A freelance technical writer recently asked me how to calibrate rates when the client has a limited budget. The question, lightly edited, looked like this:

This client is an open-source project; it’s quite well known but still open-source and not corporate-owned. The person hiring me is an individual maintainer who funds the project. Do you have a sense for how the freelance tech writing community treats rates for this sort of customer? One is tempted to take my hourly rate and just cut that in half!

Here’s what I told them.

Never discount yourself but be open to a trade

I’m uncompromising when it comes to my rates; I don’t “discount” for any client. A client’s lack of cash doesn’t make my work any less valuable.

Yet I am willing to trade for something of non-monetary value, when a desirable client doesn’t have a lot of cash. If I learn that my price doesn’t fit their budget, then I often offer ways to lower the cost in exchange for something that would be cheap for them but nevertheless valuable to me.

What makes sense to trade will depend on the client and the project. And you might need to use your imagination to find something that works for you and your client. But if you were one of my clients, I might trade absolute cost for one or more of these:

• Scope. For example, I offer you a small number of hours at a lower per-hour rate, but you have to pay a higher rate for access to more of my time (which you’ll be more inclined to do, once you see how good I am). Or I offer to write for you at a reduced price but drop higher-value deliverables, such as programming custom tools, from the proposal.

• Flexibility. For example, the project might be delayed while I go on a long vacation or get lower priority in favor of higher-paying work.

• Publicity. For example, you get a lower price in exchange for acknowledgments and a link in the blog post announcing the work.

• Testimony. For example, after some time, if you’re still happy with the work—which you will be!—then you agree to write or edit and approve a testimonial about my contributions to your project.

• Favorable payment terms. For example, you pay up front, faster (such as NET 7), or agree to pay in my preferred currency rather than yours.

If you’re considering discounting yourself, stop and think a moment. Like a Hollywood celebrity who needs a producer credit to justify appearing in a low-budget indie film, you might find that there’s more to a project than money.

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