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Subject:Re: Price Range for User Manual From:Jody LaFerriere <JLaFerriere -at- INFOMAP -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 24 Jul 1997 13:58:03 -0400
I would never ever never quote a "per page" price to a client. In one
project we worked on, the first draft was about 500 original pages.
During review, they deleted about 200 of those pages ("oops, we forgot
that was out-of-date") and then ended up adding about 150 more. They
only wanted to pay us for 450 pages, when we had done the work for 650!!
The best way to get people out of the mindset that you are "on the
clock" is to work some sample pages and figure out how long they are
taking you. Then use that times a set rate to come up with a total
price. Make sure you build in assumptions so that you can go back later
and renegotiate the price (say, if they add 200 extra pages or decide
after 1st draft that they want it in Notes instead of Word.)
Jody
(speaking only for myself)
>----------
>From: Matthew J Long[SMTP:mjl100z -at- MAIL -dot- ODU -dot- EDU]
>Sent: Thursday, July 24, 1997 1:26 PM
>To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
>Subject: Price Range for User Manual
>
>This post is primarily a question for those who have done a lot of
>contract work for small software companies.
>
>I have heard that most people bid their freelance contracts by the job
>rather than by the hour. Assuming that this is true (and let me know if it
>is not), what would you charge to develop a user manual?
>
>I am aware that it is a lot more complicated than that, but I need a
>bottom line ASAP. I have a potential client who is going to ask me what I
>charge to develop a user manual for a piece of software. I am too new at
>freelancing to give her a good idea of even a ballpark figure. I could
>tell her that I charge $X dollars per hour, but, like sombody else on the
>list said, she will then feel like the clock is ticking as long as they
>don't have the manual in hand.
>
>Also, does anbody charge by the page, and if so how do your clients like
>that method of bidding a job? I heard of sombody charging $200 bucks
>per page for government docs (whatever those are). Does that actually
>happen?
>
>I would appreciate as much detail as you can provide, but please respond
>to me off the list. (unless others want this info!)
>
>TIA
>
>-Matt
>
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