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Service Rate Calculator
$20
A Google Sheet template for your editorial services to build quick, easy quotes and forecast revenue vs. income.
Canned Email Templates
$20
Twenty email templates to streamline your communications from initial inquiry to testimonial requests.
Service Contract Template
$150
A comprehensive contract to protect your services and authors’ copyrights. For PDF or Dubsado use.
If you have any questions or issues with your purchases, please contact Amber for support.
Service Rate Calculator
Project quotes made easy, powered by Google Sheets
This spreadsheet is intended to help editors calculate their per-word rate for editorial services as well as the payouts after the invoice has been paid. If you customize your rates based on how long it took you to do a sample edit, we’ve got that covered too! Insert the time it took you to edit a thousand words, and the spreadsheet will display your projected hours of editing (with a buffer built in for those project hiccups!) and estimated hourly earnings.
Once your services and payouts are set up, all you’ll have to do is plug in the manuscript word count—the calculator will tell you the rest!
The spreadsheet calculates the following information: invoice total, client deposit based on payment schedule, per-word editor rate, total editor payout, total business payout and rate, amount to set aside for taxes versus overhead and profit, projected project hours, and projected hourly rate.
All you have to do? Input the manuscript length and click enter. No more napkin math, no more searching through past invoices for comps, no more awkward deliberations on a sales call while you figure out what the cost is and if it’ll be enough. The calculator is quick, easy, and tailored just to you.
Protecting you from unprofitable projects.
The spreadsheet also includes a project minimum rate, which is an amount you charge if the word count for any given project is too low to cover your costs. If the per-word rate calculator spits out a client invoice amount less than your project minimum rate, the PMR cell will highlight green to alert you that you may need to charge this rate instead.
Customizations available upon request!
If you would like the calculator set up for you or if you require special customizations made to the template, please contact Amber for a quote. Customizations can include adding more services, setting up unique payouts, including payout calculators for packages that utilize subcontractors and project managers, changing sample edit parameters, updating payout or project minimum numbers, and more.
What’s Included:
Deliverables include one PDF instructions booklet for set-up with a link to the Google Sheets template.
An in-depth video walkthrough is coming soon!
RATE CALCULATOR FOR FREELANCER: $20 USD
RATE CALCULATOR FOR TEAMS: $30 USD
20 Canned Email Templates
Streamline your emails so you can get back to editing
Managing your inbox is one of the last things you want to deal with while running your business—but clear, frequent communication with your authors is critical to forming a strong client relationship. We’re often so wrapped up in our editing that we forget what it’s like to be on the other end of the author-editor relationship: twiddling your thumbs, wondering how the project is going.
Let’s streamline your project workflow and add a taste of automation to your projects by utilizing email templates to guide you in hitting all the important details at all the right times.
Each email template comes with instructions on when to use it in your workflow and how to add your customizations. Insert these templates into your preferred email sequencer like Dubsado, Honeybooks, ConvertKit, or paste into Gmail. You can easily update the emails with your brand details or project specifics with searchable formatting.
Included Canned Email Templates
- Inquiry form submitted (new lead)
- Inquiry follow-up
- Upcoming consultation call reminder
- Bad lead (a break-up email for inquiries that do not fit your niche or services)
- Project proposal with attached sample edit
- Project proposal without a sample edit
- Onboarding materials (contract, invoice, etc.)
- Contract waiting to be signed reminder
- Send us your manuscript file
- Project starting notice
- Project update: we’re on track!
- Project update: will be delayed
- Finished edits waiting on final payment
- Notice of terminated contract
- Deliverables for the first round of edits
- Reminder for the author to send their revisions back in a week
- Overdue payment reminder
- Deliverables for the final/only round of edits
- Checking in post-project after no client contact
- Testimonial request after project’s end
COST: $20 USD
Editorial Services Contract Template
One contract that does the work. And then some.
A comprehensive, customizable contract built for real editorial workflows—not generic freelance assumptions.
This contract template is built from a real, in-use agreement developed for my own editorial agency and has been refined through professional legal review. It’s designed to support the realities of editorial work—scope changes, layered services, payment timing, revision limits, scheduling dependencies, and client delays—while keeping expectations clear and collaboration healthy.
How do I know this is going to be your favorite service contract? Because I use it myself: multiple times a month, every month for the past few years.
Rather than relying on vague or overly broad language, this contract clearly outlines how editorial projects function from onboarding through final delivery. The result is an agreement that protects your time, labor, and calendar before friction arises, without sacrificing clarity or client trust.
This is not a fill-in-the-blanks starter contract—it’s a complete framework designed to be customized responsibly and scaled to fit your services.
What’s Included:
One contract system, delivered in your preferred format: Word or Dubsado-ready.
– The Word template can be exported as a signable PDF for editors who prefer manual contracts.
– The Dubsado-ready contract utilizes the CRM’s smartfields to seamlessly populate contracts from your lead capture forms.
At checkout, you’ll select the format you prefer.
Flexible structure for real editorial scenarios.
– Single services or multi-stage editorial packages
– Tiered payment structures based on invoice totals
– Word-count-based scope adjustments and renegotiation terms
– Project hold, stop-work, and termination provisions
Editor-specific protections.
– Defined review periods and revision limits
– Clear author resubmission deadlines tied to scheduling realities
– Late payment, work-pause, and schedule-extension clauses
– Intellectual property language that respects both author ownership and editor labor
Modern, client-forward options.
– Optional conscious/inclusive language editing clause with client-selectable preferences
– Scannable headings and structured sections for easier client review and comprehension
Clauses and Provisions Covered
This template includes clearly structured provisions addressing:
PROJECT SCOPE & MANUSCRIPT PARAMETERS
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Original manuscript word count and scope assumptions
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Scope renegotiation if length or complexity changes
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Statement of Work structure for single or multiple editorial services
SERVICE FRAMEWORK
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Editorial service definitions (developmental editing, line editing, copyediting, proofreading, assessments, and more)
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Editorial standards and style guides
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Deliverable formats, including Track Changes and clean copies
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Consultation sessions and office hours
REVISIONS & COLLABORATION
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Defined review periods
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Included second revisions for line and copy editing
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Limits on additional revision rounds
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Author responsibilities for tracked changes and resubmissions
SCHEDULING & CLIENT DELIVERABLES
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Start and end dates
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Author revision timelines by service type
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Schedule extensions caused by client delays
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Rate adjustments following prolonged project pauses
PAYMENT & INVOICING
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Tiered payment structures based on invoice amount
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Booking payments and non-refundable retainers
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Final payment adjustments tied to actual word count
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Late fees, payment deadlines, and work stoppage provisions
PROJECT HOLDS & TERMINATION CONDITIONS
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Pre-start and mid-project termination terms
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Temporary project hold periods
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Termination due to prolonged client inaction
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
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Author ownership of the manuscript
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Editor ownership of edits until full payment is received
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Publication restrictions prior to final payment
RISK, LIABILITY & LEGAL FRAMEWORK
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Limitation of liability and indemnification
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No-guarantee clauses regarding sales, reviews, or outcomes
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Governing law, severability, modification, and electronic signatures
Who This Template Is For?
- Fiction and nonfiction editors offering developmental edits, line edits, copy edits, proofreading, or multi-stage editorial services.
- Editors who want a contract that scales with their pricing, packages, and scheduling systems without requiring multiple contract templates or workflow terms.
- Editors using Dubsado who want a polished contract that integrates directly into their workflows.
- Editors who value clarity, professionalism, and long-term client relationships.
Important Notes
- This template is intended for customization and does not constitute legal advice.
- You are responsible for reviewing and adapting all clauses to fit your business model, services, and jurisdiction.
- This contract reflects common best practices for freelance editorial services but may require modification for your specific use case.
- This template is for individual business use only and may not be resold or redistributed.
- The clauses provided do not account for specific scopes within academic, medical, or legal editing.
COST: $150 USD
TESTIMONIALS
What Editors Say
I wish I’d had this workshop ten years ago. My deliverables are boring. Amber offers a lot of useful information!
This was without a doubt the best money I’ve spent on anything business-related . . . EVER. Thank you so much for doing this, Amber!
Want to Dive Deeper into How to Use These Tools?
Check Out My Webinars
If you’re ready to go beyond templates and tools, my webinar library takes you into the how and why behind using them well. These sessions walk you through sample edits, proposals, editorial letter design, and all the behind-the-scenes techniques that elevate your client experience. When you want strategy to match your systems, the webinars are the perfect next step.
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