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Topic: Rates for writing a travel book....Help!
| Author | Message |
| SecondCityWriter | Posted – 1/21/2008 9:32:56 PM | show profile | email poster Hi all- I was just contacted by a publisher to write a series of walking tours on a major American city(24 in total, around 1000 words each) for the sum of $12 grand (about 50 cents a word). They want all of this turned in by the end of April/early May and it's a flat fee (no royalties)....does anyone have any bargaining suggestions or comments on whether this is a good offer, bad offer, so-so offer? Thanks in advance for your help! |
| Village Gal | Posted – 1/22/2008 9:21:38 AM | show profile This book would involve a lot of leg work ( pun intended). That rate sounds low, especially since it is work-for-hire. You need to consider how many hours this would involve. It could be a lot. If you do decide to do this, make sure to get a chunk upfront. |
| fourfold | Posted – 1/22/2008 10:06:22 AM | show profile | email poster Will you need to travel to research the book, and if so, will you be paying your own travel expenses If so, that could cut your profit even further, or even negate it. Something to consider. |
| Sam Waynewright | Posted – 1/22/2008 2:03:12 PM | show profile Rates for writing a travel book...help! 24,000 words for $12,000 in 90 days -- that's not writing, that's typing. First off. Secondly, what about your expenses? Thirdly. the fact that they are coming to you so late says, very clearly, two things: 1. That they are poorly organized 2. That they have already approached other writers who turned them down for that fee. So, whatever you do, think about it clearly. |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 1/22/2008 4:20:36 PM | show profile Well, this is pretty easy to figure. Think of it as 24 1,000-word assignments that pay $500 apiece. Then figure out how long each piece will take -- you probably have to travel out to the area, walk around, take notes, and then write it up. If you figure it will take 90 minutes to get there, three hours to walk around, and three hours to write it up, then you'll make $500 for 7.5 hours work. Is that worth it to you? When figuring it out, assume it will take longer than you imagine, put in a volume discount, and consider expenses. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 1/22/2008 6:08:09 PM | show profile Sounds like good money to me -- but then, I write fast. I'd do it -- I think 50 cents a word is excellent money for book-like material, and that's what that looks like to me. Not many 24,000 word books that pay $12k. You don't even want to know what I got paid for my 20k words in a how-to book, but it was a fraction of that. $12k in three months is good money to me. Best, writes |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 1/23/2008 3:22:51 AM | show profile -- $12k in three months is good money to me. -- Well, if this is full-time three months work, once you factor in taxes and benefits, it's about the equivalent of a salaried position that pays $30,000 or so. |
| Sam Waynewright | Posted – 1/23/2008 8:47:54 AM | show profile Rates for writing a travel book...help! It's interesting to see different people's views here, none of which are right or wrong. It all depends on where you're coming from. For a young writer who has the time on their hands anyway, this might be a reasonable gig - from their point of view, as $30,000 per year might be seen as good income if you live frugal and you live outside a big city. And it is a way to get your name on the cover of a guidebook which might, or might not, lead to other better paying guidebooks. On the other hand, don't assume that it will be as easy or as fast as you have been told. Maybe each chapter will be turned in without a problem. But maybe every single one of those 24 chapters will need to be fact checked by you and the editor will also ask you to re-write half of them for some reason. And you have not yet mentioned who will cover your expenses? .50 per word for a young person might sound pretty good, but in a case like this you should not just look at the per word rate, but the per hour rate as well. Travel guide books are notoriously time intensive. |
| GGG | Posted – 1/24/2008 12:29:28 PM | show profile I would also imagine it depends on what else you have on your plate. If this is the only gig you have lined up right now, I'd say go for it! $.50/word isn't bad. However, if you're turning down better paying jobs in order to focus your full attention on this book, you may need to renegotiate. It really is all on the perspective. Out of curiousity, what did you end up doing? |
