How much do you charge?

Please use the following table to get an idea of what your project might cost. 

Skill Set (Software)	Deliverables	Time Estimate*	Rate
Software Technical Writing (Word, FrameMaker, SnagIt, and RoboHelp)	User Guide	2 hours per page	$50/hr.
	Online Help or Embedded User Assistance	1 - 2 hours per topic	$60/hr.
Technical Editing - see Levels of Edit	Complex editing including restructuring, rewriting, formatting, and source verification	1/2 hour per page (350 words)	$45/hr.
	Simplified editing including refining and polishing and corrections to grammar, spelling, punctuation, consistency, and coherence	1/4 hour per page (350 words)	$40/hr.
Instructional Design (PowerPoint, Word, HTML, and Captivate)	Create New Computer-Based Training	6 hours per 1 hour of training	$50/hr.
	Edit Existing Computer-Based Training	1 hour per 5 screens	$40/hr.
	Software Tutorial	1 - 2 hours per task	$55/hr.

* Actual time spent can vary greatly with content, complexity of material, amount of research needed, availability of subject matter experts, need for and frequency of meetings and interviews with SMEs and other personnel, and whether the project is developed from scratch or is drawn from existing materials. 

This list of deliverables is meant to give you a rough idea of what a project might cost and is not all-inclusive. Please contact me for an estimate that considers all of the factors unique to your project.

An initial deposit is usually required for new clients. If you prefer, we can discuss a flat per-project fee or apply a maximum amount cap. You can pay for my services by check, or via my verified PayPal account if it is more convenient for you to use a credit card (PayPal fees apply). 

We can use my contract or I will look at yours. I will happily sign your non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement. To keep you current on work in progress, you will receive a weekly itemized invoice. 

You own the work product unless you tell me otherwise. 

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What is the documentation process?

For most documentation projects, ask yourself the questions like these:

	What do I want to accomplish?
	Who is my target audience?
	Where is the existing documentation and do I want to build from it or start over?
	When do I want to complete the project?
	How will the deliverable(s) look? Do I have a layout in mind or a style guide I want to follow?
	Who are my subject matter experts?
	Who will review the documentation?
	What type of document do I need (user manual, online help, installation guide)?
	What are my project milestones?
	What about changes?  How do I avoid scope creep (where the project keeps changing and never gets finished)?

Answering these questions will lay the foundation for your plan. Specific tasks will logically flow from this foundation. If you take the time to plan the project, the process will be smoother and less stressful.

I incorporate industry best practices for documentation including the following:

	Analyze the audience and the tasks.
	Create a project plan with specific milestones.
	Write reader-friendly documentation in active voice.
	Include jump lists to provide an overview of what will be learned in each chapter.
	Use adequate white space and present information in blocks.
	Separate task steps from other descriptive information.
	Provide cross references to related information.
	Include a quick start section.
	Ensure the index is comprehensive and accurate.
	Incorporate at least two document review cycles.

I can help you with your entire documentation life cycle and your content management plan. 

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Why do you telecommute? Will you work on-site?

Technical writing naturally lends itself to an off-site work arrangement. Telecommuting has worked quite well for my clients. I have successfully worked with clients as far away as Johannesburg, South Africa. However, if you would like me to work partially on-site in the greater Austin, Texas metropolitan area, or to travel to your site for an introductory meeting or orientation we can certainly arrange that. 

Here are some of the benefits of hiring a telecommuting contractor.

	Fewer interruptions and time lost to office conversations
	Major time savings due to elimination of the commute to and from the office which translates to more time actually worked during a day. The telecommuter saves an average of 90 minutes per day by eliminating time spent getting ready for work and getting to an office - time that adds up to an almost seven week per year gain in working time.
	No equipment or office space costs
	No employee benefits costs
	Ability to pay only for projects you need rather than incurring costs for full time staff
	More qualified candidates - access to a larger labor pool eliminates reliance on local workers
	Increased worker satisfaction - workers who telecommute are on average less stressed and happier than their commuting counterparts
	No loss of communication - high speed internet access, online instant messaging services, and  cellular telephones offer real time communication with telecommuters
	Reduced traffic congestion, air pollution, and traffic accidents

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What are your Technical Writer and Editor certifications?

Brainbench was founded in 1998 and serves over 4,000 corporate customers by offering testing in over 600 topics and certification in over 50 job roles.  I must admit to some initial skepticism. However, I ultimately found the tests challenging and representative of each topic.

I passed eight tests to obtain a Technical Writer job role certification from Brainbench.  The Editor job role certification required seven tests, six of which I had already passed when I achieved the Technical Writer certification.  Passing the editing test earned me the additional job role certification of Editor. Interestingly, my scores on the tests tracked with the grades I made at the university I attended; mostly A's with a few B's.

Here are the subjects and scores. If you prefer you can view them directly on my transcript on the Brainbench web site.

	3.88/5.00 - higher than 90% of all previous test takers
	4.82/5.00 - higher than 99% of all previous test takers
	3.98/5.00 - higher than 85% of all previous test takers.
	5.00/5.00 - higher than 99% of all previous test takers.
	4.25/5.00 - higher than 99% of all previous test takers.
	4.87/5.00 - higher than 97% of all previous test takers.
	3.83/5.00 - higher than 95% of all previous test takers.
	3.83/5.00 - higher than 88% of all previous test takers.
	3.42/5.00 - higher than 89% of all previous test takers.

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Can you communicate with our programmers?

I hope so - I am married to one. Seriously, yes I can.  Back when I worked for other people, I served as the liaison between the programmers and the non-technical folks on three successful software conversion projects. 

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How are you set up to work from home?

	Dedicated area of my home for work
	High speed internet access (ability to remotely connect to your system to document your software or perform usability testing)
	Toshiba 17.2" laptop with Windows Vista operating system protected by Norton Internet Security - I can work from any location
	Color printer, copier, scanner, and fax
	CD burner
	BlackBerry with me at all times during working hours (7am to 5 pm CST, Monday-Friday) so you can reach me
	Windows Live Messenger on during working hours as an additional way to stay in contact
	Tools of the Trade:  Adobe FrameMaker, RoboHelp, Adobe Acrobat Pro, PaintShop Pro,  SnagIt, Microsoft Office Professional (Access, Word, Excel, FrontPage, PowerPoint, Publisher), and Captivate. Experience with collaboration software - Visual SourceSafe, MS Project, SharePoint

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