Advice on pricing a job

I'm not sure if your definition of copywriting fits that of this forum:
http://www.warriorforum.com/copywrit...le-writer.html

You talk about the length and space given for your writing but nothing
of the subject or type of writing you're asked to do. But with the
information given I'll say your best bet is to calculate your hourly
rate from your former paid position and use that as a benchmark
for this job.

-Ray Edwards

Sounds to me like you could be writing upwards of 40,000 words. That's a novella.

Also sounds like research.

Take Ray's advice, factor all that time in, and then ask yourself what would make YOU satisfied.

Well, just to answer your question quickly without getting off track you can try this:

Take the salary you currently make or want to make. Divide by 2080 (the number of working hours in a year). Multiply that by two (because self employed freelancers typically work about half of the paid hours or roughly 1000 in a year).

So if your regular salary is £65K/yr, your hourly rate is £31.25, you double that to £62.50 and that is where you start the discussion.

Next you will have to estimate the amount of time the project will take. For me, writing takes the least amount of time. I thoroughly research projects and by the time I am ready to write the words are flying from my fingers. I have basically written the piece in my head before I write.

Anyhow, figure in the research. How available/accessible is the material, etc...

Once you have guesstimated how much time is involved at your hourly freelance rate go ahead and factor in another 10%-15% for any problems that arise and you should do alright.

Be realistic and truthful with yourself and clients and don't under or over value your services.

Hope that helps.

Good luck.

Yeah, like Ray said, not sure if this is a copywriting gig or an article-writing gig...need more info.

That said, speaking as a former antitrust attorney, we have to be careful as a community when talking about specific project pricing. The best advice I can give is to establish an hourly rate, estimate how many hours the project will take, and take that estimate to the client.

If (as Angie astutely noticed) it's a 40,000 word project...well...you have to weigh how valuable your time is and quote the client.

Will the client accept your quote? Not always. Still, losing a job based on price seems better to me than spending hours upon hours on a project that doesn't net me any real value...

-D.J.