Comments on: Hourly rates or flat fees?

By: Kelly Parkinson

Kelly Parkinson — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:32:30 +0000

Hi Tom, great question. I wish I had a secret formula, but the best way to ballpark it is to check out Steve Slaunwhite’s pricing guide. He gives a really nice professional fee range for each type of project, and you can decide where you want to fall within that range. Here’s the link: http://www.forcopywritersonly.com/pricing.html

By: w0rdWhiz

w0rdWhiz — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:15:35 +0000

In reply to Kelly Parkinson.

Hi Kelly,

Thanks for stopping by and for adding a copylicious comment. This post actually originated in a proposal I was writing earlier this week, and switching to flat rate fees is one of several changes I’m making to my business this year.

However, I still keep track of my time, just so I know how long various projects actually take me. I’ve found the first few jobs I estimated with a flat rate, I was waaaayyyy short of the actual time I needed. Got any tips or secret formulas to share?

How about: Calculate your best guess — then double it.

By: Kelly Parkinson

Kelly Parkinson — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:14:10 +0000

Amen to that. I agree with you 100%. Even though I’ve always charged by the project, I’ve only recently turned off my timer completely, so even I have no clue how long a project takes. I can’t tell you how great it feels to not know. The focus is now entirely on results & value. I’m free to obsess, ponder, reflect, write, rewrite, research, brainstorm. I can record snippets while walking the dog. It’s wonderful getting completely lost in my work. And it feels like better work, too.