Need advice!

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   habeeposted 12 years ago

   Someone wants me to write a book for them. She'll provide the story, but she wants me to put it in narrative form. I have no idea how much to charge or even how to charge. If you've done this type of work, did you charge by the word or what? What's an average fee? Thanks in advance for any help!

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      lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Habee you need to charge per page or per 100 words depends which you opt for. The price depends on you.

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      BRIAN SLATERposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I have no idea about fees for this Habee, but try looking at it from a different perspective. You say this person has led an interesting life which means there will be people wanting to read it.
      You may not make a great deal of money from it but you may get plenty of kudos and get noticed by other publishers and more work will follow. If you really want the job and you have the time, don't price yourself too high and put them off. Well done to you and good luck.

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   Cagsilposted 12 years ago

   Cool gig if you can get it worked out.
   
   Congrats! on the offer.
   
   Sorry, I'm not help with your dilemma.

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   Pearldiverposted 12 years ago

   It's Not unlike your split here.
   
   Design a % split on it's marketing (over and above any publishing fees) and a flat daily writing fee and then hold an 'ownership' contract (covering all rights.. inc film, advertising etc) for a set period or until some specific thing has been achieved... eg: 1,000,000 copies sold or whatever.
   
   As effectively, you are the author... AND it comes down to evaluating how good the 'Story' is likely to be!  Hell, you can write 20 books from the stories I could tell you Hollie! (And THAT'S No Story!)
   
   There are many ways of putting the deal together... but what are YOU looking to achieve?

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      habeeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Pearl, I'm not really sure! This woman has a fascinating story to share. She was a missionary and has done all sorts of interesting stuff. She's now a business executive. I want to help her get her story out, but I know it will take a lot of time, so I can't do it for free, nor does she expect me to. I've written thousands of articles for pay, but I'm not sure what to charge for an entire book.

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         lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Habee ask Cardissa she's a pro

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            Cardisaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Hi Habee, the rate depends on the type of book.
            
            If it's fiction where you have to provide all the ideas then it's a little more.
            
            If all the material is provided and you just put them together with no additional research then you could charge $0.03 per word or more, depending on how much she can pay.
            
            Some people work with a budget so it might also be $0.02 or even $0.01 per word.
            
            I would ask what kind of budget the person was working with and see if that compares to the average charge of $0.03 per word. Then I would decide if that was enough for me to work with.
            
            You also have to keep in mind that they may expect it edited and ready to be published when you are done.

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               lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Thanks for the reply Cardisa.

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   skyfireposted 12 years ago

   This looks like a ghost writing type of gig. Maybe Sufidreamer can help you with that.

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   IzzyMposted 12 years ago

   Habee, I had a dig around and I found this site - this is just one of their pages relating to fees specifically, but there seems to be some great information on the whole site which will help give you some idea of what to expect.
   
   http://www.seo-writer.com/pricing.html#writing

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   IzzyMposted 12 years ago

   Yeah the site I linked in are professional rates - just look at what they charge for a 500 word article!!
   
   Still, its a place to work from, and there seems to be a lot more to it than simply writing the book.
   
   They mention editing when the book is finished, and re-writes, and all sorts of things that will make a seemingly simple task quite arduous and needs to be paid for.
   
   Then, are you simply  the 'ghost writer' not mentioned in the credits and with no further involvement, despite having written the whole thing.
   
   If that is the case, I would charge high, and make it clear from the outset that any re-writes will need to be paid for on top of the initial fee.
   
   This book could go on to become a best seller, and if you wrote it for something low like $1,000 or $2,000, you'll really be missing out afterwards.
   
   On the other hand, if it doesn't do well?
   
   Who knows...
   
   I can't help thinking your best bet would be to go in on a low pay initial structure, but with your name on the cover and a share of the profits.
   
   But what do I know?

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7. 93

   habeeposted 12 years ago

   Thanks, pals! You guys have been really helpful, and you've given me a lot to think about.
   
   BTW, I got the offer after the woman read one of the short stories (long story, actually) I entered in the recent contest. Obviously, it didn't place, but I guess it was good enough for this woman to think I could write her story! lol

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      lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Haha Do keep us informed about the project

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         habeeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Will do, Brandon!

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            lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Great Habee Wish you all success

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            mary615posted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I've said from the start that you are a Wonder Woman!  You never cease to maze me.  You must be an excellent time manager (among your other talents).  Good luck, girl!

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               habeeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Ha! Thanks mucho, Mary!

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