What am I worth? –scratch that– What is the work I do worth?
Since I became a feral writer, (an independent contractor, as some like to say), this has become more than a philosophical question.
To get paid, I need to know.
To find out, I look at this data:
- What do people with my level of writing and design experience, in my field, get paid? http://www.salary.com, http://www.stc.org (members only)
- What do people get paid around the country for doing this specific kind of project? http://www.nwu.org
- How much do I need to maintain my desired standard of living? #cats x $catfood + #books x $/book + bare survival + (fun/recession)
I then give weight to several factors:
- If I’m perfect for the job, and not TOO good for it, bid high.
- If the work is interesting to me, bid in the middle and/or offer to negotiate.
- If I really need the work, bid on the low end of my range.
Bid what the job’s worth, bid what’s fair, and bid what I can afford. In the end, I’m selling a product, NOT my sweet self.
P.S. A nice site on what to charge: http://www.njcreatives.org/members_only/reference/how-much.htm