NUJ Rate for the Job: Shifts / books

Updated: 2025-07-09

These rates have been reported by members of the National Union of Journalists and others, and printed in the Freelance, newsletter of London Freelance Branch. They are sorted by publisher/publication, then by date (most recent first). TIP: Use the "Find in page" command under your browser's "Edit" or "Search" menu to be sure of finding all occurrences of a publication/publisher. AND do note the year in which the rate was reported! See also the Freelance Fees Guide, which gives general recommendations. And read the disclaimer and the key to exactly what the entries mean.

Shifts / books If you are interested, the archived rates are here.
Tell us what you've been paid for Shifts / books		Freelance Fees Guide
Publication / Programme - details & terms	Group	Year		Total paid	GR	XXXX
Blossom Spring Publishing flat fee per 100k words, £20 per 1k thereafter, non-negotiable; (offer refused)		2015		100.00		X
Law Business Research freelance copy editor day: setting text on the page, making author proofs, liaising with in-house editorial assistants, taking in emendations and corrections, and sending artwork to press		2017		120.00	GR	XX
Louis Vuitton Travel Guides copy editing rate per hour		2014		40.00		O
Louis Vuitton Travel Guides copy editing rate per hour		2014		40.00		O
Academic publication (unnamed) copy-editing day - 12 essays		2014		500.00
bi-annual subbing a magazine translated into English from French, 58,000 words in total		2019		2300.00		X
Book publisher proofreading, per hour		2023		29.00
Book publisher offered to be consultant on a 128-page book		2022		400.00
Book publisher offered to be consultant on a 32-page book		2022		150.00
Book publisher offered to be consultant on a 128-page book - (feels a bit like doing pro bono work)		2022		200.00		XX
Book publisher per day -		2018		120.00		XXX
Book publisher per day -		2018		50.00		XXXX
Book publisher (major) proofreading per thousand words		2023		5.60		XX
Book publishers proofreading per hour		2023		28.65
Book publishers sensitivity reading an entire novel, according to Rosamund Urwin in the Times, from		2022		100.00		XXXX
Book publishers sensitivity reading an entire novel, according to Rosamund Urwin in the Times, up to		2022		500.00		XXX
Book publishers sensitivity reading an entire novel, according to Rosamund Urwin in the Times, from		2022		100.00		XXXX
Book publishers sensitivity reading an entire novel, according to Rosamund Urwin in the Times, up to		2022		500.00		XXX
British Dental Association Editing transcriptions of lectures to compile them into a book to help small business owners, such as medical practices		2018		200.00
Contract publishing per day to run project as editor including concept, pitching to client, client handling, commissioning text and subbing the text, plus social media and press releases related to project. Each book project lasts about a year, sometimes working every day, so		2018		250.00
Courier graphic designer day (via #FreelancerPayGap)		2020		300.00
Dorling Kindersley temporary designer day up to (via #FreelancerPayGap)		2020		80.00		XXX
HarperCollins Copy-editing per hour - member quoted Fees Guide rate and got it	_NI	2015		24.00
ILO (International Labour Organization?) per day book editing - CHF 5000 =		2016		3500.00
Ink Global editor day (via #FreelancerPayGap)		2020		235.00
Jaqui Small Publishing fixed fee for project editor - US edition		2014		385.00		XXX
Jaqui Small Publishing fixed fee for project editor		2014		3800.00		XX
Lars Wagner design a book (8 hours)		2017		500.00
LexisNexisUK per hour -	_RE	2018		24.00
Non-fiction book per day proofreading 90,000-word book		2019		1500.00
Non-fiction book per day proofreading 90,000-word book minimum, more if rush job, find publishers willing to renegotiate if unanticipated extra work eg rewriting		2019		1500.00
Non-fiction book per day proofreading ghost-written autobiography, then renegotiating to cover massive rewrite		2019		6000.00		O
Non-fiction book per day heavy edit on non-fiction book, £3000 agreed then major rewrite-plus led to renegotiation to...		2019		4750.00
Non-fiction book per day proofing/light edit on non-fiction book minimum		2019		1000.00
Privately published recipe book per day editorial "not a lot, but for a friend"		2017		800.00		X
Proofreading - recommended minima Copyediting per hour		2022		31.30
Proofreading - recommended minima Substantial editing, rewriting, development editing per hour		2022		36.00
Proofreading and editing - recommended minima basic proofreading - as if there were any basic jobs		2022		26.90
Publisher for professional body proofreading (remote) for fixed fee (approx. 20 hrs)		2023		600.00	GR
Publishing editor day (via #FreelancerPayGap)		2020		320.00
Publishing graphic design day (via #FreelancerPayGap)		2020		250.00	GR
Publishing freelance non-fiction & historial magazine writer day (via #FreelancerPayGap)		2020		37.00		XXX
Publishing Business (that's the company name) subbing day	_PubBiz	2014		150.00
Publishing Business (that's the company name) subbing day	_PubBiz	2014		150.00
Publishing/arts & heritage graphic designer day (via #FreelancerPayGap)		2020		250.00
Reviewing as-yet-unpublished scientific pamphlet per day - paid in advance		2017		480.00	GR
Routledge books editing a book - whole book	_Informa	2022		1000.00
School visit as book author half day - plus expenses		2024		200.00		X
School visit as book author full day in Book Week - plus expenses		2024		420.00
School visit as book author one hour online session		2024		125.00
School visit as book author one day by in-demand author, reported in 2013 - plus expenses		2024		1000.00
School visit as book author full day		2024		400.00
Self-published book copy-editing book- took 29 hours - per hour		2019		35.00
University careers guides per day flat rate non-negotiable fee regardless of whether a publication is being redesigned, or how many hours worked	_Ziff	2017		800.00		X
Unnamed Nambian publisher unspecified activity, per day "OK as Namibian rate!"		2016		60.00
US book publishers copy-editing, fiction, per hour		2022		35.00
US book publishers copy-editing, factual books, per hour		2022		45.00
Key to the rates, by column:
1 Publication / Programme, any details of work and licence
2 Owner at the time the rate was reported, where known	Group
3 The year in which the rate was reported		Year
4 Currency: either or or (US)
5 Amount paid (total of basic licence and extra licences for web use, database resale...)				Amount
7 "Going Rate" according to experienced NUJ members - do try to better it:					GR
or Minimum rate set out in NUJ House Agreement:					HA
8 Underpaid, in the fallible opinion of the Freelance editor:				50.00		X
or Just sometimes we're pleasantly surprised:				1500.00		O

Other rates:

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