What does $3 a page mean to you?

[Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca>]

Bonnie Granat wondered: <<Does it mean $3 per manuscript page that you 
edit? Does it mean $3 per final book page? The publisher for whom I 
just edited a book quoted "$3 a page" as the rate, and I assumed it was 
per manuscript page. Now that I'm getting ready to submit my invoice 
I'm told to "Please take the total manuscript pages and multiply by .75 
to get the book pages.">>

Doesn't matter in the least what it means to me. The _only_ important 
thing is what it means to the client. That's why I always advise 
editors to get written clarification for _anything_ that's not 
absolutely clear. In terms of pages, the "standard" page is typically 
ca. 250 words double-spaced (500 single-spaced), but this varies 
widely; one of my clients, for example, specifies 200-word pages (a 20 
or 25% difference, depending on which way you're converting). If the 
_book_ pages were 11x17 tabloids, the variation could be more than 
100%.

<<I've written to the publisher>>

This is well worth doing. But while you're waiting for a response, do a 
quick search of the client's Web site to see if there's any information 
about page lengths. If not, make dated printouts of the pages that 
describe their basis for costing (so they can't change the pages and 
claim you simply didn't look at the site), then ask your question again 
on copyediting-l, phrased as neutrally as possible so you can't be 
accused of biasing the responses. (That is: "What is the standard 
definition of a page for work that is billed by the page?" rather than 
"I think my client is ripping me off... [details]").

If the client isn't prepared to concede your point, you now have 
evidence in hand should you need to take the case to small claims 
court. Whether you choose to do so is up to you; you would probably win 
the case but lose the client.

--Geoff Hart   ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca
(try geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com if you don't get a reply)


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