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Subject:Re: newbie alert! rates for contract work From:Herman Holtz <holtz -at- PALTECH -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 7 Sep 1995 12:38:03 UNDEFINED
>Here's my question: should I charge by the hour, or offer a flat rate
>based upon my estimate of the number of hours? I am thinking that $25 per
>hour is reasonable but I might be way off. A friend in Virginia told me
>that she charges $20, so I'm adjusting it upward a bit. $20 sounds low to
>me. I'd like to think I'm worth morethan that! :)
>Is there a rate guide, similar to what graphic designers have, for
>technical writers?
$25/hour sounds quite low to me. I wuld suggest not les than $35/hour, and
that is pretty modest for a journeyman writer who can handle the whole job.
Negotiate with the client. He or she may have some dictate as to whether the
job has to be done on an hourly rate or a flat price. No use knocking yourself
out about thsie until you determine how the client feels about it, so go in
prepared for either approach.
No need to be nervous about it. The client needs you as muchas you need him
or her. You are not asking for a handout or even a favor; you are offering a
fair trade of your skills, knowledge, and labor for coin of the realm.
***
Herman Holtz [holtz -at- paltech -dot- com], marketing consultant & freelance writer.
Author best-selling How to Succeed as an Independent Consultant (Wiley),
other business books. General writing/copywriting/ghost writing services.
Publisher reports for writers. Free report, brochure on request.