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Topic: How to charge for illustration work
| Author | Message |
| Bodegaflat | Posted – 8/16/2007 10:36:02 PM | show profile I received my first assignment for an (1)illustration of an online journal article, but have no idea what to charge for it. Suggestions? Also, is artwork that is published in traditional magazines better paid than ones published electronically? Thanks so much! -Jen |
| writesonwater | Posted – 8/17/2007 12:51:33 AM | show profile Well, you want to know what they pay. They want to pay you in the lowish range since you're new at it. If you can't get feedback from other illustrators (hope you can but that's a challenge) maybe try asking them: "What I bill for my services as an illustrator ranges from project to project and client to client. Can you give me a fair idea of the range your publication (site, whatever) pays for a project like this?" What do others think? |
| writesonwater | Posted – 8/17/2007 12:53:24 AM | show profile | email poster I'm guessing traditional print pubs generally pay better. That's how it generally is with copy, but not always. Hey, I need an economical logo for a project -- email me if you might be interested. Good luck! |
| Bodegaflat | Posted – 8/17/2007 9:19:36 AM | show profile Good idea. I'll ask the source and post the reply for general reference. Thanks! J |
| Bodegaflat | Posted – 8/17/2007 10:54:00 AM | show profile Hello all, I asked my client, as was suggested, and she says she usually pays USD 150 per illustration, whether that be for hardcopy or electronic publishing. J |
| writesonwater | Posted – 8/17/2007 2:17:52 PM | show profile Good for you! You got a number to work with. If that's good or bad for illustration pay, I don't know. I do have a friend who just produced an illustrated book, and he gave the illustrator a flat $75 per illustration (which bought him all rights.) They were detailed pictures, and beautifully done -- it struck me that the pay was peanuts, but that's all my friend could afford and the illustrator was new to the work and happy for the credit and the cash. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 8/17/2007 2:29:26 PM | show profile The other thing to consider is that she may mean that's what she pays for newbies to her publication. She may have sure-thing ace-in-the-hole illustrators who get bigger jobs or whose work she's now very familiar with who get more, so once you move up the line, more may be in the picture. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 8/17/2007 3:36:22 PM | show profile Thanks, all -- I found someone to work on my project! |
| ltj201 | Posted – 8/17/2007 6:11:52 PM | show profile it really varies with the usage, complexity of the assignment, and publication. i'd highly recommend famililarizing yourself with standard editorial rates. magazines often have standard rates, but they are generally open to negotiation. $150 sounds very low, honestly, unless it's for limited use of an existing illustration. how many hours do expect to spend on the piece? |
| flight risk | Posted – 8/18/2007 3:56:10 PM | show profile Print publications definitely pay much more than web pubs. $150 is low, though it's typical of what printed weeklies pay. You should check out the Pricing and Ethical Guidelines handbook put out by the Graphic Artists Guild. You can buy it on Amazon. Fees seem higher than the real market but it's a good baseline reference. |
