As an EFA member, you likely know that the EFA editorial rates chart is generally viewed in the editorial services industry as an authoritative reference for what rates can be expected for various types of freelance work. In other words, our Rates Chart is known for being the “gold standard,” and we therefore pride ourselves on it being as accurate and user-friendly as possible.

The last member survey that produced the data for the current Rates Chart was conducted in the spring of 2020 and invited participants to share their rates from the previous year. Since then, a global pandemic, inflation, and technological changes have affected the way freelancers do their work and the rates they charge.

This has led to a disconnect between what the chart identifies as the going rates and what many of our members charge for their services and expect as fair payment. In addition, there are several areas of professional services our members provide (academic editing, beta reading, etc.) not included in the current chart.

To bring the Rates Chart up to date and to address these shortcomings, the EFA has launched the new 2023 EFA Rates Survey. Even better, the survey will now be conducted annually. This will ensure that our chart remains reflective of the current rates our members charge.

The revised survey also has some great new features.

It’s designed to be comprehensive, offering eight major categories and dozens of subcategories. It also offers opportunities for members to enter information for work types that are not included. We will use this information to determine if such categories should be added to future surveys.

It’s also streamlined, asking rate information only for the work types you select. In the screenshots below, you can see that the questions about copyediting fiction and nonfiction only appear if copyediting has been selected as an editing service and fiction and nonfiction have been selected as manuscript types. This means you do not have to spend time scrolling past questions that are not relevant to the work you do.

Thanks to this streamlining, the survey should only take about 10 to 15 minutes to complete. But if you get interrupted, not to worry, as there’s another great new feature: You can stop mid-survey and return to finish it later. The system will even send you a reminder email so you don’t forget to come back.

And here’s something else that’s new: To recognize how much we value your participation in the survey, all members who complete it will be entered to win exciting prizes! Four lucky winners will receive an EFA webinar and T-shirt of their choice, and our grand prize winner will get one free year of EFA membership!

UPDATE: The 2023 Rates Survey closed on January 12, 2024.

Thank you in advance for your participation and for helping the EFA accurately represent you and your work to other freelancers, potential clients, and the public at large. We truly appreciate your playing an active role in keeping the organization strong and vital!