RFI for Freelancers: Quoting a Big Job

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Since I went freelance four years ago, I've been fairly content to stay with just the one main client, a magazine I started working on seven years ago. Now, I have the opportunity to bid on another magazine's layout/design, and I'm a little nervous about the process.

I'm going to quote a price per issue rather than an hourly rate, since the magazine has the same number of pages each month, and I think the client will like knowing what their fixed costs are. I'm pretty confident in the price I'm going to quote, but I also want to put in there that I reserve the right to revisit and revise the price I charge them on an annual basis — for my own protection in case I wildly underestimate the time this job will take every month. Is this S.O.P., or will that be a mark against me in the client's eyes?

Also, any handholding and words of encouragement from freelancers please. I woke up at 4:00 this morning, nervous about this potential job.

― I do feel guilty for getting any perverse amusement out of it (Rock Hardy), Friday, 11 November 2005 11:14 (twenty years ago)

i think you should quote an hourly rate AND state the number of hours you expect to spend per issue. if you want to give them a guaranteed upper limit of hours spent that you will invoice for for the first 6 issues, i'm sure that will go down a treat.

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Friday, 11 November 2005 11:17 (twenty years ago)

do you have a good enough idea of how many hours work it will require each month? if not i'd be v wary about quoting per issue. maybe you can offer a quote at an hourly rate just for the first 2 or 3 issues and then revert to a fixed fee afterwards which might re-assure them.

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Friday, 11 November 2005 11:18 (twenty years ago)

I think I have a good idea of the number of hours it will take each month. The only real question mark is the new editor — is he organized or a flake? Quoting the job per issue is sort of a way to veil my rate, which is probably in line with industry convention or even a little low, but still seems like an obscene hour of money per hour after a career of clock punching and being exceited about 30¢/hr raises.

Also, I talked to the publisher yesterday and he agreed that it would be appropriate for the quote for the first issue to be higher, to take into account the hours of transition going from the old designer to the new one, before settling back into a more standard cost per issue. So I've sort of already told him that I'd quote per issue.

― I do feel guilty for getting any perverse amusement out of it (Rock Hardy), Friday, 11 November 2005 11:37 (twenty years ago)

The only real question mark is the new editor — is he organized or a flake?

exactly, your est. of hours will be accurate or inaccurate depending on efficiency/lack of at their end.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 11 November 2005 12:57 (twenty years ago)

So, assuming I do quote this per issue (contrary to all good sense), would it be okay to specify that the price will be reassessed annually?

― I do feel guilty for getting any perverse amusement out of it (Rock Hardy), Friday, 11 November 2005 13:53 (twenty years ago)

The potential client is switching printers and replacing the editor in order to make the magazine more professional, by the way.

― I do feel guilty for getting any perverse amusement out of it (Rock Hardy), Friday, 11 November 2005 13:56 (twenty years ago)

would it be okay to specify that the price will be reassessed annually?

Absolutely.

― Jaq (Jaq), Friday, 11 November 2005 15:19 (twenty years ago)

I've slept on it a bit and Alan's post seems very sensible, esp. the upper limit for the first six issues — it protects both parties.

― I do feel guilty for getting any perverse amusement out of it (Rock Hardy), Friday, 11 November 2005 16:35 (twenty years ago)

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