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"Gabrielle Isenbrand" wrote ...
>
> Hi folks, I'm de-lurking for a bit...hope somebody can help me with
> this, because I have absolutely no clue.
>
> I need a general, order-of-magnitude idea for how much it would
> cost my company to hire a contract tech writer to create a manual
> for our product.
You're in Massachusetts I assume. High wages there.
3 months worth of work is about 500 - 550 hours worth of billable time.
Now, if you go with an experienced writer who can learn fast and knows how to
get into and out of a project fast, you will definitely save yourself a lot of
headaches. Inexperienced contractors who don't understand how to manage a
project can often cost you more in the long run because it takes them twice as
long to do a project than an experienced one.
However, the more experienced a writer the more they cost. I would expect rates
anywhere from $50 to $85 per hour for a independent with experience and $65 to
$95 for a contractor via an agency.
The agency buys you a little more security. If the contractor turns out to be a
dolt you can get rid of him/her easier with an agency. Independents are usually
more likely to try and negotiate their way through the deal. Which may be
good, or bad. Also many agencies have guarantees if somebody doesn't work out.
Independents can bolt real easy if things go sour. An agency can't. However, a
good independent will recognize he/she has a reputation to maintain. So there
is good and bad on either side.
Independents are usually a bit cheaper but you take on the burden of
contracting them and reviewing their skills.
If you get an independent, require them to write up a detailed estimate before
they begin work. A good independent can generate a pretty detailed project plan
and estimate from a single meeting. Probably a good idea to make the agency
contractor do the same. That way if the person writes a useless plan you can
look for another contractor before taking on any commitments.
So a rough estimate of what this would cost: $25,000 to $50,000.
If you're lucky, you can find somebody who will do the whole thing for under
$20K. But make sure to evaluate their skills and experience. One $20K promise
can very quickly turn into a $90K disaster.
