By Amber Ferguson
Rates are one of the most often-discussed threads on the Christian PEN e-mail loop. Should I charge by the hour? By the project? Should I post my rates on my Web site? Experienced Christian PEN editors step up to the plate and answer questions with grace.
I gleaned more than twenty pages of comments while shuffling through the online archives!
On April 3, 2005, a PEN member posed this question:
I have an opportunity to write a couple of [books] for a national safety campaign for a nonprofit organization. I've been asked what I charge for this, and I don't have a clue where to begin. . . . Can anyone give me a place to start?
On April 15, 2005, another member asked:
A friend from church told me about a Christian marketing company looking for proofreaders. I e-mailed . . . my resume, and they wanted to know my hourly rate for proofreading. I asked them for a little more detail of what I would be proofreading, and I am waiting to hear back. In the meantime, I was wondering what hourly rates any of you might charge for something like this.
Kathy Ide answered both posts. Although she has listed numerous reference Web sites on the Christian PEN Links page, and she covers the subject in her online course "Establishing Your Freelance Business," she still graciously replies to almost every query about rates. A typical example of her response can be found in the following e-mail from June 2005:
A couple of our members have asked me about setting rates for freelance editing and proofreading. . . . Here [is a good source] that I've found helpful.
Editorial Freelancers Association:
. . . Generally, it's a good idea to start out on the lower end of the range until your editing business has been established (until you've got some experience under your belt and have some published books you can say you edited, that sort of thing).
In August 2006, a PEN member asked a more specific question:
I am getting ready to launch my Web site for my new freelance editing business. I've looked at some of your Web sites and noticed that some of you list your rates on the site, while others invite potential clients to contact you for an estimate. Would you share your rationale for why you choose to handle it the way you do?
MeLissa Houdmann responded:
I personally do not put rates on my site. I specialize in Web editing and have found that each project is so different that my rates are very flexible. I always investigate the project prior to giving the potential client a quote for my services. If I'm working with an individual, I generally charge less than for a corporate client, etc. Not having my rates online makes it possible for me to charge significantly more in certain instances, especially with large businesses. If my rates were more structured, then I'd put them online.
Kathy Ide shared a different viewpoint:
I have heard some people say that if rates are not listed on a Web site, they don't bother following up to find out. However, I prefer not to post my rates, mainly because I tend to offer different rates for different services to different people, and I give discounts for various things. If someone wants a basic proofread, and the manuscript is pretty clean, I may charge less for that than if someone wants an in-depth substantive edit and line-by-line copyedit along with proofreading of a manuscript that needs a lot of work.
Most publishing houses pay lower rates than individuals, but I figure the industry contacts I make that way are worth it, so I sometimes work for publishers at a lower rate than for individual authors. Some publishing houses work strictly on a flat rate per project. Sometimes I put in more hours than works out to a good hourly rate; other times, I put in fewer hours, which results in a higher hourly rate.
I tend to charge less when I'm not super busy, in order to get more work . . . and charge more when I'm swamped, because I don't need the work as much. I offer discounts to people I meet at writers conferences and other speaking engagements. I offer discounts to people who buy my PUGS book or take one of my PUGS classes. I sometimes offer discounts to people who are struggling financially but who have a manuscript that I am personally passionate about. I offer discounts to people whom I consider to be personal friends and to people who were referred to me by close personal friends.
I also raise my standard rate from time to time, particularly when I have more work than I can handle and want to cut back a bit. I used to offer a discount to organizations that provided me with steady work. But I've been so busy lately that steady work at a lower rate doesn't appeal to me so much anymore.
In short, I think the decision whether to post rates is entirely up to the individual. Some people may be offended if you don't; others won't mind contacting you to find out. You may want to try both ways and see what works best for you.
The above recap barely scratches the surface, so we will feature more discussions about rates in future issues of PEN Points. But if you wonder why so many PEN members take the time to mentor upcoming editors (who represent their competition), maybe the best answer can be found in an e-mail written by Sudha, who responded this way to a rates thread:
Just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your posts. You have responded to queries and shared your experience with . . . patience and care. Thank you so much. . . . Keep up the good work. The bread you cast on the waters will surely return after many days.
This is The Christian PEN. We're family.
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"How Much Should I Charge?"
from the December 2006 issue of PEN Points, the quarterly e-newsletter of The Christian PEN
compiled by Amber Ferguson
