How Targeted Editing Saves $1,200 on US Nonfiction Publishing

Background:

A nonfiction author initially planned a full developmental edit for a 60k-word manuscript. While comprehensive, this approach threatened to increase the book publishing cost unnecessarily.

Challenge:

Full developmental edits are ideal for structural issues but are costlier. The author’s manuscript was already well-structured, so a full dev-edit would have led to redundant work and higher expense. The goal was reducing unnecessary costs while maintaining editorial quality.

Solution:

Estorytellers evaluated the manuscript and recommended a targeted copyedit to refine style, grammar, and clarity, complemented by a separate proofread for final typo corrections. Using their Editing Quote Decoder, Estorytellers outlined a deliverable. Estorytellers helped a nonfiction author choose a targeted copyedit and separate proofread, optimizing the book publishing cost without sacrificing quality.

Implementation:

• Copyedit focused on improving readability, style, and tone.

• Proofreading addressed layout inconsistencies and typos.

• Milestone payments were linked to deliverables, ensuring cash flow control.

Outcome:

The strategy reduced book publishing costs by approximately $1,200 without sacrificing quality. The manuscript remained polished and professional, and the author avoided paying for redundant editing work.

Key Takeaways:
Not every manuscript requires a full developmental edit. Estorytellers helps authors select the right combination of passes to balance quality and cost, keeping the average cost of publishing a book in the USA predictable.