Re: Writing Costs Worldwide

["Jon Leer" <jleer -at- comcast -dot- net>]

"Steve Arrants" <steve -at- compbear -dot- com> wrote in message
news:225368 -at- techwr-l -dot-  -dot-  -dot- 
>
>
> "Jon Leer" <jleer -at- comcast -dot- net> asks:...
> > OK. What is "peanuts"? Let's get some real numbers here.
> >
> > If we know that equivalent writers would bill out in US at $40/hr. and
> India
> > at $10/hr., then we have something to work with.
> >
> > As far as competing with outsourced writing, there is always a way. As
an
> > independent contractor, you need to know what you're up against and be
> > creative to add value or other sources for the disparate income rate.
> > Otherwise, you might as move on to some other career. How about pumping
> gas?
>
>
> Back in 2000-2001 when I was editing/managing online help writing done in
> India,
> the weekly wage for a writer THERE working for the same company I worked
for
> HERE was $80/$100 a week.  I was getting about $25 an hour for my work.
Not
> that my work was so much better,
> but they couldn't get anyone here in the States to work any lower.
>
>
>
Steve,
* What were you cleaning up for $25/hr?
* Were your edits massive and minimal?
* Do you have any idea how your cost affected the overall hourly basis for
the manual?

For example, if the Indian writers put in 320 hours on a manual at $80/wk,
or $2/hr., and you had to do 40 hours of edits at $25/hr., the final cost of
the manual would have been:

(320*2) + (40*25) = $1640

Which at 360 hours, would have been $4.56/hr.

Now, if you were efficient and could have done the manual in 160 hours, but
were expensive at $25/hr, the manual would have cost: 160*25=$4000.

Now, tell me who got their money's worth?

Maybe instead of offering our writing services, we should offer our
localization/editing services.

Jon