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If you’re looking for the best book editing and proofreading services available, I can help you. I’m a trained proofreader who has researched more than 70 companies to identify the strongest options.
Let’s learn more about these companies so you can choose the one that best meets your needs.
The Best Book Editing and Proofreading Services
Here are five excellent companies that can help prepare your manuscript for publication.
Best Book Editing and Proofreading Services
| Company | Trustpilot Rating |
| 1. BookBaby | 4.3 |
| 2. Reedsy | 4.7 |
| 3. Proofed | 4.8 |
| 4. Wordvice | 4.8 |
| 5. ProofreadingPal | 4.5 |
Trustpilot ratings, pricing, and other details were collected in June 2026 and are subject to change. Please visit each company’s website for the most up-to-date information.
To create this list, I screened more than 70 proofreading and editing companies using Trustpilot ratings. Companies that passed the initial screening were evaluated on their experience with manuscripts, review counts, review recency, website quality, pricing, and other factors.
I’ve looked up price quotes so you can see what each company charges for an 80,000-word manuscript.
If you don’t know whether you need an editor, a proofreader, or both, please see the first question in this article’s FAQ: “What is the difference between an editor and a proofreader?”
Although many well-known businesses do a great job of editing and proofreading a wide variety of texts, few focus on manuscripts.
BookBaby is first on this list because they specialize in manuscripts and have received over 5,000 Trustpilot reviews—many more than most editing and proofreading services.
Reedsy is next since they also specialize in manuscripts. Although they’re a marketplace that functions a bit differently from the other services on this list, they’re highly rated and well-respected in the industry.
The remaining businesses handle a broad range of documents but are included because they are highly rated.
Please note that all the services in this article vary in how they define certain types of editing (e.g., developmental editing, copyediting).
To be included in this article, a company had to meet the following criteria:
- specialize in manuscript editing, have a high Trustpilot rating, or both
- have at least 100 reviews on Trustpilot
- have recent reviews on Trustpilot
- have a professional website that’s relatively free of grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors
Each Service Has a Unique Selling Point
To help you choose the best option, see if you have any specific needs listed below.
The Unique Offerings of Each Business
| Business | Best Bet if You Want . . . |
|---|---|
| 1. BookBaby | editing plus publishing support |
| 2. Reedsy | to choose your own editor |
| 3. Proofed | a highly rated service with thousands of reviews |
| 4. Wordvice | 50% off your first order |
| 5. ProofreadingPal | the option of two proofreaders |
All of the companies listed work with a broad range of fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books. Let’s see the details for each company.
1) BookBaby
BookBaby works with authors who want to publish, print, and sell their books, including e-books.
Headquarters/Location: United States
Trustpilot Rating: 4.3
Free Sample Edit: Yes. They’ll line edit or copyedit (you choose) up to 1,250 words of your manuscript.
About the Editors: All of their editors have a degree in a field relevant to publishing. Furthermore, according to BookBaby, their editors have worked with best-selling authors across multiple genres.
Number of Editors Assigned to Document: 1
Services Offered: Proofreading, Copyediting, and Line Editing
Proofreading: They check grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
Copyediting: Basic proofreading plus checking for word choice, sentence structure, clarity, concision, and consistency. For fiction, they check for consistency in the plot, characters, and setting.
I penned a post about how proofreading and copyediting differ if you’d like a more detailed explanation.
Line editing: Basic proofreading plus improving the content, structure, language, flow, tone, style, and voice. For fiction, they’ll enhance character development, plot, and pacing. Finally, you’ll receive instructive notes and comments on the manuscript.
Let’s see the prices and estimated turnaround times (TATs) based on the chosen service.
Price for Proofreading, Copyediting, or Line Editing an 80,000-Word Manuscript
| Service Level | Estimated TAT | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Proofreading | 6–8 days | $1,200 |
| Copyediting | 7–9 days | $2,000 |
| Line Editing | 8–10 days | $3,200 |
Get a price quote from BookBaby.
2) Reedsy
Reedsy is not a book editing and proofreading service but rather an online marketplace. I’ve included it in this article since it’s a highly rated and popular platform. It offers an array of experts to help bring your book to life: editors, designers, marketers, ghostwriters, web designers, and translators.
Headquarters/Location: United Kingdom
Trustpilot Rating: 4.7
Free Sample Edit: Many editors offer a sample edit for free or for a small fee.
About the Editors: Reedsy is very selective. Editors on the Reedsy marketplace need at least three years of experience in the services they offer, experience working with a publisher, and a portfolio of at least five recently published books that are well reviewed on platforms like Amazon or Goodreads.
Number of Editors Assigned to Document: 1
Services Offered: Editors on Reedsy differ in the services they offer. However, you can find the following services on the platform: developmental editing, editorial assessment (for those not ready to commit to a full developmental edit), copyediting, proofreading, and copyediting plus proofreading (source).
Editorial Assessment: This light version of a developmental edit involves feedback but no direct edits to your document. Instead, you’ll receive a detailed editorial letter with an analysis of your manuscript and specific suggestions for revision.
Developmental Editing: Checks for structure, pacing, characterization, and plot (for fiction), as well as marketability. You’ll receive a detailed editorial letter with an analysis of your manuscript and specific recommendations for revision.
Copyediting: This edit focuses on making your writing more compelling, clear, concise, and consistent. You’ll also receive a style sheet listing spelling and formatting conventions that proofreaders can later reference.
Proofreading: This final pass checks for errors in grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and formatting.
Average Prices for Various Services for an 80,000-Word Manuscript
| Type of Work | Price (source) |
|---|---|
| Editorial Assessment | $1,600 |
| Developmental Editing | $2,240 |
| Copyediting + Proofreading | $1,760 |
| Copyediting | $1,680 |
| Proofreading | $1,200 |
Get a price quote from an editor on Reedsy.
3) Proofed
Proofed offers proofreading and editing services to a broad clientele.
Headquarters/Location: United States, United Kingdom, and Australia
Trustpilot Rating: 4.8
Free Sample Edit: Yes, for their proofreading service (up to 500 words)
About the Editors: They have received comprehensive training via Knowadays, Proofed’s sister company, to ensure they can copyedit and proofread to a high standard.
Number of Editors Assigned to Document: 1
Services Offered: Proofreading and Editing
Proofreading: They check for grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, and style. They also suggest where additional edits may be useful.
Editing: Everything included in their proofreading service, plus checking for flow, clarity, concision, word choice, and tone. You’ll also get feedback and advice on content and writing style.
Price for Proofreading vs. Editing an 80,000-Word Manuscript
| TAT | Proofreading Price | Editing Price |
|---|---|---|
| 3 days (Rapid) | $8,400 | $12,480 |
| 5 days (Express) | $5,600 | $8,320 |
| 10 days (Regular) | $2,800 | $4,160 |
Get a price quote from Proofed.
4) Wordvice
Wordvice provides a combined proofreading and editing service to a broad spectrum of clients.
Headquarters/Location: They have operations in the United States, Turkey, China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea.
Trustpilot Rating: 4.8
Free Sample Edit: Yes (up to 500 words) for potential institutional and VIP clients, or individuals submitting lengthy documents.
About the Editors: They have extensive editing experience, and many have advanced degrees (master’s and PhDs).
Number of Editors Assigned to Document: 1
Services Offered: Combined Proofreading and Editing
Combined Proofreading and Editing: They check for grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, formatting, word choice, clarity, concision, logic, tone, and flow. They also give substantive feedback.
Price for Proofreading and Editing an 80,000-Word Manuscript
| TAT | Price |
|---|---|
| 7 days | $3,200 |
Top-Notch Tip: Take advantage of Wordvice’s 50% discount on all first editing orders.
Get a price quote from Wordvice.
5) ProofreadingPal
ProofreadingPal provides a combined proofreading and editing service to a broad clientele.
Headquarters/Location: United States
Trustpilot Rating: 4.5
Free Sample Proofread: Yes. They’ll proofread up to 400 words.
About the Editors: They are highly skilled proofreaders and copy editors, many of whom have a master’s degree or are pursuing a PhD.
Number of Editors Assigned to Document: 1 or 2 (you choose)
Services Offered: Combined Proofreading and Editing
Combined Proofreading and Editing: Checks for grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, style, clarity, and formatting consistency. You’ll also receive helpful comments and recommendations.
Price for Proofreading and Editing an 80,000-Word Manuscript
Please call us at 888-833-8385 or send us an email at sales@proofreadingpal.com to get a custom quote for your book proofreading and editing project.– ProofreadingPal
Now let’s look at some common questions related to book proofreading and editing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an editor and a proofreader?
When we think about editors, we usually have developmental editors in mind. These individuals improve a book’s content and organization. For fiction books, developmental editors look for plot holes, refine pacing, and enhance the book’s plot and character development.
Proofreaders fix punctuation, grammar, capitalization, spelling, and formatting mistakes that remain after previous editing stages.
Here’s a look at the roles of various editors and the proofreader. In book publishing, the editing process begins with developmental editing and ends with proofreading.
| Type of Professional | What They Do |
|---|---|
| Developmental Editor | Adds/subtracts/reorganizes entire sections of text to improve the overall content and structure |
| Line Editor | Refines the language to improve flow, clarity, and consistency in style and tone |
| Copy Editor | Makes writing correct, comprehensive, consistent, clear, and concise; fixes mistakes with sentence structure |
| Proofreader | Corrects errors with grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and basic formatting issues; checks for repeated, omitted, and misused words |
What is the going rate for editing a book?
According to the Editorial Freelancers Association, developmental editors generally charge $0.028–$0.078 per word, although graphic novels can reach $0.09 per word.
However, for fiction and nonfiction books, the rates range from $0.03 to $0.05 per word. So it would cost $2,400–$4,000 for a developmental edit of an 80,000-word manuscript.
Of course, it will likely cost more if you have a tight turnaround time or a book requiring more extensive work than is typical.
Top-Notch Tip: When getting an estimate for developmental editing, read the editing service description carefully since it varies from one business to the next.
What is the average rate for proofreading services?
The average rate for proofreading services is about 3–6 cents per word if you hire a proofreading service. This translates to $2,400–$4,800 for an 80,000-word manuscript.
If you hired a freelance proofreader, it would cost roughly 1–3 cents per word. That comes to $800–$2,400 for an 80,000-word manuscript.
It’s important to note that a fast turnaround time, a complex manuscript, or a document riddled with errors will result in a higher fee.
I hope this article has helped you decide which book editing and proofreading service makes the most sense for you.
Best wishes to you!
“There’s a quiet comfort in knowing I have not yet crossed paths with all of the people who will bring magic into my life.”
– S.M. Klees
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