question for those who charge to do books

[BernardandMissBianca]

I was offered a job to put together a WDW scrapbook for a lady, friend of a friend really. Anywho she is expecting baby #3 and was overwhelmed by getting a baby scrapbook and had commented to my friend Chille that she hadn't even gotten to her WDW book. She had tried and failed, there is just so much stuff out there to buy it got nuts.
So Chille dropped my name and said she would talk to me about me doing the book.
Would you do it?
How much would you charge?
Do you include time or just supplies?
How much per page? are multi-layered pages more expensive? If so by how much?
Would it really be worth my time?

The last one is my main concern, Heck I would be happy if I made enough $$ to pay for a cricut and maybe a cartridge. But I am so far behind on my own stuff. But on the other hand if I'm making $$ DH can't complain about me scrapping right?? I told Chille I would not have an answer until after we got back form our trip. I just need to mull it over but any advice would be much appreciated!!
TIA

 

[Fran98765]

What I would do is charge an amount per page and then add in the supply amount. Let her know ahead of time that some of the items aren't cheap and that each page will cost approximately XX. But yes, you should definately charge for your time, afterall, that is what is preventing her from doing her own pages.

I'm so far behind on my pages, plus baby coming will make me much more behind on everything, so personally I couldn't do it. If you have time available, I would go for it!

 

[lewdyan1]

I had a woman help me on a book once. She charged me $30.00 an hour plus supplies. I opted to work with her so I could learn from her, but I know she also does the work for others on the side and charges that way.

I would do something like this, hourly fee plus supplies.

 

[MazdaUK]

I would also show her examples of three levels of pages - very plain, trimmed and embellished. She may be happy to have several quite simple pages if special events were a bit more fancy - it would make it quicker and easier for you, and more affordable for her. If you're charging for supplies don't forget to keep receipts so you don't undercharge her - if you're getting something specifically for her pages then charge her for it. If she scraps herself you could always pass the surplus on, or else that's your little perk!

 

[Lisa]

At an event I attended this weekend, the hostess told me she had a friend in Canada who is a professional photographer and also made works of art albums for people. Her charge...........$500.

Buffy, your talent certainly deserves to be paid accordingly, and if you decide to do this know we support you!

 

[huge mickey fan]

I have a couple of thoughts. How about a certain price for a book containing x number of pages + supplies. Also I have scrapped a book for my sister in law's Europe trip and I thought it was hard to do someone else's book. I didn't do any journaling because I didn't know any of her stories that went with the photos. Now Disney would be easier since I would know where in the parks the photos were taken but the stories along with it is another thing to consider. If you agree to do this I would definately keep a tab of time and supplies.

 

[hopemax]

Here's a cut and paste from a post on 2peas

One rule of thumb that many craft people use (knitters, sewers, etc) is 3x the cost of materials. So you spend $5 on paper, embellies, & adhesives you charge $15 to cover your time as well as materials.

Some people charge by the album with prices for various sizes & number of pages ($50-$75 for 8x8 w/ 10-20 pages, $150-$200 for 12x12). Some charge by the page ($10-$20 a page). Some charge by the time involved ($5-$10/hr).

It depends on how you want to calculate (value) your worth in materials and time, how you work (very slowly maybe charge by album & not hourly), how much extra stuff the client wants, and a lot on what your market will pay for.

 

[PigletsPal]

I charge $15 per page plus the supplies for the person I do books for. Most of the time it runs about 50 pages or so per book and around $80 for supplies.
Like someone said don't sell yourself short. You will be spending alot of time picking out papers and embelishments for each page and that can run into alot of time spent on your part.

 

[quiltymom]

I'm a CMC & I charge $40.00 an hour (w/o journaling) + supplies, whether it is traditional, PicFolio or digital scrapbooking. When I've told people this, they don't even bat an eye. I also charge $40.00 an hour for private consultations &/or training, which makes attending my workshops a great bargain! They must have their photos in order and then it's a snap to put together.

 

[laura&fam]

I liked the recommendation of showing the three different levels of pages. Simple pages don't take the same time or materials.

In my area we have some people that scrapbook for dirt cheap ($5 a page or $7-$9 for a 2 page spread). I always have to make sure that the person knows what they are getting so they understand why I charge what I do. I charge enough so that it is worth the time to me. The person can pay that or get someone else.

 

[LisaB]

I was thinking about getting into this. I had a CM party last night and was talking to a person who was into digital scrapbooking. She is looking into Storybook. I asked her if she ever thought about getting into traditional scrapping. She said that she just didn't have the time but did like going to parties and had fun at them. Well last night as my foot was bothering me (athelete's foot and/or eczema yuk) I was thinking about charging people for albums. I was think $ 5 a page at least-- CM album and power paletter would be about 100. I did one for my friend who does alternative medicine healing touch and it came out really well. Where would I advertize etc??? Thanks alot

 

[quiltymom]

I'd be careful to settling to charge so much per page. The main reason is that you have the traditional, enhanced & decorative styles - how will you charge for each style? How will you designate what is included or not? Some styles/pages take more time than others, depending upon what is placed on each page and the type of memorabilia, how much journaling space, etc.

It is much simpler to charge per hour plus expenses/supplies. That way you are not undercutting your potential profits and it saves a lot of headaches in the long run. Set a price per hour, and be firm! You'd be surprised when I tell potential customers what I charge, and they don't bat an eye!

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

depending on her financial situation, she may say she want's to only do 5 pages a month or spend $100 a month etc. Spread it out a little. That's an option too.

I'd cetainly do it. It's something you enjoy and it's a way to make money ON YOUR OWN SCHEDULE.