Why is technical writing so expensive?

Working from home means freelancers have to pay for their own office space. Rent, power, heat. All the boring stuff that no one thinks about when enquiring about rates. Some technical writers also pay for professional indemnity insurance (PII). It isn’t often that claims are made for copywriting failures, but responsible writers will often insure themselves all the same.

Freelancers don’t have an IT team to set them up with a fancy computer and all the latest software. No, they have to pay for all the kit and do their own setup. This can be an expensive endeavour in most lines of work, and technical writing is no exception: the last MadCap Flare software & support bundle I purchased cost me £1300.

But even that is small fry when compared with the costs of the hardware on which my little empire runs.

In theory, freelancers can determine their own schedule, taking time off when needed. But there’s no holiday salary: time spent away from work is completely unpaid. Freelancers therefore have to ensure that their productive time is paid at a rate that allows them to take the occasional holiday.

A rested freelancer is a happy freelancer.

A happy freelancer is a productive freelancer. A productive freelancer is someone you want on your team.

Even if holidays are considered a luxury (they really aren’t), illness definitely isn’t. If freelancers are unwell and can’t work, their pay takes a hit. Unlike employed office staff, freelancers aren’t entitled to sick pay. This has to be taken into account when freelancers work out their rates.

Payment protection insurance can help in some situations, but, of course, that’s another expense.

Writers get to write. Some of the time. But when they’re not doing their core job, they’re acting as their own HR department, and dealing with tax and VAT returns. And then there’s personal marketing. Freelancers have to forge their own brand identity. That means they have to create and maintain a website, blog and social media presence. All of this takes time and drags them away from being productive.

Self-employed pros have to pay for their own training. Workshops, online courses and exams all cost time and money. There are also expenses associated with continuing professional development (CPD) – attending conferences, paying for professional memberships, reading industry blogs, listening to podcasts, watching webinars.

(Hiring a writer who isn’t in touch with the latest developments in the field is a good way to waste your money.)

Freelance writers have to take the time to manage communications with their clients. Although most emails might not take too long to write, don’t forget that your chosen technical writer will be a one-stop shop for everything related to the job.

They will attend conference calls.

They will make site visits.

They will hold meetings with your product managers, support team and any other relevant stakeholders.

Although some travel expenses can be reclaimed, the whole process still takes up time and money.

Each job has its own requirements and few technical writers can simply pick up a project and start cranking out words straight away.Time has to be spent planning and researching the work, and often this period will be the longest part of any writing project.

Here’s some more about researching technical writing topics.

Expert writers find ways to captivate the audience, helping clients to improve their relationship with customers. Expertise is built through a combination of innate ability, study and experience. Just as any consultant would charge for their expertise, so too does a writer. Remember: you’re paying for someone’s value, not just their time.

While attending an advanced software training workshop, I listened to an interesting exchange that went something like this:
Delegate: ‘I don’t think I’d charge anything if that [software process] took me only five minutes.’
Instructor: ‘Why? You’ve spent time and energy learning that skill. It might take someone else a week to find out how to do it. I’d charge full whack because the client is benefiting from my expertise. They’ve got a problem and I’m solving it for them. I’m just doing it quickly.’

Everyone got the message: we should value expertise and not be afraid to charge for it.

Writing content is one thing, but editing and proofreading it is quite another. Most writers will do their best to leave a little time between writing a draft and editing it, so that the content appears fresh when it’s reviewed.

But this adds to the time taken to produce the content, and that adds to the price.

An alternative approach – one that I particularly favour – is for the writer to engage the services of a professional editorial consultant.

This is someone who can provide an independent review of the text before the client sees the final version.

So long as there aren’t any non-disclosure clauses preventing this sort of activity, seeking editorial help is the best way for technical writers to improve the accuracy and consistency of the content they produce.

And, you guessed it, this also adds to the cost of the job.