Rates for Writing a Document – How Much Should You Charge?
Introduction
The rates for writing a document vary greatly depending on the type of content and the type of work.
The average copywriter charge is $30-$75 an hour. Senior writers charge up to $150 an hour as their rate for writing.
But having said that, I must also add an important reminder:
DO NOT CHARGE BY THE HOUR OR PER WORD. I’ll get to the important reason in a second.
A Student Asks
I received an inquiry from a student today, asking how much should he charge his potential customers.
“Two companies are asking me for bids,” he wrote, which made me happy to hear. I always rejoice when my Professional Technical Writing course students find a job or receive job offers.
“[Company A] needs a short employee handbook,” he continued. “[Company B] wants guidelines for dozens of agents. These would be my first contracts. Could you offer me any recommendations on how to set up my pricing for them?”
My Answer
Here is my answer, sharing here with the hopes that it would benefit other students and readers as well.
“I’m so glad to hear that you’ve got two bids. Congratulations! You seem to have received a bid from a small business (Company A) and one from a mid-size company (Company B). You should price your work accordingly since not all companies are the same. They have different budgets.
I’d recommend you not to quote an hourly rate, or a per-word fee. Business owners have no idea what it takes to create a handbook or a guideline. That’s why they came to you.
But the minute you quote an hourly or per-word quote, they start to make their own assumptions as to how long (hours or words) the job should take. More often than not, they start to negotiate the price according to their own (usually) misguided notion of how a manual is written. They start to nickle-and-dime you. You end up making very little money and regretting the time you spent on the project.
1/3 Deposit
In my experience, it’s much better to act like the documentation authority that you are and quote them a single project fee, with 1/3 deposit upfront and the rest payable at the end of the review cycle, after you deliver the product to their satisfaction.
If they are reluctant to pay the deposit, I’d say your chances of getting paid after the delivery is questionable as well. It’s a test of their commitment to the project.
If they are not ready to make the commitment, don’t be surprised if they replace you in mid-stream with another writer who is willing to do it for less.
“$50 a Page,” even though you never invoice by the page
I’d say do not charge anything less than $300 for the smaller company (short handbook not longer than 2,000 words or 6-7 pages), and nothing less than $500 for the bigger company (for 3,000-4,000 word guidelines or 10 pages). That roughly comes to $50 a page which is an excellent rate that you can increase in the future. That’s why you should emphasize that this is a “special introductory rate” to establish a working relationship with the company in question. This way, if they like your work and ask for a second manual, you can charge them a little more and they won’t be upset about it.
The Question to Ask if There is a Price Pushback
If they hesitate about the price, you can always ask: “What is your budget for this project?” This is always much better than asking them to suggest any rates of writing. If you do that, I guarantee you, you’ll regret it.
If you are only $50 apart, you might consider giving them an additional $50 discount. But if what they quote you is $100 or more less, then I’d say don’t bother unless you’d like to work for a few dollars per hour.
They Hire Your Expertise, Not Your Time
IMPORTANT: It is not their concern how many hours you take to finish the project since they are not hiring your time but your expertise. Don’t forget that.
Number of Reviews
Also, make sure to make it clear that they have two chances for reviews. Otherwise, they may badger you with endless review requests. It happened to me. You can’t let that happen to you.
Written Contract is a Must
Make a simple written contract that the authorized person should sign since I’ve seen clients who said they didn’t authorize the project after the work was delivered to them and refused to pay. Control the process from the very beginning and protect your rights. Your rates for writing will all depend on your control of the negotiation process from A to Z.
Know When to Hold and When to Fold
And if the client does not want to sign a written contract, or does not want to pay your fee with 1/3 upfront, you might be better off not to get into a situation where you’ll spend your precious time for a lot of headaches in the end. In those situations, it’s better to let the offer pass than to dive into murky waters.
Conclusion
Rates for writing a document varies a lot but still, new writers should not charge by the hour or word but by the project.
I hope these recommendations based on my personal 30-year experience are helpful. Wish you my very best. Ugur
P.S. MS Word has an excellent “Services Proposal” template that you can adjust to your own needs and use as a “Service Contract.”.
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