Fees

Money is always a tricky area to deal with. Don’t undersell yourself, clients will usually know how much they have to spend and will want to spend as little as possible. Always let them start the bidding if you can, but usually these days a client will approach you with a proposed job and ask you what you will do it for. They will always have a budget, but they are sounding you out to try and get the job done for as little as possible. Ask a little about the job and its possible usage (see copyright postings) then calculate a figure.

If you feel unsure about the fee, explain that you are interested in the job, but they have just caught you at a very busy time and you will phone them back in 5 or 10 minutes. This will give you time to think. You can phone the AOI (if you are a member) for advice on fees or phone college (no membership required!)

There is usually some degree of flexibility in fees, from both the designer and the client’s side, so you may be involved in a small amount of haggling. Don’t worry about this, it usually means you are in the right price range and eventually you might even begin to enjoy it for the game that it ultimately is. It is extremely rare for an illustrator or designer to quote a fee and the client to say no thank you and put the phone down. If you are miles over the budget they will usually tell you. It’s when you are miles under that they don’t tell you!

Below I have set out a very rough guide to fees. Amounts will vary from client to client. These fees are based on a full colour, limited licence job (see copyright postings). In general, you will receive less for black and white than colour images.

Editorial
Front cover £350-£500+
Inside full page £250-£350+
Inside DPS £350-£500+
Half page £200-£300+
Quarter page £150-£200+


Publishing Fees
will vary according to fame of author/sales potential and size of the publishing house you are dealing with.
Front cover £450-£800+
Reprint of cover on soft back 50% of original fee

Children’s book cover and insides

Work out a rate per illustration, and add them together for the total fee. £1500-£2000+ depending on usage and amount of work.

Design

Brochure cover £600-£800+
Insides £150-£300+ Spots £50-£100+
In house poster for a PLC £600-£800


Advertising

Fees will vary dramatically depending on usage and on how big the client is. BT will usually pay more than Jones Pet Shops. Time is also of great importance here. You can usually obtain a higher fee if the time scale is short.

Press ads local/in house £500-£700+

Press ads national £1500+

One 48 sheet poster UK only £6000+