Guys, I have never written a complete ebook for any client. I have been asked this morning to do a 100 page ebook. I am not sure what and how to quote him? Do you still quote per word/per 100 words quote? how does the payment thing work with an ebook assignment?
Well how long would it take you to write a 100 page book, proof it, deal with possible edits and so forth? I would get a baseline of hours that way and then figure what you are worth on an hourly basis and quote that + a bit more (-;
I'd base it on an hourly rate you're comfortable with. As an example, I'm working on one for a client now that's about 20 pages of content (based on an estimate of around 400 words per page), and the total price is in the $1600-1800 range (for a subject I'm intimately familiar with and not something I have to spend a huge amount of time researching). For 100 pages, I'd charge even more per page / per word given the extra aggravation of a project that long.
Make sure to work it out that you will get paid in intervals of x number of pages, or at least get a hefty deposit. I would hate for you to spend days writing a 100 page eBook only to not be paid. Be careful.
This does happen unfortunately. I wrote 5 articles for a DP client and he never paid. I guess you live and learn
IMO, I'll be also basing for an hourly rate when it comes on eBook writing. I'd ask $5-$10 per hour and that's a good deal when you got a good speed.
What does speed have to do with it? An hour is an hour regardless of how quickly you're writing. The only one who benefits if you charge hourly and "got a good speed" is the client. You get screwed for being fast. These kinds of projects are generally billed per project (sometimes split up). You should consider your hourly rate, but I would highly recommend not billing hourly. Instead use your estimated hours to set a flat per project rate for the client.
Okay, this is what I gather so far- Take into account that ebook writing includes, proofing a larger work, formatting, and maybe image inclusion. Base it on your hourly rate and work out how long it'll take you to finish the project. But quote the project keeping in mind your hourly-rate, no. of hours you'll spend, and your per page/per word normal rate. Work out a payment schedule prior to commencing work. Ideally propose a milestone based payment system, whereby you finish x no. of pages and you get paid for them.
You got it. The hourly rate is pretty easy to determine. If you figure that each page will be no more than 500 words, 500 words takes you a half hour to write and you charge $50 per hour, then you know you'll charge $25 per page, which is $2,500 for the entire book. Just be sure to spell out whether or not that price includes graphics, call outs, formatting, cover art, pictures and the final PDF'd piece or if it is just words in a Word doc. You'd be surprised how many clients think writers handle all of that (some of us do, but many don't know how or don't like that part of the process). As far as the payment schedule goes, I always ask for a down payment of 25% and then I spell out the next three milestones at which time I'll submit 1/3rd of the completed work and bill another 25%.
Price depends on the quality as well as the price the client is going to charge his/her customers. It also depends on what market you're dealing in. If it's mortgage / insurance then it will be quite high compared to baby toys / parenting. You must also know your client well before you pitch a price. Be sure of your worth before you quote. Ask for what you really deserve. And have fun! Enjoy!
Actually, I think you'd be killing yourself at those rates. Who wants to work for that little per hour? That's less than minimum wage.
Half-true. The price you charge to sign over rights to the work has absolutely nothing to do with what the client plans to charge his or her own customers. The client can choose to give it away for free is they please (and plenty are willing to hire someone to write an e-book for that exact purpose). All that matters is their expected return. That isn't always financial. They might be looking for backlinks, registrations, newsletter sign-ups to build their list, etc. And in the end, their return is as much (if not more) up to them than up to you so it still shouldn't affect your price. You could give them the greatest e-book out there in the niche, and it'll bring them absolutely nothing if they don't know how to effectively market it. You don't base your prices on a 3rd party's actions if you want to continuously be paid what your time is worth.