Re: Contract rates

[Caroline Leopold <caroline -dot- leopold -at- gmail -dot- com>]

Pricing has a lot to do with confidence to secure business. I used the
Freelance
Switch Calculator <http://freelanceswitch.com/rates/> at first to determine
how much I needed to live. Because my cost of living is so low, I was able
to easily live off $55 per hour. But the calculator didn't account for
taxes, so the rate was probably not sustainable.

In the end, I set a price that I felt was professional, but not outrageous.
My rate is $70 an hour, although I usually charge by project so the hourly
rate varies. I started out accepting work as low as $35-$40 an hour, but
ended up terminating those assignments after I got sick of killing myself
for relatively low pay.

I'm not a tech writer, but rather a proposal writer. But the rates among
tech writing and grant writing are somewhat equivalent. I know of peers,
who charge $150 an hour, but I'm not one of those fancy consultants, who
have offices, staff, and charge through the roof. I'm a run-of-the-mill
writer, who happens to love writing more than delegating and acting
important.

Leaving the office world has been the best thing I have ever done. But I
had no choice, as there's a glass ceiling in my profession. I did try to
ask for a title promotion and raise, but my bosses said no and said I could
leave if I wasn't happy. I'm so glad they were rude and dismissive. They
gave me the push I needed.

18 months in and still pinching myself. And trust me, I'm just a regular
person, not some genius or charismatic superstar.

I don't know if this helps, but I thought I'd chip in my two cents.

-Caroline







On Thu, May 30, 2013 at 3:58 PM, Evelyn Lee Barney <evbarney -at- comcast -dot- net>wrote:

>
>
>
>
> Well, of course, Gene - the question is - how to you get a starting idea
> what that may be? Punt?
>
>
> Ev
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> The only standard is what all of your competitors are willing to take to
> do the same work.
>
> Gene Kim-Eng
>
>
> On 5/30/2013 12:09 PM, beelia wrote:
> > Also, since I'm starting contracting again, I have to set my rate. I
> > remember someone on this list had a great formula for figuring out what
> to
> > charge, considering your direct rate, your estimate of what you have to
> > include for benefits, taxes, etc.
> >
> > Of course, rates vary significantly by location. I'm in Silicon Valley,
> and
> > I have a rough idea already. So I'm excluding that variable.
> >
> > Anybody have some wisdom to impart?
>
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-- 
Caroline Leopold
Grants Consultant & Medical Writer
http://www.leopoldwriting.com
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