Kansas City Copywriter Need a Kansas City Writer?

28Mar/10

How long does it take to write?

Interestingly enough, I've been receiving a decent amount of traffic from people who are googling phrases such as, "how long does it take to write a corporate brochure" and "how long does it take to write a one-pager?"

I'm not sure if it's other writers trying to see how long it should take them to write a brochure, a one-pager or some other piece of marketing material or if it's a client-type trying to see if they're being over-billed or worried about whether they can afford to outsource their copy writing.

Writing is a fickle beast. Some days it comes easy, some days it feels like work and drags on. When you're on the payroll somewhere, it all works out in the wash. However, if you're an independent professional, it's a little trickier -- your clients desire and deserve your best. Therein lies the problem.

I suppose you could compare a freelance writer to a plumber. Does it take a plumber the same amount of time to install a toilet on different days, in different situations? No. What's interesting is that some plumbers charge by the job and some plumbers charge by the hour. If the same job could take two hours one day and four hours the next, a flat-rate plumber would always charge the same amount for installing a toilet. An hourly plumber would have a variable rate, depending upon how long the job took.

So, how long does it take to write a brochure? How long does it take to write a one-pager? It all depends on the day, the writer, the client and the project.

With new clients, I typically charge by the project. I've found that doing so puts clients at ease and makes them feel more comfortable working with someone they don't know. (If you're new to freelance writing and considering this, always ensure you put limits on it -- inevitably, you'll run across a client who wants ten rounds of rewrites and wants it all included in the cost you originally estimated.)

If you're a client looking for a writer who is comfortable bidding on writing projects by the project rather than by the hour, you've found one! Contact me!