Rate Race

Looking back on which of my blogs have garnered the most interest, posts about setting rates is at or near the top.

Don't worry, I'm not going to re-hash long formulas here (see above link for all that stuff)…I just want to point out how making this decision can decide a plethora of issues for you, and it shouldn't be taken lightly.

Then again, you shouldn't agonize over it either.

Think about it.  Quoting YOUR price to a client tells them what YOU think you're worth.  That tells them a lot about you. 

This is a hugely personal standard you're setting.

So….what are you worth?..and can you back it up with real (or percieved) value/content/talent/goods?

The variables are endless.  Do you charge per hour, per minute, per page, per word-count, per how-bad-you-need-the-job?

Is this a returning customer you want to keep happy?  Someone you may be more forgiving of the rules?  I know many a successful voice actor who absolutely positively WILL NOT fudge on ANY stated rate sheet.  They claim they ask Union scale whether it's a union job or not, and they further claim their clients pay it willingly and keep coming back. 

Go ahead, post the question about rates on the VO-BB (many have – you oughta see the archives) and witness the wide spectrum of responses you get.  People are vehement about this stuff!

Formulas get complicated.  Grab a calculator.  Many boil down to so-many-cents-per-word.  Or so many dollars-per-page.  150-160 words per minute.  250 words-per-page double-spaced, 12-pt font, 1-inch margins….yada, yada, yada…  Is that a :30 spot or a 36,000 word AudioBook?  Should there be a difference in the rate for either?

I suppose it's important to get down to the math.  I've done that, then I do a gut check after I come up with a figure.

OK.  All fine and good.

Now…are you going to edit the thing?  "Post-production".  Clean up all the coughs, mouth-clicks, pauses for interpretation, planes passing over, and phones ringing?

Back to the calculator.  More variables.  Per hour, per minute, per job, per word, per page…?

I have a rate sheet.  Some clients who are detail-oriented like to see such a document. 

I think of it as a starting point for negotiations.  I see it as a personal statement, yes, but I also think each job and client has its own set of unique variables that demand a recalculation every time around.

There will be those who strongly disagree on principled reasoning.  I salute them.  I find it hard to be so rigid…and I may be shortchanging myself in the process.

But I like to think I'm giving each of my clients a personal service…in more ways than just voice.

CourVO