The "House Cleaner Theory" of Pricing Your Academic Editing Services

If you're still charging 2 cents a word for academic editing, this episode is going to make you uncomfortable—in a good way.

In this episode, I break down the two beliefs that keep editors underpriced ("I'll lose clients" and "who am I to charge more?"), why the EFA rate chart is training the whole industry to undercharge, and exactly what I charge now for copy editing, developmental editing, and coaching.

I also share real rates that editors inside BAE are landing right now, from US$350 journal article edits to US$2,300-a-month coaching clients.

I explain why a client who leaves when you raise your rates was never the right client to begin with (and how you can attract the right clients who value your expertise).

And I offer the "house cleaner" analogy to help you stop feeling guilty for raising your rates.

Watch the full episode or listen wherever you get your podcasts. And be sure to register for my free training on Sept 2:

"Where Are All the Private Clients? How to Stop Relying on Agencies and Start Attracting Clients Who Value Your Work"

Get the Zoom link at: https://acadiaediting.com/editorslive

Resources Mentioned:

Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) rate chart: https://www.the-efa.org/rates/#ratechart

**A note on the EFA rate chart:

Since recording, I've been thinking about my comments on pricing and the EFA rate chart, and I want to clarify some things.

First, I've heard from dozens of editors who charge very low rates (around 2 cents a word) because they think that charging less will get them more clients. These are experienced editors who should be learning how to market themselves, instead of keeping their prices low. This is the audience I was thinking about when I recorded this episode.

Second, I think the 4-6 cents per word that the rate chart quotes for line editing in the humanities is in line with the pricing that I see among BAE members (brand-new editors), but I do think that editors with a year or more of experience and positive client feedback should be charging closer to 7-8 cents per word (yes, even in the humanities and social sciences). Furthermore, the EFA chart's rates for STEM, legal, and medical are far too low. Editors with 6-12 mos of experience (and positive client feedback) in these fields should be charging 7-12 cents per word, especially for shorter articles.

Finally, I'd like to repeat my call to the EFA to release more data from the survey: what is the sample size (total and per category), what does the distribution of rates look like (total and per category), etc. The medians are helpful but they are not the whole story.

Timestamps

0:00 - Why raising your rates feels so scary

2:00 - The two beliefs driving underpricing fear

5:00 - Beliefs vs. facts: unmaking the fear

8:30 - How Paulina went from 2 to 8 cents a word

11:30 - What editors in BAE are actually charging

15:00 - Clients who leave are a fit problem, not a price problem

18:30 - The house cleaner pricing analogy

21:30 - What premium clients are really paying for

24:30 - Why pricing for everyone prices you for no one

27:30 - Why the EFA rate chart is too low

31:00 - Real BAE member rates and project examples

34:00 - How to actually price editing and coaching work

37:00 - Community, confidence, and the free Sept 2 workshop

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