Proof-reading, sub-editing, general editorial work - how much to charge?

[DaphneHarvey]

I have been asked to overhaul the written output of a small company. Ie. their standard letters, company magazine, website, advertising etc.

Sometimes I post hurriedly on here but generally my standards are pretty good so I feel up to the job.

But am not professional (although have experience in previous pre-baby existence) so am now at a loss on how much to charge per hour? Am in London btw.

Thanks.

What sort of company? If rolling in dough I'd say about £20 p/h, but more standard freelance proofreading rates are around £10-15 p/h.

feck I should be working

Standard day rate in consumer publishing for editing/subbing is £120-£150, if they have lots of money then no harm in asking for a bit more.

They don't have lots of money but are not a charity or not for profit org so want to charge the correct amount.

The work won't involve a lot of re-writing. Just putting into better English and correcting grammar, typos etc. And "sexing up" a bit.

Would you say £10 per hour minimum?

I would personally not work for less than £120 a day (I am a v. experienced editorial person and would devalue myself to do so). So my minimum hourly rate is £15. But I always pitch higher than that

Start at £15 and see whether they try to beat you down.

I would personally start at £18 and let them negotiate you down to £15 if need be. You gain nothing by selling yourself short!

Thanks all. Very helpful. Will let you know how it goes .

respect to MB!

Also many subs (myself included) think that pitching for work under £120 a day devalues the profession, undercuts most of the workforce and leads to lower rates overall. So aim high -- it's good for us all

MB, what sort of work do you do?

How to you get jobs? word of mouth or is there an agency?

I am on mat leave but have worked in magazine subbing/editing for quite a few years, both permanent and freelance. Most recently I was production editor on a consumer magazine. No production editor I know would use an agency (we don't have the budget for it), it is 99% word-of-mouth, although it can also be worth sending your details to production eds/chief subs on spec.

Ah I'm not a sub - am book editor. Most book publishers would baulk at £20 p/h I think (apart from the really big ones)

Aha, Dinny, fancy seeing you on this thread!

Daphne, how did you find this work? I've been wondering about similar on and off. Is it just a local company? Did you make the approach to them?

(Can I just say that "Did you make the approach to them?" is possibly the worst grammar I've ever used on here...!)

Hunker

haven't seen you for AGES, it seems

No, Hunker, I did not make the approach to them LOL!

I know the owner of the company and he asked me. He knows I used to do editorial work in a past life. So its a casual one-off thing but I still don't want to sell myself short.

If you are not sure, you can ask them what fee they had in mind for a specific piece of work. I think that saves any awkwardness as they should have some sort of total budget in mind.

If client is not sure, you can say I'll do a day and see how much I am getting through and work it out from there.

ps i charge 150 a day or 20 an hour