, you’ll be staggering multiple proofreading jobs at any given time, so projects with longer word counts are unlikely to be turned over in a few days. Adjusting a client’s expectation in a professional manner can help make the negotiation go more smoothly — and can safeguard your own mental health, protecting you from burnout. 

4. Account for your experience 

As with all kinds of services, the more experienced you are, the more expensive your service can be. A proofreader with more experience is more familiar with standard formatting and language presentation rules (from punctuation to capitalization). You may offer both US and UK English proofreading, be used to conventions in the genre, and be less likely to miss out on small details — all of which calls for better compensation. 

We at Reedsy encourage professionals to review and update baseline rates at least on a yearly basis in order to recognize this professional growth. 

5. Defend the case for your rate

Oftentimes, the hardest about setting your rates actually comes after you send out a freelance proposal and quote , when the client responds to it by saying that the rate is too high. Some clients set unrealistic expectations when it comes to proofreading costs, some may hope to minimize costs. In the face of this opposition, even when the client is polite, it’s not easy to stand by your rates. Freelancers — experienced ones included — tend to hold on to the thought that any client is better than none, even if it means you undersell yourself a little.

But you deserve to be paid fairly for the expertise and service that you offer. So come into negotiations ready to make your case for your quote. Remember that you are the expert: you have the knowledge to help clients and, with the research done, you understand industry averages better than anyone. Politely explain the factors you’ve accounted for when coming up with your rate, and most clients will understand. 

These five steps help you set fair proofreading rates for both yourself and your client. Remember that every project is different, and that you are gaining experience all the time — your earning should reflect that! 

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We’ll help you show your best traits to college admissions officers and prove that you’re college-ready! With help from our essay coaches, you’ll improve your chances of getting accepted – so what are you waiting for?

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At Scribbr, you can rest assured that only the best editors will work on your college essay.

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Janice holds a PhD in German studies from Duke University. As a former professor, she has helped many students refine their application essays for competitive degree programs and study-abroad programs. Today, she helps students improve their writing skills at Scribbr. In her spare time, when she's not writing or editing, she enjoys working on the small family farm that she owns and operates.

Alexandra earned an Erasmus Mundus MA in cultural narratives and a BA in English from Emory University. As a teacher, editor, and writing coach, she has spent nearly a decade helping students find their voice and express their ideas.

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Thanks to your coach’s feedback, you’ll feel clear about the next steps and confident when you hit “send” on your application.

Scribbr & academic integrity

Scribbr is committed to protecting academic integrity. Our proofreading service, our AI writing tools ( plagiarism checker , paraphrasing tool , grammar checker , summarizer,  Citation Generator ) as well as our free Knowledge Base content are designed to help students produce quality academic papers.

We make every effort to prevent our software from being used for fraudulent or manipulative purposes.

Your questions, answered.

We know that waiting for feedback can be nerve-racking. If you select our faster deadline option, you’ll hear from your personal statement editor in 12 hours or less – including on weekends and holidays. 

We never engage in rewriting or adding text at Scribbr. Our personal statement editors will make grammatical corrections and leave suggestions using Word’s track changes and commenting feature. However, we always make sure that your perspective and voice remain front and center in your essay.

We know that waiting for feedback can be nerve-racking. If you select our faster deadline option, you’ll hear from your college essay coach in 12 hours or less – including on weekends and holidays.

Yes. All our college essay coaches are subject-matter experts and can help you make decisions regarding the content of your essay. Your coach will help you make a strong case for your admission.

Our essay coaches will provide feedback on…

• Whether your topic is appropriate and how to strengthen it
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However, we will never…

• Write or rewrite content for you
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If you have any questions, feel free to email [email protected].

Yes! Our essay coaches can help you reduce your word count by up to 25%. You can choose to receive this feedback through direct edits or suggestions in comments – just select your choice when you upload your essay.

When you submit your essay to our College Essay Editing & Coaching service, you’ll be asked to indicate what type of content feedback you would like to receive. You can choose from three options:

Dig deep and challenge me

Give me the standard treatment

Tread lightly

Whichever option you choose, you’ll receive in-depth content feedback from your essay coach. However, the type of feedback your essay coach provides may differ, and the option you should choose depends on what outcome you want from the review. You can always elaborate on what type of feedback you want in your note to your essay coach.

Learn more about the three options below.

Choose from three options

If you choose this option, we’ll challenge you to write the best possible essay – no content suggestions are off-limits, including reorienting your topic or reframing your story. Students who choose this option aren’t afraid to go back to the drawing board if it’ll increase their chances of getting accepted. You may have to roll up your sleeves and do some more work on your essay, but your essay will be much stronger because of it.

Select this option if your priority is to have the best possible essay, even if it requires some extra work on your side.

We’ll strike a balance between “dig deep and challenge me” and “tread lightly.” We may suggest changes to your structure and narrative, including removing weak content, elaborating on certain sections, and adding content to strengthen your arguments. You may have to rework sentences and paragraphs, but we won’t suggest major content changes.

With this option, we’ll focus on improving your essay in a way that requires little additional work from you. We’ll provide you with targeted suggestions for how to refine your essay’s structure and narrative, but we will work within your current structure and topic. While you may have to make a few tweaks here and there, we’ll aim to return you a polished draft that’s ready to be submitted to your chosen colleges.

Select this option if you are fairly satisfied with your essay and don’t want to make major changes or if you have limited time to revise.

At Scribbr, we promise to make every customer 100% happy with the service we offer. Our philosophy: Your complaint is always justified – no denial, no doubts.

Our customer support team is here to find the solution that helps you the most, whether that’s a free new edit or a refund for the service.

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Admissions Essay Editing Fast, Affordable, Professional

Embark on your academic journey with confidence using our premier admission essay editing service. Our skilled editors, with years of experience, meticulously refine and elevate your college essays, ensuring they stand out in the competitive admissions landscape. Count on our editing services to enhance the clarity and impact of your application essays, guiding students towards a successful path to university acceptance.

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Elevate Your College Application Essays

Crafting impactful college application essays is a pivotal step in securing admission to your desired university. Our admission essay editing service is designed to elevate your essays , ensuring they stand out in the competitive admissions landscape. Our team of experienced editors, with years of expertise in college admissions, provides meticulous editing. We understand the significance of presenting a polished and compelling narrative that reflects your unique voice, academic prowess, and aspirations.

Our dedicated editors specialize in enhancing the clarity, coherence, and overall impact of your college essays. Whether you're a prospective student or a seasoned writer, our editing services cater to diverse needs. We offer insightful feedback to refine your writing and present a well-crafted application. The feedback loop between our editors and students fosters a collaborative approach, resulting in essays that resonate with admissions committees and increase your chances of acceptance .

Explore the transformative potential of our admission essay editing service through the lens of client reviews. Our satisfied students attest to the positive impact our editors have on their application essays. From personal statements to college application essays, our editing services aim to amplify your narrative, showcasing your strengths and unique qualities. Take the first step towards a successful college application by partnering with our seasoned editors who bring years of experience to ensure your essays reflect the best version of you.

Expert College Application Essay Editing to Help You Stand Out

Navigating the competitive landscape of college admissions requires more than just well-written essays—it demands a strategic and nuanced approach. Our admission essay editing service is your key to standing out among applicants, offering expert guidance to refine and elevate your college application essays. With a team of seasoned editors boasting years of experience, we specialize in providing comprehensive editing services tailored to enhance your narrative and capture the attention of admissions committees .

Our dedicated editors understand the intricacies of crafting compelling college application essays that align with the unique ethos of different universities. We offer valuable feedback to strengthen your writing and ensure it reflects your academic prowess and personal journey effectively. From polishing grammar and style to amplifying the impact of your personal statement, our Student services empower you to present a cohesive and convincing application package.

Embark on your journey to university acceptance with the assurance that our expert college application essay editing service is committed to your success. Explore the transformative power of client reviews that attest to the effectiveness of our editing services. By partnering with us, you not only refine your essays but also gain a strategic advantage , positioning yourself as a standout candidate in the competitive college admissions process.

Professional editing and proofreading are now even more affordable.

With Scribendi's 10% student discount, you can take your documents to the next level. Our expert editors can enhance your admission essay. Simply use the coupon code on our Student Discount page to start improving your writing today. Don't miss out on this limited time offer!

What will you receive with the Admission Essay Editing Service? 

• A revised document in which the spelling, typing, grammar, and other distracting errors have been corrected
• Revisions to improve clarity and precision
• Tracked changes so that you can see and review all the revisions that have been made
• Critical commentary that addresses areas of concern and potential issues
• Suggestions to help you improve the writing and the focus of the essay
• A short summary of the work that has been done and any major concerns

What types of documents can you use the Admission Essay Editing Service for?

• Admissions essays
• Admissions documents and letters
• Note: For final drafts of admission essays that have already been edited at least once, please see Admission Essay Proofreading .

Looking for help with student essays? Please see Student Essay Editing for critical feedback and Student Essay Proofreading for error correction.

Generative AI has become increasingly relevant in academia and can impact academic services at Scribendi; click here to see Scribendi’s policy on generative AI .

Rest assured, your content is handled with the utmost privacy and security. All uploads and downloads are encrypted, keeping your personal information strictly confidential . 

Our professional editing services, specializing in admission essay editing, provide a competitive edge for college and university applications. Experience the expertise of our skilled editors, who work with various file types, and gain an advantage in the admissions process. 

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Admission essay editing service faq, why is college essay editing your chance to stand out.

Unlock your potential with our admission essay editing service. Craft a compelling college essay that sets you apart. Our skilled editors, with years of experience, meticulously refine your admissions essay, ensuring clarity, coherence, and impact. Elevate your writing with personalized feedback from expert essay coaches. Our college essay editing service is a transformative journey tailored to enhance your unique voice. Join countless satisfied students whose essays have undergone a metamorphosis, as reflected in glowing client reviews.

What are the benefits of our Admission Essay Editing Service? 

Elevate your admissions journey with our unparalleled admission essay editing service. Our expert editors, with years of experience, meticulously refine and strengthen your college essay, ensuring it stands out in the competitive admissions landscape. We provide personalized feedback to enhance your writing and showcase your unique voice. 

How much does admission essay editing cost? 

Discover affordable excellence with our admission essay editing service. Our transparent pricing reflects our commitment to assisting students on their journey to compelling college essays. Tailored to suit various budgets, our editing services ensure that your admissions essay receives the attention it deserves without breaking the bank. Benefit from the expertise of seasoned editors with years of experience, providing meticulous insightful feedback and enhancing the overall quality of your college application essay. Invest in your academic future with our cost-effective admission essay editing services, where affordability meets excellence in crafting impactful essays for college admissions. Use our Student Discount for additional savings on high-quality admission editing. 

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Our admission essay editing service ensures a streamlined process to refine your college application essay. Submit your essay through our user-friendly platform, and it will be assigned to one of our experienced editors specializing in college essays. They meticulously ensure flawless grammar and style. Receive personalized feedback that enhances your essay's clarity and impact. Benefit from the expertise of our skilled editors, dedicated to optimizing your admissions essay for success. Experience a smooth and efficient process that transforms your college application essay into a compelling narrative, ready to impress university admissions committees.

Academic Editing Fees Explained

Good academic editing should represent value for money, but not be ‘cheap’. Those who offer academic editing at discounted rates are often (but not always) doing a second-rate job.  Some cut-price companies use editors from non-English speaking countries, which will not give you the result you want!

How much should editors charge?

Based on their unique skills and level of academic training (many have a PhD, for example) good editors should be charging more than $100 per hour, which is still significantly less than an accountant or lawyer of a similar level of training.  $100 per hour works out at around $50-$60 per 1,000 words for editing of an average standard document. However, most editors charge much less than that this even though they are not constantly employed like accountants and lawyers, and often have a lot of ‘down-time’ between jobs, especially during the quiet times of the academic year.

Editex editors offer a wide range of pricing depending on their level of academic achievement, years of experience, and skill as an editor – as well as their personal preference and circumstances.  This enables you to find the best fit for your editing needs and budget.

Is editing worth it?

Professional editing takes the stress out of academic writing! A good editor will ensure that your work achieves compelling content plus sound grammar, spelling and clarity.

When you consider the academic authoring process the value of expert editing and proofreading is easy to see. You are busy hatching ideas, gathering research and putting together arguments. So it is tough to get enough distance from your essay, thesis or journal article to carry out thorough proofreading and review. Some may even say it’s impossible. Here is where an Editex editor champions your hard work. We give top academic advantage to ESL students and native speakers alike with word perfect manuscripts presenting clear and convincing ideas.

If you are a student or academic from a non-English speaking background your work will achieve better marks or have greater academic impact if it it presented with perfect English.  But anyone who is stressed out dealing with complicated formatting requirements and referencing styles, getting tenses right, and achieving the correct academic tone, will benefit from some quality editing.

How are charges worked out?

The most common methods for charging are:

• Charge per hour (usually quoted after seeing the document)
• Charge per page (usually assuming a certain number of words per page)
• Flat rate charge per word or per 1,000 words
• By reference to a table of prices for various word count ranges
• By use of an online fee calculator (which accepts a word count or sometimes number of pages)

Editex uses a website calculator which displays the fee for most editors based on the word count you enter.  Many editors also display an hourly rate.

The Editex fees assume standard editing and average writing quality and are provided as a guide. The actual fee that you pay will depend on your exact requirements, and should be negotiated with your chosen editor once they have a full understanding of your editing needs:

• does your document need heavy or light editing?
• do you want your in-text references to be edited?
• do you want your reference list to be edited?
• do you want document formatting?
• do you need the job back urgently?

How do you sort through it all and find the right editor?

As you can see there are many ways that fees are calculated.  If you are presented with a list of editors by your university there is no way for you to easily:

• Compare the fees between the different editors
• Compare the qualifications and editing ability of the editors
• Find which editors are familiar with your field.

You might have to email or call every editor on the list, and still not find the one you want!

But with Editex it can all be done in a few minutes!  Most editors have entered their fees into the fee calculator in our website.  You just enter your word count and you can see what each editor will charge for that size document (assuming it is of average standard for editing).  You can also search by ‘fields of editing expertise’, see their qualifications and their client satisfaction scores.

Your search for the perfect editor starts here .

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Christopher Null

The Write Stuff: 4 College Admissions Essay Editing Services Reviewed

Looking for good news about the college admissions process these days? You won't find much of it. Not only has the cost of attending college doubled on average since the 1980s, but also it's gotten considerably harder to get in. The majority of colleges in America have witnessed a plummeting acceptance rate as the number of student applications has exploded. Fifty years ago you had a 20 percent shot at getting into Harvard (all things equal, of course). Now the Crimson's acceptance rate is about 5 percent. In the last 10 years alone, the acceptance rate at many major universities has been cut in half . It's almost enough to make a kid consider trying out for the rowing team .

As if applicants didn't have enough to stress about, colleges have been making it more onerous to apply—requiring additional interviews, recommendations, and SAT Subject Tests. But the most burdensome of them all is an old standby: the application essay.

Essay requirements vary widely from school to school. The 150-plus members of the Coalition for College (which includes Harvard and Vanderbilt) requires a single 500-word essay selected from prompts such as "Describe a time when you made a meaningful contribution to others in which the greater good was your focus. Discuss the challenges and rewards of making your contribution." Those with eyes on the University of California system must write a whopping four essays, with prompts such as "Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced."

Students can reuse essays with other colleges if the prompts are similar enough—or if the schools happen to be members of the same application partnership—but you'd be surprised how seldom this occurs. My daughter found that out the hard way, when she learned that she'd have to write 12 separate essays to cover just five schools.

What's a kid to do who doesn't have parents who both work full-time as writers and editors? Just run their essay through Microsoft grammar check and hope for the best? Good luck. The acceptance rate at the University of Chicago has dropped 81 percent in the last 12 years. It doesn't take a Rhodes scholar to know that if you don't put your best foot forward, you may as well not even bother.

All of this led me to the curious world of online editing services. While you can hire a consultant to help guide your child through this overwhelming maze, these consultants are expensive and much of their work involves managing the complex application process, figuring out which colleges are a good fit, and brainstorming essay topics. If you just need help whipping an already written essay into better shape, an online editor might be a better (and much cheaper) fit.

To be sure, some of these services are exorbitantly expensive. Services like EssayEdge and TopAdmit can run you close to $200 for editing a single essay of fewer than 400 words. I've seen prices as high as $379 after various upsells. Word for word, that's more than what my editor at WIRED makes. (Hi, Mike!)

The good news is there are plenty of more affordable options available. I tested four of them, all reasonably priced and seemingly legitimate. Most of these services charge based on a combination of the word count of the original essay and the turnaround time required. I used the same raw essay from my daughter as a test piece for each of the four services, and requested the slowest turnaround time each of them offered to minimize the cost. I submitted her 383-word raw essay at the same time to each of the services, on a Wednesday afternoon. I gave all the services minimal guidance with my submission, noting only (when prompted) that this was a college application essay. All four of the services allow you to upload a Microsoft Word document and receive a red-lined and comment-filled Word document in return.

Julian Chokkattu

David Nield

Adrienne So

Jeremy White

When I received the revised essays, I reviewed them along with my wife (also a professional writer) and my daughter, the author. The reviews were done blind, without indicating the source of any of the edits, and we all rated each essay on a 1 to 10 scale. I also threw in a copy that I roughly edited. For the sake of comparison, the raw essay scored an average of 4.8, while my edit garnered a 6.9.

Here's what the various services cost, and how well they performed.

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Total price: $13.91, 48-hour turnaround promised. Edit received within 24 hours.

Scribendi offers seven different turnaround time tiers, but its 72-hour and one-week turnarounds were the same price as the 48-hour turnaround. A four-hour turnaround was quoted at $28.53. Scribendi returned both a changes-tracked version of the document and a "clean" version with all edits accepted. Scribendi's edit was not just the fastest, it was incredibly thorough—almost nitpicky—with 16 comments or prompts to the writer suggesting avenues for additional content or revisions that were beyond the scope of a simple edit. Oddly, the final edit didn't resonate with readers, who largely felt it was somewhat awkward and clunky in its overall flow. That said, the editor's notes and the service's overall speed were a big plusses.

Readers' rating: 5.0

Total price: $13.90, three-day turnaround promised. Edit received after two days.

Elite Editing has an Advanced Editing service for $40, but the $13.90 plan I chose offers only "basic editing," which doesn't include "suggested rewrites to eliminate awkward phrasing, repetition, passive voice, etc." and "taking into account your original assignment." Three days is the standard turnaround; one-day turnaround for the Basic Editing plan would have cost $19.90. The site crashed when I checked out, but my payment and submission both went through successfully. As promised, Elite's edit was indeed basic. Its editor made the fewest changes of any of the services and left only three comments, one of which was about whether the use of indentations and double-spacing was appropriate. While Elite's edits were correct, they weren't terribly deep—although that was enough to propel it to a second-place finish from the readers.

Readers' rating: 5.7

Total price: $15.32, five-day turnaround promised. Edit received after four days.

Wordvice has eight different pricing tiers, with rates as low as 4 cents per word for a seven-day turnaround, though that tier was limited to materials longer than 3,000 words. The five-day turnaround tier was only marginally more expensive. When I received Wordvice's edited document, I was offered an upsell for a "second look" (basically another edit) for 30 percent off. Wordvice's embedded commentary was nearly as thorough as Scribendi's, though Wordvice was less obsessive over grammar and more focused on overall clarity. Turns out that was the right move: Wordvice's edit was the overall favorite of the quartet, and the finished draft reads cleanly and clearly.

Readers' rating: 6.3

Total price: $31.33, seven-day turnaround promised. Edit received after four days.

Scribbr initially quoted a price of $25.36, but I shelled out an extra $6 for both the "structure check" and "clarity check" options, despite not really understanding what those were. Prices include a 2 percent surcharge for using a credit card. For those in a hurry, 24-hour turnaround doubles the price. Scribbr seems more focused on editing academic coursework essays than admissions essays, with a relatively formal structure applied to its edits (removing contractions completely, for example). Editor's commentary was sparse, though on target. This draft was the most divisive of the services, earning high marks from my wife but very low marks from my daughter, who thought it stripped the writing of her voice.

Readers' rating: 5.3

Any good college essay has to end with a conclusion, so here are a few takeaways. First, all of the services sent back essays that were, on average, felt to be an improvement over the original draft, with all of them catching numerous spelling and grammatical errors—so students with no professional editing help may do well to consider them, especially given how affordable these services are. That said, also remember that when you engage with an editing service, you're really engaging with a single (anonymous) editor who you won't ever meet or be able to interact with. That editor won't have any level of understanding of the writer's personality beyond what's on the page, and quality will necessarily vary from one editor to another, even within a given editing service.

Further still, remember that editing quality is always going to be subjective, just like any piece of writing. Except for this story, of course. It's amazing.

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How Much to Charge (Or Pay) For a 500 to 1500 Word Article

December 10, 2021 • DJ Team

One of the hardest things a freelance website content writer will do is to set their pricing. Ask too much, and you risk losing the work to other bidders. Ask too little, and you’ll be locked into a cycle of unprofitable work with that client.

Finding the right freelance writing rate is a delicate balance between the rate you want to earn and the market value of your work. It usually takes new writers a period of trial and error to find the right pricing.

How Much Do Content Writers Make?

Content marketing freelance rates vary depending on project size, time commitment, and whether you are charging by the hour or by the project. Your experience will also impact your content writing services pricing. Having an online portfolio of your work that represents experience for a variety of projects in different industries will make you more valuable to potential clients.

How Much to Charge for a Blog Post

Before you set your pricing, you need to understand your value. Ask yourself:

• How much experience do I have writing?
• Do I have expertise in a certain industry or niche?
• Am I providing any services in addition to writing? Some publishers may ask for SEO keyword research, content marketing strategy, image sourcing, or meta descriptions.
• What costs do I need to cover? Consider your home office, software, insurance, and self-employment taxes.

Let’s break down how much you could charge per word depending on your experience level and how you can calculate your hourly rate.

Hourly Rate For a Freelance Writer

Some freelance writers charge an hourly rate for their writing services. While this can protect you in the case of a project taking longer than anticipated or excessive edit requests, this model doesn’t allow freelancers to grow earnings as they get more efficient.

Once a freelance writer can estimate their time per project well and become more efficient over time, charging per word or per article is a better option.

Nevertheless, to calculate your hourly rate, follow this formula:

(Goal income + estimated freelance expenses) / billable hours you expect to work

For example, if you want to make $6,000 a month and work 125 billable hours a month with expenses of $250 each month, your hourly rate should be $50.

While you are first starting out, you may not be able to charge your ideal rate to find work and build up your connections and portfolio. Once you have a full schedule of work, however, you can ask for a raise or start to drop your lowest-paying clients in favor of higher-paying ones.

Per word rate

Freelance rates per word are a carryover from the journalism industry, where freelance article rates are determined by the number of words in the published article. How much should a writer charge per word?

Freelance rates can start as low as $0.05 per word for blogs or high-volume content sites, and range up to $1.50 or more per word or more for elite news sites or trade publications.

Calculate your per-word rate with this formula:

Be sure to research your target industry to learn what average rates are, and ask for a complete scope of work for each project to avoid surprise expectations.

Flat project rate

To simplify pricing for freelancers and clients, some freelancers use flat project rates. This model determines a flat rate for an article, usually with a predetermined length or scope of work.

What should I charge per article?

To know what to charge per article, you need to know the length and amount of research required. Below are a few guidelines for how to price your article content writing based on your expertise and industry.

Basic ($0.05-$0.20 per word)

Entry-level professionals or students building a portfolio, non-native English speakers. Clients may be nonprofits or small businesses.

Intermediate ($0.20-$0.70 per word)

Professionals with results to show and experience in the industry. Articles may include some research and interviews. Clients are more likely to be B2B or online publishers.

Expert ($0.70-$1.50+ per word)

Advanced professionals with expertise in a subject matter area. Articles may include extensive research and interviews. Clients may be an elite news site or businesses in tech, finance, or other niche specialty areas.

How much should I charge for a 500-word article?

All things considered, 500 words is a fairly short article length, appropriate for a short newsletter article or personal profile. A typical rate for this would be $75-$200, but it could range much lower or higher depending on the factors mentioned above.

How much should I charge for a 1,000-word article?

One thousand words is a typical length for a blog and are considered mid-length web content. For a 1,000-word article, a typical rate would be $200-$700, but it could range much lower or higher based on the factors mentioned above.

Now that you know your value, before pitching a potential client, consider the value of content writing to them. What goals will the content help them reach? Framing the conversation this way can help you propose higher rates because of the real impact that it brings to their organization.

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14 Best College Essay Services for 2024 (40 Services Reviewed)

Research conducted by Emily Kierkegaard , PhD, and expert-reviewed by Kevin Wong, PrepMaven Co-founder

Not sure which college application essay coaching and editing service is the best? We compared the top 40 services, created in-depth reviews for 14 of them, and narrowed it down to the 4 best that will help guide you through the process of writing amazing college application essays.

What is the Best College Essay Service?

• PrepMaven  – best college application essay service overall
• College Essay Mentor  – best for individual consultants
• The College Essay Guy  – best for unlimited essay assistance
• College Vine  – best of the big platforms

The best of the rest:

Individual essay consultants:

• College Essay Editor  – small editing team
• Allison Karpf  – former English teacher helping students
• Your College Vision  – former journalist with more affordable rates
• The College Guru  – good on paper but unresponsive
• Sofia Zapiola – budget-friendly application assistance

Mid-size teams:

• Lotus Learning  – focus on health sciences

Large platforms:

• Study Point  – larger platform with mystery editors
• Ivy Select  – larger platform with mystery editors
• Empowerly  – larger platform with mystery editors
• BeMo  – expensive and aggressive with wrong expertise

Schedule a college essay consultation

Best College Application Essay Services in 2024

#1 – prepmaven.

Our Verdict — Best College Essay Assistance Overall Price: $79–349/hour (minimum $510 package) PrepMaven’s one-on-one college essay assistance is the best option overall. Founded by brothers and Princeton grads Greg and Kevin, almost all of PrepMaven’s essay coaches have Ivy-League experience, primarily from Princeton and Harvard. All essay coaches also undergo a thorough training program in PrepMaven’s methods, developed by professional writers with deep understanding of the college admissions process, for helping students to discover the most compelling stories for their essays. Unlike other services, PrepMaven offers college essay assistance at several different price points. At the most accessible rate, students can work with current Ivy-League undergraduates who specialize in writing and have recently aced the college application process. At higher rates, students can work with coaches who are both Ivy-League grads and professional writers (screenwriters, journalists, editors) with many years of experience helping students to craft compelling essays. Interested students can even work directly with founders Greg and Kevin, who have over 15 years of experience helping students through the entire essay-writing process. PrepMaven’s services combine many of the best features of other good options into one, and it’s hard to beat their experience.

Sign up for PrepMaven’s college essay help now

Any student wanting college essay help, at any point in the process, with a range of budgets.

At a glance:

• Cost: $79–349/hour (minimum $510 package)
• Writing coach qualifications: Princeton graduates and professional writers (or current Princeton students); all trained

What we like:

• Ivy League experience —most of their writing coaches are Princeton grads or current students, with some from Harvard and other Ivies
• Different pricing options to meet different families’ circumstances
• More flexible and greater capacity to take on new students compared to individual consultants

Sign up for PrepMaven’s college essay help

#2 – College Essay Mentor

Our Verdict — Best of the Individual Consultants Price: unknown but high Some college essay consulting services consist of just one expert. Of these individual essay consultants, Chris Hunt at College Essay Mentor is our favorite. He combines writing experience as a journalist for the Economist and the Wall Street Journal with personal experience as a graduate of Dartmouth. However, he only works with a small number of students each year, and students need to apply to work with him — he only accepts students with top grades and test scores who are already strong applicants for top schools. Chris offers the option for one-time written feedback, but this only gives big-picture generalizations. (And written-only feedback is always limited.) In order for help with the essay process, students need to purchase a complete essay package.

Students with top grades and test scores who want to work with a one-person business, who have a sizable budget, and who are ready to get started early.

• Cost: $210 for a one-time written essay feedback (big picture only), then $110 per draft feedback; pricing for essay process packages unknown
• Essay coach qualifications: professional journalist, Dartmouth grad
• Professional writing experience as a journalist
• Extensive experience working with college applicants
• Partners with Debra Felix, former Director of Admissions at Columbia, for full application review

What we don’t like:

• One-on-one work is limited to very high-achieving students, who need to apply with a resume : “I limit my one-on-one work to students who I believe will be strong applicants to elite universities. As a rule, this means having high grades in challenging classes, a test score of ACT 34+ or SAT 1500+, and substantial activities outside of the classroom.”
• Works with a limited number of students (60 per year), so often no availability
• All-or-nothing packages don’t allow students to work with Chris for just a few hours or for part of the essay-writing process
• Secretive about pricing (he’ll only give pricing details once he’s reviewed the student’s resume and agreed to work with them), but we expect the minimum cost of working one-on-one to be several thousand dollars

#3 – The College Essay Guy

Our Verdict — Best for Unlimited Essay Assistance Price: $4900 for application to 3 schools, $8050 for application for 10 schools We’re fans of Ethan Sawyer, the original “college essay guy”— his book, College Essay Essentials , is a great guide to the essay-writing process. Ethan doesn’t work directly with many students these days, but he now has a team of consultants who help students follow his principles. Their assistance is really all-or-nothing — they prefer to work with students from the very beginning of the process, and their minimum package is $4900, which includes assistance with essays for three schools. If students are applying to ten schools (a more realistic number for students aiming at competitive colleges), the fee is a hefty $7400.

Students who want unlimited help through the entire process, who have a sizable budget.

• Cost: $4900 (supplemental essays for 3 schools) – $7400 (supplemental essays for 10 schools)
• Essay coach qualifications: mix of Ivy grads and former teachers, some writers/screenwriters; all trained
• Great free resources about the essay-writing process
• Their Matchlighters Scholars Program gives back to the community by providing admissions consulting for select qualifying students
• All-or-nothing packages have a high minimum fee and don’t work for students who want just a few hours of feedback or help with just part of the process

#4 – College Vine

Our Verdict — Best of the Big Platforms Price: $140–180/hour There are plenty of large platforms with large stables of part-time tutors and coaches available to work with students. Of these big platforms, we think CollegeVine has the best offerings. Compared to other large companies, CollegeVine provides more information about their tutors, and students can pick individual tutors to work with from their roster. However, this model is really just a way of finding individual tutors to hire. Tutors don’t receive any training and don’t share a common approach, so it’s a mixed bag. Their rates are fairly high for part-time tutors who don’t have specific expertise and training in college essay consulting. Because CollegeVine is really just a marketplace where individual tutors can find students, the quality and price will vary widely.

Students who want to work with a big company, or those who want a quick session or two to go over their essays.

• Cost: Typically $140–180/hour
• Essay coach qualifications: no specific qualifications, but a few are Ivy League graduates
• Possible to select individual editors to work with from their roster.
• Easy to schedule ad-hoc sessions with a tutor through the website.
• No training or common approach for tutors
• Editors are part-time , with no option to work with full-time college admissions experts
• Relatively expensive for this level of expertise

College Essay Editing Alternatives (that Didn’t Make the Cut)

Individual essay consultants, #5 – college essay editor.

Our Verdict — Small Editing Team Price: Roughly $5,950 for applications to 10 schools College Essay Editor comprises two graduates of Stanford. This means that they have personal experience applying to highly competitive schools. One member of the team also has a college counseling certification, which is a good background for college essays. Based on their website, they appear to focus on the editing and proofreading phase of the essay-writing process. This can be helpful to students, but we recommend working with a service who can help students to uncover their values and brainstorm really great material that allows them to really shine—and if this doesn’t happen at the beginning of the process, it’s much harder to add in later on.

• Cost: $195/1000 words for proofreading, $495/1000 words for 3 rounds of editing and proofreading, or $595/1000 words for unlimited rounds of editing and proofreading; for the purposes of comparison, complete applications to 10 competitive colleges would be around 9,650 words, or $5950.
• Writing coach qualifications: Stanford graduates, one of whom has college counseling certification
• Editors are graduates of Stanford University , and one is a member of NACAC, the national association of college counselors
• They focus on editing and proofreading only , not on the crucial earlier steps of brainstorming and strategy
• Small team with very limited availability
• All asynchronous editing so you won’t be able to cultivate a real relationship with your essay coach.

#6 – Allison Karpf

Our Verdict — Former English Teacher Helping Students Price: $385/hour or $3850 package for application to one school Another option for students looking to hire an individual consultant is Allison Karpf. Allison is a former high school English teacher and a graduate of UC Berkeley who also holds a Masters of Education from Stanford. Her rates are definitely on the higher side, especially for someone who doesn’t have a professional writing background, but she does have extensive experience working with students to craft their essays.

• Cost:  $385/hour or $3850 unlimited counseling (includes supplemental essays for one college)
• Essay coach qualifications: former high school English teacher; Berkeley grad, Stanford MEd
• Lots of experience helping students improve their college essays
• Very quick to respond to client requests
• No professional writing experience or Ivy-Plus undergraduate experience
• High rates relative to other options
• Limited availability , since she works alone

#7 – Your College Vision

Our Verdict: Former Journalist with More Affordable Rates Price: $180/hour, or packages starting from $3500 Laurie Lande is another individual consultant who helps students through the essay-writing process. She comes recommended by other consultants like Chris from College Essay Mentor . Laurie did not herself attend a highly competitive school, so she doesn’t have that personal experience of going through the selective admissions process, but she does have a professional writing background as a journalist for the Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong.

• Cost: $180/hour or packages starting at $3500
• Essay coach qualifications: journalism background
• Affordable pricing , relative to other options
• Not a graduate of a highly selective school

#8 – The College Guru

Our Verdict — Good on Paper but Unresponsive Price: unknown Yet another individual essay consultant is Geanine Thompson from The College Guru. Geanine attended Dartmouth as an undergraduate and also holds an MBA from Duke. She also has a professional writing background as an assistant book editor at Berkley Publishing Group. Like Greg and Kevin at PrepMaven , she combines experience in the business world and at Wall Street firms with experience in education.

• Cost: unknown
• Essay coach qualifications: former assistant book editor; Dartmouth grad, Duke MBA
• Dartmouth graduate and former book editor
• Not responsive to emails and client requests

#9 – Sofia Zapiola

Our Verdict — A budget-friendly, personal essay editor. Price: $80/hour Yet another individual essay consultant is Sofia Zapiola, who offers a mix of essay editing and college application counseling services.

• Cost: $80/hour
• Essay coach qualifications: M.A. from Harvard; certificate in College Counseling from UC San Diego.
• Individual approach, budget-friendly rates, commitment to working within families’ budgets.
• Very few testimonials, so it’s difficult to evaluate how effective she is.

Mid-size Teams

#10 – lotus learning.

Our Verdict — Expensive for Tutor Background Price: $165/hour Founded by a Harvard grad who is a former teacher and veteran of the publishing industry, Lotus learning offers college essay help in the Boston area. They have a small team of tutors, mostly recent grads from good but not Ivy-Plus colleges, and mostly with focus in health sciences.

• Cost: $165/hour (minimum 8 hours)
• Essay coach qualifications: tutors are recent grads, but not Ivy-Plus schools
• Reasonable pricing with flexible packages
• Essay editors aren’t graduates of Ivy-Plus schools and don’t have professional writing experience

Large platforms

#11 – study point.

Our Verdict — Larger Platform with Mystery Editors Price: Rates Between $60 and $120/hr Study Point is a larger essay editing service. They claim to have several decades of experience helping students to craft their college essays, but they do not give information about who their essay coaches are and what qualifications they might have.

• Cost: $60-120/hr, depending on tutor experience
• Essay coach qualifications: unknown
• Larger company with several decades of experience
• Unclear who the essay coaches are
• Lack of statistics about their results

#12 – Ivy Select

Our Verdict — Larger Platform with Mystery Editors Price: unknown Ivy Select makes a lot of big promises on their website about having the best college essay consultants in the business, but they offer no information on who these consultants are, or on their backgrounds. They also brag that each consultant “only” works 20 students in one application cycle, but in our experience, that’s quite high.

• Long list of impressive (but anonymous) testimonials
• Only work with “top students”
• No information on their website about who the editors are
• Each essay coach works with up to 20 students at one time

#13 – Empowerly

Our Verdict — Larger Platform with Mystery Editors Price: High, from $6000/year Empowerly has over 60 college counselors who each work with an average of 5 students per year, in order to have more time to devote to each student. Their counselors come from “different educational backgrounds,” and while they do not provide specific biographical details we can assume that most of their essay coaches did not attend highly selective schools.

• Cost: typically from $6000/year
• Essay coach qualifications: college counselors
• Counselors work with just a few students per year
• You have to upgrade to “Empowerly Elite” to guarantee a counselor with a more selective educational background
• No professional writing experience

#14 – Prepory

Our Verdict — Expensive but with Good Expertise Price: $325/hr Prepory is a college application and career counseling service that offers a comprehensive program for college applications at any stage of the process (including as early as 9th grade). They make a lot of impressive claims about the expertise of their coaches, but it’s quite difficult to actual find much information about their essay coach qualifications.

• Cost: $325/hr
• They have a comprehensive college application program that begins as early as 9th grade.
• Limited information about essay coaches
• High prices

Top 40 College Essay Services Considered

• College Essay Editor
• The College Essay Guy
• College Vine
• College Essay Mentor
• Study Point
• Allison Karpf
• The College Guru
• Lotus Learning
• Summit Prep
• Sofia Zapiola
• Ivy Global / New Summits
• College Essay Solutions
• Your College Vision
• Essay Edge*
• ServicEscape*
• PapersForge*
• QuickWriter*
• JustEditMyEssay*
• JustDoMyEsssay*
• ExpertWriting*
• SpeedyPaper*
• GradeMiners*

* A number of services will edit essays directly for students, or even write portions of the essay for students. We do not condone this. Admissions officers can tell when essays have been written or edited by adults and this can have severe consequences. We have excluded these services from our reviews.

Why are college application essays important?

Can a great college essay alone get you into Harvard?

No. You’ll need your grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities (as well as letters of recommendation and interview) to be outstanding.

But can a mediocre essay be the reason you didn’t get into Harvard?

Yes. There are thousands of amazingly-qualified students who graduate from high school each year. Great grades and test scores might be a prerequisite for admission to a competitive college, but they alone aren’t enough.

College essays are a key component of a student’s application . When done well, they transform a collection of numbers—GPA, class rank, SAT or ACT scores , number of AP classes taken, AP scores—into a glimpse of a real, individual person.

Essays do many things. Good college essays can highlight extracurricular achievements which otherwise would be overlooked in a sterile list. Strong essays often indicate the student’s future plans —how they plan to leave a mark on their college campus and on the world. They can shine a light on unique challenges that a student may have had to face on their journey.

College admissions officers only have a few minutes to spend on each application. College essays need to be original, interesting, and memorable . They need to grab the attention of the admissions officer and persuade them that this is the student out of hundreds or thousands of other similarly-qualified applicants who should be admitted.

College admissions essays are usually unlike any other kind of writing that students have done before. They’re a combination of memoir and marketing pitch, and they need to be creative but also highly strategic. That’s a tough assignment!

What’s more, students are left to figure this assignment out on their own. A thoughtful and generous high school English teacher may provide guidance or offer to read essays and give feedback, but these teachers are responsible for many students, and they’re (usually) not experts in admissions strategies.

There’s another reason college essays are especially important from 2024 on. After the recent Supreme Court decision, the application essay has become one of the main ways that you can communicate how your racial identity has affected your life.

In fact, the New York Times published an article about how important it can be for students to discuss race in their college application essays!

Why work with a college essay service?

You may want to consider a college essay service if:

• You have no idea where to start in order to write your college application essays
• You feel overwhelmed by all of the different ideas you have and don’t know what would be the most strategic for college admissions—and what topics to definitely avoid for college essays
• You don’t know how to craft a compelling stor y
• You’re not sure how to edit and refine what you’ve written
• You have a hard time keeping yourself on track and want an external structure to hold you accountable
• You’re tired of conflict between students and parents about college essays
• You’re aiming at a competitive college (not just the Ivy League!) and know that you need your essays to be outstanding
• Your grades, test scores, and extracurriculars aren’t exceptional, so you need your essay to make your essay stand out from the pack
• You’re unfamiliar with the US college admissions process (a common situation for international students and first-generation families in the US)

Any of these are strong reasons to consider working with a college essay service!

It’s also worth remembering that a lot of the free advice on college’s website isn’t always very clear. For example, NYU’s admissions Senior Assistant Director of Admissions says that “There is no right or wrong way to answer as long as your answer is genuine to you.”

While that’s true, that doesn’t offer much guidance on how to actually write the essay!

Though many college applicants might not mention it, more and more students are using professional college application consultants. Research at the University of Chicago has shown that over a quarter of high-achieving seniors employed private specialists to help with the college application process.

In fact, according to NPR , some companies are even offering college admissions counseling to their top employees as an incentive–that’s just how important professional help can be in the current landscape of college admissions.

It’s important to note that a good college essay service will not write your college application essays for you . This is unethical and illegal. That’s not just coming from us: take it from a school like Princeton, whose website insists on the importance of writing your own application essays.

A good college essay service will guide you through each step of the process , teaching you how to self-reflect and write well while sharing insider insight about admissions strategy .

What makes a good college essay service?

We strongly believe that students need to write their own college essays , and we do not condone plagiarism or “buying” a college essay.

However, writing college application essays requires a completely new set of skills that is rarely taught in high school!

Writing a personal essay is much more creative than simply writing a good paper for English class. It requires a compelling narrative and a great deal of writing craft . A good essay service will teach how to do this kind of writing.

There are many college essay services that will provide only written feedback to students, usually in the form of comments added to an essay draft. (Remember, it’s important that students write their own essays, so avoid any college essay service that will make edits directly to an essay document .)

Written comments can be an effective component of good essay coaching. However, writing college essays is a deeply personal process , and it’s incredibly difficult to guide a student through the process of self-reflection, brainstorming, and planning purely through written comments.

In addition, a great college essay coach will teach students how to do this entire process of brainstorming, planning, outlining, writing, and revising . It’s difficult to learn why an essay coach is advising certain changes through written comments alone.

For these reasons, look for a college essay service with live, one-on-one services , not just written feedback. These days, it’s easy to work with the best college essay consultants in the country over Zoom!

Students need to reflect on their goals, their passions, and what drives them to be the person they are. This requires a great deal of self-awareness and self-analysis . An experienced college essay coach can help draw these ideas out of students through tested introspection techniques and brainstorming exercises .

On top of all of that, students need to be cognizant of which traits and accomplishments will be most appealing to colleges , and which stories will be cliche and boring. Personal statements and supplementary essays need to fit together to tell a cohesive story, and they need to work together with the rest of the student’s application (extracurriculars, grades, and other accomplishments).

In other words, there’s a great deal of strategy here! An experienced college essay service can help students decide how to present themselves in the best possible light .

Furthermore, most students don’t know how to edit effectively . A really top-notch college essay service will also teach students how to edit their own writing —how to reorder sections for better flow, cut unnecessary words to meet a word count, eliminate passive verbs, and make their writing vivid and exciting. Our students are routinely amazed by how transformative this step can be, and how much they learn by doing it together with the essay coach.

Finally, the best college essay services can also help students to make a writing plan and keep them on track , so that parents don’t have to be involved directly.

Ready to work on your college essays? Schedule a free 15- to 30-minute consultation with Jessica or one of our founders.

Best overall: PrepMaven’s tutors offer the highest quality at the best price. With three tiers of tutors, they make it easy to work with an Ivy League undergraduate for as little as $79/hr. Or, families can work with education professionals or Ivy League graduates from $150/hr. PrepMaven’s track record means that you can be sure every hour is being spent productively, so that you can expect real results from the work.

Best for individual consultants: College Essay Mentor. In theory, College Essay Mentor would offer an unparalleled level of individual attention and guidance: his website boasts of some very impressive results. You might find it hard to actually schedule with him, however, since he’s very selective about his clients.

Best for unlimited essay assistance: The College Essay Guy might not offer that personalized attention you get from live, face to face essay coaching, but they do offer unlimited essay editing for up to 10 schools (if you’re comfortable paying a hefty package price).

Best of the big platforms: College Vine will always be a bit of a gamble. Because it’s a tutor marketplace, your results (and costs) will really depend on how lucky you get with your consultant. From our research, however, many of their essay coaches look to have solid track records.

Ready to work on college essays with one of our experienced writing coaches? Schedule a free test prep consultation with Jessica (Director of Tutoring) or one of our founders to see what would be the best fit for your family.

It’s always best to start early and not wait until the last minute to write your college essays! Remember that essays can be used to earn scholarships as well as college admission, so a few months of writing now can pay off with up to $300,000 in tuition saved later. 

We work with students at all stages of the writing process, from I-have-no-idea-what-to-write to final edits. To start working with an Ivy-League writing coach today, set up a quick free consultation with our team.

Schedule a free college essay consultation

Top College Essay Posts

• 14 Best College Essay Services for 2023 (40 Services Reviewed)
• Qualities of a Successful College Essay
• 11 College Essays That Worked
• How to Answer the UC Personal Insight Questions
• How Colleges Read your College Applications (A 4-Step Process)
• How to Write the Princeton Supplemental Essays
• The Diamond Strategy: How We Help Students Write College Essays that Get Them Into Princeton (And Other Ivy League Schools)
• What is the College Essay? Your Complete Guide for 202 4
• College Essay Brainstorming: Where to Start
• How to Write the Harvard Supplemental Essays
• How to Format Your College Essay

Emily graduated  summa cum laude  from Princeton University and holds an MA from the University of Notre Dame. She was a National Merit Scholar and has won numerous academic prizes and fellowships. A veteran of the publishing industry, she has helped professors at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton revise their books and articles. Over the last decade, Emily has successfully mentored hundreds of students in all aspects of the college admissions process, including the SAT, ACT, and college application essay. 

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Essay Editing: How Much Does It Cost?

Essay editing is one aspect of creating an excellent piece of writing. Even after you carefully do your planning, research the topic and struggle through writing your essay, you will still have to put the finishing touches on it; or as they say, “dot your ‘i’s and cross your ‘t’s.” This is essentially what you’ll be doing when proofreading and editing your essay. The importance of editing cannot be underemphasized because having a well-presented and error-free paper is very much part of what makes it excellent and helps one earn a high grade.

This is especially important at the college level when the standards of assessment are much stricter. In fact, you should know that the assessment rubric for college-level writing includes more than simply the content of your essay. Substantial emphasis is placed on the adherence to the expected writing and citation styles and document formatting.

But what if you find yourself in a situation where you have finished your writing but have little to no time to undertake the editing? What should you do if you have a large essay or research paper containing tens of thousands of words? You can save a lot of time by paying a professional and affordable essay editing service to do the tedious task for you.

Whether you are a student looking to pay someone to edit your essay or do the editing for someone else, the following question may naturally come to mind: How much does essay editing cost? How should essay editing be priced? This is what we’ll attempt to answer in this article.

The first thing you should know regarding the question is that there is no single way of pricing an essay editing job . There are options that, on the one hand, allow for greater flexibility and convenience to the person paying for the editing, and on the other, ensure fair remuneration to the person or company doing the editing.

Before we explore the pricing options, let’s examine the factors that can affect the editing price . They are as follows:

• Volume/size of writing: From a general standpoint, here is how this works: the larger the size (word count) of the writing, the higher the editing cost is.
• Type of document: All documents are not equal or should be edited with the same degree of ease or difficulty. The general rule here is that the more complex the document, the higher the editing price. Hence, you can expect that research papers and dissertations will carry a higher price tag than essays and book reviews. Similarly, the price is also affected by the academic level. The cost of editing high school essays can be lower than that of the college-level essays.
• Expected time of completion: Other factors being equal, the time within which the editing should be completed has a significant impact on the price. The shorter the delivery time, the higher the editing cost will be. This is logical since editing may be done by more than one contractor in order not to compromise the quality. By contrast, for longer delivery times, one person can do the editing without rushing it and jeopardizing the quality of the final document.

With these three factors in mind, let’s take a look at the available pricing options:

• Fixed price : As the name suggests, this option comes with a specific set price. The price can be offered by a buyer looking for editing help. In other words, it simply indicates the budget the person has for the task. This pricing option is typically observed on freelance platforms. The beauty of it is that the suitable editors will get to decide whether its worth their time and effort. Ideally, the buyer should set a reasonable price to attract skilled editors.
• Pricing per 1000 words: This is a more popular pricing option. Many paper editing services prefer to price their editing for multi-page research papers and dissertations using this option. For example, the price for editing a PhD dissertation may be as high as 80 USD per 1000 words. By contrast, for a high school essay, it could be as little as 20 USD per 1000 words. A typical price range for college paper editing services is 10-30 USD. Again, the actual price can be higher depending on how the earlier mentioned factors apply to a given situation. If you need editing to be completed with a few days, the price could increase to 40 USD per 1000 words.
• Pricing per word: Another approach to pricing is to state the price per word. This is useful for situations in which the word count for the text is lower than 1000. However, as you may have figured, even this rate can be used to arrive at the per 1000 words pricing rate. In essence, both reveal the same thing.
• Pricing per page: As straightforward as it may appear, this pricing approach for editing documents has many disadvantages, especially for the service buyer. One of its downsides is that as a buyer you can never be certain of how many hours will be required to edit your text. Even if the editor gives an estimate, it may take actually longer, thereby surprising you with a higher-than-expected cost. Unless there is a clear understanding of the pricing terms, problems can always arise. For example, font sizes can be changed to spread the content across more pages thereby increasing the price. Another disadvantage of this approach is that the editor is incentivized to take more time to complete the editing task to be paid more.

The most important thing to know is that there are factors that influence the price. You simply have to look at how similar editing jobs are priced in the market where you participate as a buyer or essay editing service provider. With the pricing information you obtain, you can make an informed decision as to what rate you are OK with for a specific editing task.

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New York Takes Crucial Step Toward Making Congestion Pricing a Reality

The board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted to approve a new $15 toll to drive into Manhattan. The plan still faces challenges from six lawsuits before it can begin in June.

By Winnie Hu and Ana Ley

New York City completed a crucial final step on Wednesday in a decades-long effort to become the first American city to roll out a comprehensive congestion pricing program, one that aims to push motorists out of their cars and onto mass transit by charging new tolls to drive into Midtown and Lower Manhattan.

The program could start as early as mid-June after the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency that will install and manage the program, voted 11-to-1 to approve the final tolling rates, which will charge most passenger cars $15 a day to enter at 60th Street and below in Manhattan. The program is expected to reduce traffic and raise $1 billion annually for public transit improvements.

It was a historic moment for New York’s leaders and transportation advocates after decades of failed attempts to advance congestion pricing even as other gridlocked cities around the world, including London, Stockholm and Singapore, proved that similar programs could reduce traffic and pollution.

While other American cities have introduced related concepts by establishing toll roads or closing streets to traffic, the plan in New York is unmatched in ambition and scale.

Congestion pricing is expected to reduce the number of vehicles that enter Lower Manhattan by about 17 percent, according to a November study by an advisory committee reporting to the M.T.A. The report also said that the total number of miles driven in 28 counties across the region would be reduced.

“This was the right thing to do,” Janno Lieber, the authority’s chairman and chief executive, said after the vote. “New York has more traffic than any place in the United States, and now we’re doing something about it.”

Congestion pricing has long been a hard sell in New York, where many people commute by car from the boroughs outside of Manhattan and the suburbs, in part because some of them do not have access to public transit.

New York State legislators finally approved congestion pricing in 2019 after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo helped push it through. A series of recent breakdowns in the city’s subway system had underscored the need for billions of dollars to update its aging infrastructure.

It has taken another five years to reach the starting line. Before the tolling program can begin, it must be reviewed by the Federal Highway Administration, which is expected to approve it.

Congestion pricing also faces legal challenges from six lawsuits that have been brought by elected officials and residents from across the New York region. Opponents have increasingly mobilized against the program in recent months, citing the cost of the tolls and the potential environmental effects from shifting traffic and pollution to other areas as drivers avoid the tolls.

A court hearing is scheduled for April 3 and 4 on a lawsuit brought by the State of New Jersey, which is seen as the most serious legal challenge. The mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., Mark J. Sokolich, has filed a related lawsuit.

Four more lawsuits have been brought in New York: by Ed Day, the Rockland County executive; by Vito Fossella, the Staten Island borough president, and the United Federation of Teachers; and by two separate groups of city residents.

Amid the litigation, M.T.A. officials have suspended some capital construction projects that were to be paid for by the program, and they said at a committee meeting on Monday that crucial work to modernize subway signals on the A and C lines had been delayed.

Nearly all the toll readers have been installed, and will automatically charge drivers for entering the designated congestion zone at 60th Street or below. There is no toll for leaving the zone or driving around in it. Through traffic on Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive and the West Side Highway will not be tolled.

Under the final tolling structure, which was based on recommendations by the advisory panel, most passenger vehicles will be charged $15 a day from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. The toll will be $24 for small trucks and charter buses, and will rise to $36 for large trucks and tour buses. It will be $7.50 for motorcycles.

Those tolls will be discounted by 75 percent at night, dropping the cost for a passenger vehicle to $3.75.

Fares will go up by $1.25 for taxis and black car services, and by $2.50 for Uber and Lyft. Passengers will be responsible for paying the new fees, and they will be added to every ride that begins, ends or occurs within the congestion zone. There will be no nighttime discounts. (The new fees come on top of an existing congestion surcharge that was imposed on for-hire vehicles in 2019.)

The tolls will mostly be collected using the E-ZPass system. Electronic detection points have been placed at entrances and exits to the tolling zone. Drivers who do not use an E-ZPass will pay significantly higher fees — for instance, $22.50 instead of $15 during peak hours for passenger vehicles.

Emergency vehicles like fire trucks, ambulances and police cars, as well as vehicles carrying people with disabilities, were exempted from the new tolls under the state’s congestion pricing legislation .

As for discounts, low-income drivers who make less than $50,000 annually can apply to receive half off the daytime toll after their first 10 trips in a calendar month. In addition, low-income residents of the congestion zone who make less than $60,000 a year can apply for a state tax credit.

All drivers entering the zone directly from four tolled tunnels — the Lincoln, Holland, Hugh L. Carey and Queens-Midtown — will receive a “crossing credit” that will be applied against the daytime toll. The credit will be $5 round-trip for passenger vehicles, $12 for small trucks and intercity and charter buses, $20 for large trucks and tour buses, and $2.50 for motorcycles. No credits will be offered at night.

Grace Ashford contributed reporting.

Winnie Hu is a Times reporter covering the people and neighborhoods of New York City. More about Winnie Hu

Ana Ley is a Times reporter covering New York City’s mass transit system and the millions of passengers who use it. More about Ana Ley