How it works
Writers are invited to submit a new writer application form, available here and below.
We match new writers to editors suited to their work’s content, development timeline and budget. Then, your assigned editor will likely ask for a sample of your work: this will be up to 5K words of a draft, 10 sample poems, an outline of an academic or non-fiction text, or 15 pages of a script.
In most cases, the next step is an editorial consultation. This will be an online or in-person meeting in which your editor will provide expert advice and resources, work to demystify the editorial and publishing process and answer any questions you may have.
Price list
Please note that these fees are the pro-rates of To Be Read employees (as of January 2025).
Editorial consultation
£50
sample read, meeting, formal editorial letter and access to resources
Development edit
£30 per hour
a comprehensive edit focused on style, tone, pacing, plot and structure
Line edit
£25 per hour
a line-by-line, section-by-section edit focused on consistency
Copyediting & proofreading
£25 per hour
a thorough read and edit, focused on clarity, continuity and form
Proofreading only
£20 per hour
fact-checking, formatting, language standardisation, spelling and grammar
There is also an option for individuals to pay it forward by donating or increasing their payment to support those who can’t afford it.
Pay-What-You-Can
Pay-What-You-Can (PWYC) rates and/or pro-bono services are available for individuals unable to pay pro-rates. All individuals are welcome to reach out about PWYC, but please note this is an equitable practice offered in consideration of vulnerabilities such as (but by no means limited to):
- employment status and salary (e.g. unemployed, single or low-income, working as a full-time carer, no access to financial or wellbeing support from friends, family or other associates),
- socio-and geo-graphical status (e.g. from a deprived area with limited access to artistic and cultural resources, job security, services or support),
- active or passive discrimination based on race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexuality, geographical location, neurotype, physical or mental ability and other biases, conscious or otherwise,
- the intentional or unintentional exclusion of a creative’s lived experience in mainstream media (in this case, particularly books).
To Be Read's aim is to make professional creative services affordable for all, but we must also ensure that Network Member's skills and time are treated as the valuable commodity that they are. With that in mind, the level of discount for PWYC clients will be made at each Network Member’s discretion, using the following guidelines:
- A recommended p/hour discount of 25-50% off pro-rate dependent, on the complexity of the project.
- To Be Read as a company does not encourage the use of buy-now-pay-later or work on credit, but to allow client (s) to budget appropriately it is often useful to offer a fixed-fee or fee cap: e.g. agree the total cost will not exceed £250 without renegotiation from both parties, and keep the client updated on your progress, recording hours publicly so they can see how much has been done and how much is left in the project budget.
- Take into consideration time vs. money: if there is no fixed deadline, can they afford to chip away at this project alongside more (financially) profitable work, vs. if this is needed urgently or by a select date, can they afford to forgo more (financially) profitable work for a PWYC client?