My goal is to build long term relationships with my clients.

My business practices are designed to achieve that goal.

RATES

I have a simple business model. I sell my time.

I bill by the project or the day. You may expect a day to be 9 hours.

I do not bill by the hour, because I have not figured out how to write by the hour.

When we begin a project, I will do a formal interview with you about your company, your business and your competitors. I will also do an extensive web search.

I will do this because it is impossible to write well when you don’t know what you’re talking about…

Think about the time you will invest as the beginning of our mutual investment in creating great work.

BID

If the parameters of the project are clear, I will provide a fixed bid. You may expect me to honor that bid unless the scope or schedule significantly changes… something that is generally quite apparent.

In some cases I will provide a not-to-exceed estimate. This is a more open-ended approach that lets me manage my time on your behalf. It is more cost effective then a flat hourly rate.

Where the scope is indefinable, or there will be a great deal of interaction with other agencies which will impact my hours in unpredictable ways, I have found that an hourly rate is the most equitable solution.

SCHEDULE

No matter how tight the schedule, there are some things that must be in place in order to begin.

• There has to be an Agreement between us.
• There has to be agreement as to the focus and content of the deliverable.
• There has to be time for input and research.
• There has to be time for your internal approval process.

I am a fast, accurate writer. Once these things are in place, we can turn and burn.

DELIVERABLES

Most writing assignments include the following deliverables:

• A Treatment. This is a brief summary of the agreed upon strategy, content and tone of the piece. It may also identify missing content areas and additional responsibilities which emerged during the process.
• A First Draft. This is the proposed copy in an appropriate format for the delivery medium. (e.g. a video script will be formatted and annotated differently then a website or a SEO piece.)
• The Draft is reviewed for accuracy and completeness as well as style, tone and positioning.
• The Polish reflects all notes, input and feedback. For all intents and purposes this is the finished product.
• The Polish goes to Legal for review.
• The Second Polish incorporates any notes or changes from Legal.
• The Second Polish is the deliverable. This is the document that goes to production.

AGREEMENT

A complete Agreement between us consists of:

• A Deal Memo specifying the deliverables, fee and schedule, which I will draft.
• The Deal Memo also states what rights are included, and identifies any anticipated additional costs or expenses.
• A Purchase Order in the agreed upon amount from your Company.
• A NDA agreement if needed by your Company.

OVERAGES AND EXPENSES

If you want to control project costs, do everything possible to ensure that the people who will give the final approval are heard from at the beginning.

If there is going to be an Overage because of a change in scope, you will approve it before I proceed with the additional work. You will never receive a jacked up bill out of the blue at the end of the project. I find that this goes a long way to building a repeat customer base.

To confirm the details of our discussion, I will issue a PCN (Project Change Notice).

Any expenses that are to be rebilled must be approved in advance. The most common types of expenses are those for transcriptions, surveys and travel.

CANCELLATION

Because my time is a perishable commodity, there is a “kill fee”.

If the project is cancelled before the first draft has been submitted, the “kill fee” is 50% of the agreed upon total.

If the project is cancelled after the first draft is submitted, the “kill fee” is 90% of the agreed upon fee.

PAYMENT

Terms are 50% in advance prior to beginning work, along with a Purchase Order.

Generally, the balance of 50% is due upon delivery of the approved document.

In cases where the project is lengthy or complex, there may be a 30% payment at an agreed upon midpoint, with the remaining 20% due on completion.

I am paid as an independent contractor. Your company issues a 1099.

At this time, there is no sales tax in the State of California for services.

Expenses are billed monthly.