You Can Edit – But Can You Run an Editing Business?

A blonde woman working on her laptop at her desk with a full bookcase in the background

You know your ‘its’ from your ‘it’s’. You can spot a misplaced apostrophe from across the room. You’ve proofread your friend’s dissertation, caught typos in published books, and maybe even picked up a few clients. So far, so good. But running an editing business? That’s a whole other manuscript (to force an editing version of ‘kettle of fish’).

Many of us enter freelancing editing because we love words. We enjoy the rhythm of a well-edited sentence, the satisfaction of smoothing out a clunky paragraph. But no one warns you that once you start charging for it, editing is the easy part. The hard part? Pricing, contracts, client emails, tax returns, visibility, boundaries, deadlines, and knowing when to say no.

Welcome to the business side of editing.

Table of Contents

    Being a Good Editor Isn’t Enough

    You can be the most talented editor in the world, but if you don’t know how to run an editing business, your emails might stay eerily quiet. When we started out, we hit the ground running with a few clients. But we also expected to get more requests quite quickly. We were good after all. 

    Our inbox stayed empty, though. More spam than legit potential clients (how do the scammers always sniff you out?). The few quote requests we did get led nowhere. Clients didn’t want to pay much and wanted everything yesterday. This is assuming we got as far as dragging project specs out of them. Most ghosted after we asked for basic information like “How many words is the report?” and “What is the turnaround time?”.

    So, what did we learn?

    Running a freelance editing business means you have to balance two roles: the editor and the business owner.

    You must promote your services, handle finances, and manage client relationships, all while maintaining quality on the page. If you neglect the business stuff, your editing skills won’t have a chance to shine.

    Pricing: Not Just Guesswork and Guilt

    Let’s talk money. Pricing your services can feel like throwing spaghetti at a wall. It might stick or it might splatter spectacularly to the ground. How much is too much? Too little? What are others charging? Should I go per word, per hour, per project?

    Many new editors undervalue their work, especially if they switch from salaried employment or do this as a side hustle. But editing isn’t just about the hours you spend with a text. There’s also admin, research, queries, and, sometimes, emotional labour. How do you factor all of that in?

    These tips may help you with the pricing debacle:

    Know Your Niche

    Academic editing, indie fiction, short stories, corporate proofreading, website copy, magazine articles. 

    Each niche comes with different expectations and pricing standards. Understanding your specialism helps you set rates that reflect your value and expertise.

    Don’t Forget the Unpaid Work

    Emails, quotes, invoices, marketing… all those “quick” admin tasks add up. When pricing your services, account for the non-billable hours that keep your editing business running.

    Choose a Pricing Model That Works for You

    Whether you charge by the hour, per word, or on a project basis, your pricing structure should suit your workflow and be easy to communicate to clients.

    For example, we generally prefer a per-word rate. We had some disagreements with clients who couldn’t equate a 6-page document with 3 hours’ worth of work (yes, sometimes a draft is just that bad). We’ve also had clients who tried to lower a per-page quote by reducing the font size.

    So, we feel per word is the most accurate and least tamperable.

    Use Industry Benchmarks

    Professional editing bodies usually have some kind of report with suggested rates. These are great starting points if you’re really at a loss, but they’re just that – a starting point. Remember to adjust your rates based on your experience, niche, and local market. Also, check how old the rates are. Some are from 2020 or 2021. In that case, you should add some padding.

    Reports to get you started:

      • CIEP (Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading) – Restricted to suggested minimum hourly rates, but still interesting to see what the Brits are charging.
      • EFA (Editorial Freelancers Association) – Easily the most extensive resource. The page includes a list of various editing, design, publishing, and writing services with per-word, hour, page, and flat fees. It also has an editorial rate estimator, with per-word and per-hour options, and a rate converter, to find equivalents between per-word, page, and hour fees. Everything is in dollars, though.
      • Safrea (South African Freelancers’ Association) – Divided into many writing and editing services. They also break it down into per-word, hour, and project rates. However, the last update was in 2021, so add some extra change. 
      • PEG (Professional Editors’ Guild) – Just a short note in the job submission guidelines, but it’s kept up to date.

    Increase Those Rates

    Finally, and perhaps most importantly, don’t be afraid to increase your rates annually. We know. It’s really, seriously scary. We backed and forthed on it for a solid week before finally drafting emails to our clients, closing our eyes, hitting send, and then waiting in abject horror for a response.

    To our surprise and delight, most didn’t even bat an eyelid. Just a thanks-very-much-for-the-update and life went on.

    Don’t let guilt or impostor syndrome dictate your pricing. Remember: you have a sellable skill and sought-after expertise. It should come with a fair price tag.

    Contracts and Boundaries: Protecting Your Sanity

    It might feel overly formal when you’re starting out, but contracts are your best friend. They’re not about distrust. They’re about clarity.

    A good contract should cover:

      • The scope of the work
      • Deadlines
      • Payment terms
      • What’s included (and what isn’t)
      • Revision policies

    Setting boundaries doesn’t make you difficult. It makes you a professional editor.

    Without a contract, you’re vulnerable to last-minute scope creep and delayed payments. Unfortunately, not all clients are good clients, so you need something solid to refer to during disputes. A signed and dated contract protects both of you.

    There are various templates online if you’re not sure how to phrase everything you want to say. Additional clauses we’ve added to our contracts address confidentiality, copyright, plagiarism, unimplemented changes, and AI-generated text.

    Communication Skills (That Have Nothing to Do with Editing)

    You may be great at smoothing other people’s words, but how are yours?

    Professional communication is part of your job. That includes:

      • Clear, polite onboarding emails
      • Setting expectations and timelines early
      • Following up firmly (but nicely) when clients miss deadlines or payments
      • Handling awkward feedback or criticism

    You don’t need to be a marketing guru or a customer service expert, but you do need to be responsive and consistent. Clients remember good editing, but they rave about good service.

    Systems, Scheduling, and Staying Organised

    When you’re juggling three manuscripts, two proofreads, and a pile of admin, systems are your lifeline.

    Use whatever tools work for you:

      • Time trackers (like Toggl or Clockify)
      • Project management tools (Trello, Notion, a good old spreadsheet)
      • Templates for emails, contracts, quotes, and invoices

    You don’t have to invest in accounting software immediately, but if you do, you’ll have all of your accounting information captured from the start. 

    The most important thing is that you set boundaries around your time. Create a routine that separates editing from admin. Many freelancers implement calendar blocking for this. Because the truth is, it’s very easy to be busy as a freelancer. But busy isn’t the same as productive, is it? 

    Similarly, you can’t just edit all day, every day. Running an editing business is about working on the business as much as in it.

    Putting Yourself Out There (Yes, Even on LinkedIn)

    Marketing is uncomfortable for many editors, but without it, no one will know you exist. You don’t need to go viral on TikTok on your first try. Just start by showing up where your clients are.

    LinkedIn is a great platform for editors. It’s our preferred option. But you can be just as successful on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Start by optimising your profile with keywords related to your niche, sharing occasional posts about your work, and engaging with posts in your field.

    Other marketing options to boost your social media efforts include:

      • Building a simple website (and keeping it updated)
      • Asking for testimonials (social proof carries a lot of weight)
      • Joining editorial directories (adds credibility if you’re part of a recognised body)
      • Referrals from past clients or editors (word of mouth and networking still get results)

    All of this effort comes down to visibility. Visibility builds trust and trust brings clients.

    It's a Business. So Treat It Like One

    Even if you’re freelancing in your own name, you’re still running a business. That means:

      • Registering your business with CIPC
      • Getting a business tax number from SARS and registering for PAYE and UIF (VAT is only necessary after a certain threshold)
      • Setting up a separate business bank account (makes tax time so much easier)
      • Alternatively, a separate savings account to act as your emergency fund
      • Tracking income and expenses
      • Submitting tax returns
      • Considering business insurance

    Yes, it’s admin-heavy. Yes, it’s boring. Yes, you want to tear the hair from your head in frustration. But it’s part of how to run an editing business with confidence and professionalism.

    A tip we always share with anyone considering freelancing is:

    Outsource what you can’t do yourself.

    Particularly speciality stuff like accounting and taxes. Refer to someone who knows what to do and does it right the first time. If you do it yourself, it’s going to take forever and be wrong anyway. Paying for that peace of mind has been worth it for us every time.

    Giving Your Freelance Editing Business Wings

    We hope this blog didn’t discourage you, because that wasn’t the point. We’ve never believed in being unprepared. We prefer checking out the landscape first, and that’s what we wanted to convey here.

    The good news? You’re not expected to know everything on day one.

    Running a freelance editing business takes time, mistakes, and a lot of Googling. But you don’t have to figure it out solo. There are so many editing and writing communities like PEG, Safrea, CIEP, and EFA. You can also find dedicated Facebook groups or LinkedIn circles online full of editors willing to share their knowledge. When you’re not up for interaction, consume as much knowledge as you can from publications about editing and freelancing.

    So yes, you can edit – but you can also learn to run an editing business. One email, contract, and late-night spreadsheet at a time.

    Blue Leaf Team

    The Blue Leaf Editing team has over 15 years of combined editing, publishing, and book industry experience. We’re passionate about content and storytelling, and sharing our knowledge with others.