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Subject:Re: Price Range for User Manual From:Christopher Knight <knight -at- ADA -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 24 Jul 1997 11:36:56 PDT
I sent this message to the originator off-list as requested, but since others
are replying on-list, I thought I'd do likewise.
----- Begin Included Message -----
From knight Thu Jul 24 11:09:30 1997
To: mjl100z -at- mail -dot- odu -dot- edu
Subject: Re: Price Range for User Manual
Content-Length: 796
After 13 years contracting, here's my say:
For a beginning writer, charging a set price for a software manual is the
road to ruin. Don't do it. Go for a per hour rate (the highest you can
get, but keep your inexperience in mind), explain to the client that the
first thing you will do is a requirements analysis, and that after that
you will give them a time estimate. OVERESTIMATE THAT TIME. Software takes
twice as long as anything else, because it is so fluid--when something
can be changed, it will be changed. IF you are familiar with the subject
matter, AND a competent writer, AND the company is used to the process
tech writers need to follow (i.e. research, draft-writing, and reviews),
THEN figure araound 5-7 hours per page. More if any of the above
conditions is not true.
Good luck.
----- End Included Message -----
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