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Subject:FWD: Hourly Rate in Bay Area From:"Eric J. Ray" <ejray -at- RAYCOMM -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 2 Jul 1998 05:49:40 -0600
Name withheld upon request. Please reply on list.
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ANONYMOUS POST
RE: STC CIC Hourly Rates Survey
Can any editors (or writers) help me decide what to charge per hour in
the San Francisco Bay Area? The most recent (1997) STC Consulting &
Independent Contracting SIG rates survey (info on the STC Web site) says
that the average SF Bay Area independent tech communicator charged $65
per hour (SF to Palo Alto), or $58 per hour (outside of SF to Palo
Alto).
I'm new to the Silicon Valley and while I'd certainly like to charge
close to these kinds of rates, I have a few conceptual doubts or
dilemmas:
(1) Most tech communicators in the survey are writers, not editors.
Does the average writer charge more or less than the average editor? (I
do developmental editing, but the scuttlebutt at my last company seemed
to be that editors made less than writers.)
(2) Most tech communicators have more years of experience than I do.
I have only 2-1/2 years of editing experience (very good experience on
"hot" software), although IMHO I feel that my skills are very good. I've
set policies, written style guides, strategized, managed scheduling,
etcetera.
(3) Do the tech communicators who charge the $65/$58 rates have
extraordinary technical knowledge in many "hot" areas? I wouldn't
describe my technical background or knowledge as particularly
extraordinary.
(4) I'm *not* an experienced user of FrameMaker, which seems to be
very popular here.
(5) Is it only the larger and/or very profitable tech companies who
can pay the $65/$58 rates? Would it be true that we can't charge
startups, smallish, and/or less profitable companies the same rates?
Bottom line: should I be charging anywhere close to the $65/$58 survey
rates? I don't want to quote either too low or too high, and I
especially don't want to scare away potential clients.
