How I Work

How Much Do I Charge?

My charges are based on a per hour rate. I say "based" because most people need to know in advance how much they are going to spend for a given project, so I will provide a project estimate on request. If the project appears to be in danger of exceeding that estimate by a significant amount, I notify the client immediately and provide a new cost projection.

Most clients find my costs very reasonable. Because I am so experienced, I work fast. Most of my clients use me repeatedly so I get to know them and their needs, which also helps control costs. Most of my clients don't even ask me for estimates. They trust me to charge them a fair price based on how much time it actually takes to complete the job.

I have encountered some clients who like to have firm bids upfront. Others think writing should be priced like piecework; so much per finished page for a script or brochure, for example. This approach has the advantage of certainty, but it probably costs the client more in the long run. If I have to commit to a fixed price in advance, I have to consider every possible contingency. If my bids don't come in at or above my actual costs at least half the time, I lose money, so a fair bid inevitably will be higher than a fair estimate.
 

Controlling Costs When Working with Freelancers:

I have been doing this a long time. The following suggestions apply to me and to all freelancers. They really apply to your own staff or the staff of your agency too, because ultimately everyone is billing their hours. The simplest thing to remember is: don't waste people's time.

The biggest waste of time and money is unnecessary meetings. Not all meetings are unnecessary, of course. A face-to-face meeting is usually necessary to initiate a project. Especially with a new client, it is important to get to know each other and develop a good working relationship. You aren't going to get a bill for a general new business meeting--you aren't a client yet--but as soon as talk turns to a specific project, the meter starts running. That initial project input meeting is usually the only truly essential meeting in the process.

In some cases, especially when there are multiple decision-makers, a meeting to present the work is a good idea. Often my contact is a communications manager who has internal clients who must be satisfied with the work before it can go forward. Many times a presentation meeting, with the person who created the work doing the presentation, is the most efficient way to move the project ahead. That is money well spent.

One way money is wasted is when the client doesn't have all of the input ready at the initial input meeting and subsequent meetings have to be held, either with that person or with other people who have the rest of the input. Sometimes this is necessary, but often it is not. Money is often wasted when a project is initiated before it is really "ripe."

The worst waste is when everyone involved in a project gets called to a meeting, even though the reason for the meeting affects only some of them.

Remember, a freelancer typically has travel time getting to and from the meeting, in addition to the actual meeting time. Yes, you pay for all of it. If you think that person's presence is important and you don't mind paying for it, have the meeting, but on some projects I spend more time in meetings than I do at the keyboard. That can't be productive.

The revision process is another place where how you work with the freelancer can affect your costs. Directions for revisions are usually best handled in a conversation, not via e-mail, but it probably can be done over the phone. Marked copy or new input can be faxed or e-mailed, but then you should talk about it. Such things are seldom as straightforward as you would like them to be.

Although this is counter-intuitive, clients often waste money by rewriting copy themselves. If the client wants to use the freelancer as a first draft resource and then finish the work, there is nothing wrong with that. The waste occurs when the client rewrites something and then turns it back to the writer to clean it up. Often the writer is not sure what is really required. The biggest waste is when you reduce the writer to a typist. Needless to say, this irritates the writer and is not good for the relationship.

The best way to handle revisions is to make notes in the margins. Describe what you are trying to accomplish and why that specific block of copy as written doesn't hit the mark. If you have a problem with a particular word or expression, describe why you don't like that choice and what isn't being conveyed. When you rewrite copy and give it back to the writer for further revisions, instead of giving directions, the writer has to try to read your mind. Why was that word changed? Why was that paragraph deleted? It winds up taking a lot of extra time and, of course, money.
 

Another Pet Peeve:

In general, I will not participate in bid competitions. Why? Because copywriting is not a commodity. Certainly it is possible to compare two writers once you get to know them. You might even be able to make a realistic judgment about which one is more cost-effective, but using competitive bids as a way of choosing among writers you have never used before is absurd. My attitude is that I won't participate in competitive bids because anyone who asks me to obviously does not understand what I do and, therefore, is not likely to be a good client.

To inquire about hiring me for your next project, e-mail me at cowdery@ix.netcom.com

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