Re: Billable Opps and Fees

[Barry Campbell <barry -at- WEBVERANDA -dot- COM>]

At 01:18 PM 2/12/98 -0500, Gina Hertel wrote:

>What kind of fees/payment arrangements do you TWs normally
>utilize?
>Mostly retainers?  Mostly fee-for service?

When I was freelancing, I always tried to secure a retainer
against anticipated billing (a trick I learned from my
attorney) based on project estimates. Wasn't always possible,
of course.

>Also, what kinds of billable services to do you provide?
>Obviously, many of us bill for the time we contribute to the app
>development process.
>Then there are other kinds of billable techcomm projects as well.
>Just recently, for example, I billed for the time I spent preparing a
>technical presentation for some IT professionals.
>
>So, my question is... what other kind of billable opportunities are out
>there and how/ how much do you bill for them?

I haven't been a freelancer for a couple of years, but my SO
is doing quite well as a freelance magazine journalist.

She just brought home a marvelous book:

National Writers Union Guide to Freelance Rates &
Standard Practice (Betterway Publications, 1995)
ISBN: 0964420805

It includes information on technical writing (and some
TW-related fields, too), along with recommended fee
structures and statistical breakdowns of services offered
and billing practices and so forth.  Highly, highly
recommended.

If you point your web browser to


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ats-query/5510-3586846-842511

you can read the table of contents, and many reader comments
as well, online.

Hope this helps.


--
Barry Campbell               | Senior Technical Writer
barry -at- webveranda -dot- com         | Summit Systems, Inc.
   (personal/list mail)      | 20 Exchange Place, NY, NY
barry_campbell -at- summithq -dot- com  | 212.269.6990
   (business e-mail)