My schedule & rate updates described in my last post were made with book-length work in mind: the 90-day lead isn’t necessary for short fiction. So for all pieces under 10,000 words or so*, my standard rate is $40/hr, and delivery can be expected within 1-2 weeks. This doesn’t count as “rush” pricing because there’s a big difference in editing a 6,000 word story in 14 days and editing a 70,000 word story in 30 days. Usually I’m able to deliver short pieces in less than a week.
However, I may incorporate a rush fee for very tight turnarounds ($25 for less than 48 hours). This is because I usually plan a day’s work a few days ahead–I have a weekly planner open on my desk all the time–and if a new story lands on my desk that needs to be worked on right away, I’ll need to reshuffle. I’m not against some reshuffling but I want to make sure I’m only doing it when a client truly needs me to.
I’m “on call” with a few clients to edit short stories, blog posts, and articles whenever they send them to me. This is at a standard rate of $40/hour and the understanding is that I’ll complete the work as fast as I am able and communicate any delays. Often I can complete editing a 200-word post within a few hours of receiving it, if I’m at my email at the right time and have an opening in my schedule (maybe a break from longer work). But it still helps to know ahead of time that the post might be coming my way.
*Pieces 20,000 and above have tended to function as “book-length” in terms of scheduling for both me and for authors. I rarely get stories in the novelette range, and we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. In part it will depend on what other projects are on my plate, but I expect it will probably operate as short fiction unless it’s on a tight deadline.
About Therese
Therese Arkenberg's first short story was accepted for publication on January 2, 2008, and her second acceptance came a few hours later. Since then they haven't always been in such a rush, yet her work appears in places like Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Analog, Daily Science Fiction, and the anthology Sword & Sorceress XXIV. Aqua Vitae, her science fiction novella, was released by WolfSinger Publications in December 2011.
She works as a freelance editor and writer in Wisconsin, where she returned after a brief but unforgettable time in Washington, D.C. When she isn't reading, writing, or editing (it's true!) she serves on the board of the Plowshare Center of Waukesha, which works for social, economic, and environmental justice.