# What's the pricing for Writers



## KitsuneKit (May 29, 2008)

Okay, I enjoy reading the different stories that are posted on FurAffinity (really transformation stories are my favorite) but the problem is that commissioning writers seem to be like a difficult task because I (and most of the times, the writers) don't know how much they should be paid.

I mean with artist, you have several different options: a sketch, inked, colored, with or without background.  But writers are different.

So what do you think would be a good pricing system for writers?


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## Adelio Altomar (May 29, 2008)

Didn't we _just_ have a thread that's similar to this?

Yeah, it's right here.


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## Toonces (May 29, 2008)

It's just like art. Not only does it depend on the quality of the art, generally, but it will fluctuate between different artists of the same level, due to different views of commission work, different needs, all that stuff. Just like with artists, you gotta find someone who does work you like, then talk to them about it.

Most authors, if you want to commission them, will be so surprised by the fact you might be able to have 'em cheap. =P

The only thing I'd advise you to avoid, as a commissioner, is anyone who wants to charge you more for a longer story. It's a shitty writing philosophy in the first place, and it could potentially lead to awkward moments. Avoid authors that want to charge you more for more words.

I know Pyrostinger has taken a commission or two before. Alex Cross does commissions. Those are the only two I know of, honestly.

There's another thread on this topic, might want to give it a look here.


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## KitsuneKit (May 29, 2008)

Adelio Altomar said:


> Didn't we _just_ have a thread that's similar to this?
> 
> Yeah, it's right here.



Sorry... ^///^  Should have checked the forums better before posting this.


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## Talosar (May 29, 2008)

TooncesFA said:


> I
> 
> The only thing I'd advise you to avoid, as a commissioner, is anyone who wants to charge you more for a longer story. It's a shitty writing philosophy in the first place, and it could potentially lead to awkward moments. Avoid authors that want to charge you more for more words.


 
Surely this doesn't apply in totality? I'd be interested to see your reasoning behind it. I concede that it could cause problems with an author who is unskilled and unconcise, or one who intentionally pads the commission to earn more money (much like the taxi driver that takes the long route on purpose), but wouldn't it be fair to charge more for 20 pages than for 10? I would say it depends on the individual author's method and ethic.

On thought, however, I think I can see what you're driving at. If clear guidelines are not set beforehand or the communication between parties is poor then it could just become more and more expensive. Also, those who can not really guage page count vs content have a good chance of coming off worse in the deal to begin with.

So I can see the possible pitfalls, but I don't still see why it's a shitty writing philosophy, if you'd care to enlighten me?


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## Toonces (May 29, 2008)

Talosar said:


> So I can see the possible pitfalls, but I don't still see why it's a shitty writing philosophy, if you'd care to enlighten me?



Because it implies that a better story is a longer one. Or if you want to say that you're paying extra for more effort, it implies that extra effort is always best put into making a story longer.

There definitely needs to be an understanding about length before a commission is started. I tell my commissioners about how long their story will be _at least_ before I start, but I don't let that number be determined by how much they paid. I let it be determined by how long the story they want could and should naturally last. If the story goes over, fine, but that's not because I was required to, because I got more money, but because that was the best direction for the story to follow. 

To make a story better, usually making it longer is a worse idea than most other attention you could give a story. You can spend an hour working on a story, improve it dramatically, and after that time it won't be a word longer.

All in all it just seems like a practice designed more to milk money out of commissioners rather than in actually creating a better project.


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## kitreshawn (May 30, 2008)

TooncesFA said:


> Because it implies that a better story is a longer one. Or if you want to say that you're paying extra for more effort, it implies that extra effort is always best put into making a story longer.



When you brought it up in the other thread I kept quiet because there is a point, but now I see you are holding this up as the be all and end all of commissioning a writer.  Your logic, however, is tragically flawed.  If an artist is going to screw you it will happen.  Look at it this way:

Lets say I charge $0.005 a word.  For whatever reason I want to make a lot of money on this commission, and take a story that should be told in 10 pages instead telling it in 20.  Assuming 500 words a page that is 50 dollars.  I doubled the amount of money I made, at the cost of making the story plodding and long.

However now lets say you tell me up front that you are only willing to pay $25 for a story.  Surely I cannot take advantage of this, right?  Well, actually I can.  Instead of telling the 10 pages it needs I do it in 5, taking half the time and opening myself up to complete a second commission with my spare time.  Ultimately you paid twice as much per word ($0.01 per word) and the story seems rushed.  In fact, from my perspective as a writer abusing this arrangement is even better than the last one because it takes me much less effort (10 pages total, assuming my other commission is for the same amount) to make the same $50.  By the time I have written 20 pages worth of stuff as above I have in fact made 100$ instead of a measly 50.

The end result?  Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

Really anything that both parties agree upon is "fair."  Long stories are not necessarily better, but they do allow for more of a story and if you are going to commission someone there is a level of trust needed there (on both sides) in the first place.  The artist trusts they will get paid, the person ordering the commission trusts the artist to do their job to the best of their ability.

So commission someone who you trust to do the job right because no matter how you try do to the payment there is the potential you will get screwed.  Most artists realize they need to deliver a quality product anyway otherwise word gets out about you being a bad deal.

If I were going to make a suggestion it would be to tell the author what type of story you want and a basic overview of what you would like to see happen in it.  Then the author would decide how much effort it will take and you start to negotiate price.  How you decide on the price does not matter (you will have to trust them to do a good job either way remember) so long as you both think it is fair.  If you are able to agree that a per word or per page price is fair, that is fine.  If you believe a set price is fair that is fine too.

Just realize that neither one promotes a better type of writing.  That is up to the writer.


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## Toonces (May 30, 2008)

Yes, a writer can exploit either arrangement. But I've always felt that the "You pay me more, I'll write you more" was an indicator of somebody whose mind is more on money than a story.

I always decide on a price well beforehand, as well as guidelines for what the commissioner can expect, and then if anything I try to exceed those expectations. I was working on a commission about a month back after going through all this, and I got into what I was writing and it ended up going a little longer than I thought it would, and I tell the commissioner "This story's getting longer than I'd expected!" and he gets all flustered "oh, uh, um, hold on and I'll get you some more money..."

I don't like that. It feels like extortion.

Another example, I was working on another commission. Finished it and we both agreed it came out beautifully. He was really happy with how I'd written his character and his friends, so he surprised me with an avatar commission! 


I guess one thing I shouldn't say is that "If they're trying to get you to pay by page/word, they're absolutely ripping you off." That's not the case. I know a few authors who use the method just because they think it's the natural way to do it. It just bothers me, is all, that people so naturally tie length to cost with furry stories. It'd be like if you were commissioning an artist, and he said "For $5 I'll do a sketch, for $10 I'll do a larger sketch, and for $20 I'll do an even bigger sketch." Shouldn't that extra money go towards getting it inked or colored, instead?

Though ultimately you do make a good point. Whichever method you're using, eventually it just comes back to the author, and whether he's more interested in writing a good story, or taking your money.


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