Reedsy alternatives: book editing at a price you see before you start
On Reedsy you hire freelance editors and designers and agree a price with each of them. If you want a fixed price for your manuscript today, these are the options, with what each one costs.
Short answer
Bookfairy edits a non-fiction manuscript at a fixed price by word count, shown as soon as you upload the file.
- Fixed price, proofread includedThe first 3,000 words are edited free.
- Reedsy marketplaceAverages of $2,160 for a copy edit and $1,600 for a proofread of 80,000 words; each editor quotes the final price.
- Cover, typesetting, EPUB, metadataFull cover with spine, plus barcode and publisher logo on the back, from the same account.
Alternatives to Reedsy for editing, cover and formatting
Sorted by what you need for one book. Prices as each provider shows them, in US dollars.
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Fixed price per book
Editing of the whole manuscript: spelling, grammar, style, sense and logic, facts and sources, then a final proofread. Every change is marked with a reason.
- Good for
- Non-fiction and guidebooks up to 100,000 words
- Runs on
- In the browser
- Price
- $82.80690 tokens for up to 60,000 words, once per manuscript, no subscription needed
- Price fixed by word count as soon as you upload
- First 3,000 words edited free
- Full cover with spine, plus barcode and publisher logo on the back, typesetting, EPUB, blurb, keywords and categories in the same account
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ProWritingAid Premium
Writing software with grammar, style and line editing reports; one Chapter Critique a day on Premium3
- Price
- $10 a month billed yearly ($120) or $30 billed monthly; lifetime $399; free plan with 2 runs a day per report, up to 500 words3
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99designs (cover contest)
Book cover design contest: designers submit concepts, you pick one4
- Price
- From US$299 (Bronze package), excl. sales tax4
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Atticus
Writing and formatting software for Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook5
- Price
- $147 once for the licence5
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Vellum Press
Formatting software for print and ebooks, only available for Mac6
- Price
- $249.99 once, excl. tax (Vellum Ebooks: $199.99)6
As of 8 November 2026, from the providers' websites (US prices in USD).
Reedsy, ProWritingAid, 99designs, Atticus and Vellum are trademarks of their respective owners. Bookfairy is not affiliated with them.
What changes when the price is fixed
- The price follows the counted words of your manuscript
- Up to 30,000 words: $46.80390 tokens
- Up to 60,000 words: $82.80690 tokens
- Up to 100,000 words: $118.80990 tokens
- Shown as soon as the file is uploaded, before anything starts
Reedsy
- Request quotes from editors; each one looks at your sample pages before naming a price2
What the edit covers
- Spelling and grammar
- Style, your voice stays
- Sense and logic, facts and sources
- A final proofread reads everything once more, no extra cost
- Every change marked with the reason, you accept or reject each one
- First 3,000 words edited free, so you judge the result on your own text
From manuscript to finished book in one account
- Cover with front, spine and back, with the barcode and publisher logo on the back as a print-ready PDF
- Cover later: translate it (same look, other language) $4.8040 tokens, new trim size $2.4020 tokens, audiobook cover $2.4020 tokens, swapping barcode and logo on the back $1.2010 tokens, changes in words $1.2010 tokens
- Typesetting and the reflowable EPUB
- Blurb, keywords and categories, each paid per book, see the price list
Who it suits
Self-publishers with a non-fiction book or a guidebook who want to know the price before they start, and who prefer to decide on every change themselves.
Frequently asked
Does Bookfairy offer a fixed editing price?
Yes. Bookfairy sets the editing price by the counted words of your manuscript: $46.80 up to 30,000 words, $82.80 up to 60,000 and $118.80 up to 100,000. The price is shown as soon as you upload, and the final proofread is included.
How does Bookfairy editing compare with Reedsy prices?
Bookfairy charges $118.80 for up to 100,000 words, final proofread included. Reedsy lists averages of $2,160 for a copy edit and $1,600 for a proofread of an 80,000-word book (as of November 2026); the final price comes from each editor's quote.
Can I try Bookfairy editing before I pay?
Yes. The first 3,000 words of your manuscript are edited free, with every change marked and explained.
Does Bookfairy also make the cover and the print file?
Yes. In the same account you get the full cover with front, spine and back, with the barcode and publisher logo on the back as a print-ready PDF, the typeset print PDF and a reflowable EPUB, each paid per book.
What do I get back from Bookfairy?
Your edited manuscript with every change marked and the reason in the margin, plus notes where only you can decide. You accept or reject each change, then download.
Sources (6)
- Reedsy, How much does it cost to self-publish a book (average costs for an 80,000-word book, accessed 7 Nov 2026). reedsy.com/blog/cost-to-self-publish-a-book/
- Reedsy, Editing services and how it works (accessed 7 Nov 2026). reedsy.com/editing
- ProWritingAid, Pricing, US view in USD (archived copy of 5 Oct 2026, checked 8 Nov 2026). prowritingaid.com/pricing
- 99designs, Book cover design, US packages, prices exclude sales tax (page as of 27 Oct 2026, checked 8 Nov 2026). 99designs.com/book-cover-design
- Atticus, Home page (accessed 7 Nov 2026). atticus.io/
- Vellum, Home page, US prices in USD, excluding tax (checked 8 Nov 2026). vellum.pub/