Click to See Complete Forum and Search --> : Need advice estimating a book project
Hope this is the right category to start this thread. I'm estimating a book design project, it will be a "coffee table " book, roughly 300 pages. Half photographs, half text. Anyone have advice on what a competitive design fee might be? Don't want my estimate to be too high, nor too low. Have been estimating catalog projects for years, but never a book which is a totally different animal. I plan to break down the parts: i.e. creative concept, organization, basic layout, etc. Someone told me the total should fall around $15,000, which seems on the low side considering the size.
Opinions wanted and welcome!
Thanks! :)
Drorain
09-28-2005, 03:55 PM
that does seem low for a 300 page undertaking...I would consult the Graphic Artist Guildbook they have charts that will help you find a competative ballpark. Any idea how many hours you'll need to put in as well?
PrintDriver
09-28-2005, 04:43 PM
Questions you might want to ask...
Coffee Table book at what size?
What will be the image repro process and required image res?
For an oversized or high end book, the printer may require higher than 300dpi image res at full print size and unless your comp has the ballz, you could spend a LOT of time with image prep.
Also, who is supplying the art and in what format?
Will you have to get it scanned?
If higher than normal res is required you may have to drum scan color transparencies (slides) and that can get expensive.
If you have to have art photographed or cruse-scanned, that can get expensive too.
Right now you are priced at $50 a page and that is not too much over what one drum scan could cost you at a service bureau (file size dependent of course).
The only part of this book I need to estimate is the actual design. Unlike my other large projects (catalogs, etc), all images will be digitally supplied, at the correct resolution, all converted to cmyk, etc. Text will all be supplied, too. So I'm looking for a ballpark figure. I checked out the Guild price guide already. just need to know a real-life figure for the creative only, I can figure in all the extras and the parts that need to remain somewhat fluid. Oh, physical size in undecided but might be 10 x 12, something like that. Size isn't too important to me for pricing, I rarely price my jobs based on dimensions as I find the small ones take just as long as the large ones!
thanks, all, for your input!