Advice Needed – Editor at 200% hours on fixed-fee contract…requesting “triage” at midpoint

An author on Reddit is seeking advice after their editor requested a shift in scope mid-project. The editor, working on a fixed-fee contract for a 97k word literary western, has already doubled the initial hour estimate at the project’s midpoint. To stay within budget, the editor proposed focusing on critical edits for the remaining chapters. The author values high-quality work and is willing to extend the timeline to maintain the initial editing quality. The author is unsure whether to accept the reduced scope or negotiate an extension to maintain quality. They are asking the community if it’s common for editors to reduce scope mid-project if they underquoted the hours and how to maintain quality without burning out the editor.

My editor is outputting stellar, high-level work, but she just messaged me saying they are already at 50 hours (double her initial estimate).
Because of the overage, they are proposed moving to critical edits only for the remaining 13 chapters to stay within the original contract price.
Is it common for editors to reduce scope mid-project if they underquoted the hours?

📚 BookAddict’s Take: If you are in this situation, consider open communication with your editor about options like adjusting the scope or extending the timeline, and ensure that any changes are documented in writing to avoid misunderstandings.

Source: Reddit r/selfpublish |
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