Pamela,
Thank you.

Paul,
Yes, of course, dry read only. To my knowledge there is no other requested or required in e-learning.

Cheers, Rick

First-time-heard facts here, Rick, excellent article! Printed and saved this one! Thank you for your unique insight.

That was very helpful Rick. Thanks for the links as well as for the info. I take it that these rates are for dry-read only?

Excellent information here, Rick. Especially on the team member aspect.

A great part of my business recently has been e-learning, and there are numerous occasions where I've helped out by correcting grammatical errors on the fly, asking the right questions in the right way, and making deadline. These clients have used my voice-over services over and over again. We are thankful for each other.

Paul,

Here is my response to an inquiry just a few minutes ago. I think this would be of some value in getting the correct perspective on the business.

Here is a link to our pricing page for E-LV. Keep in mind that these rates are only for multiple (more than one) voice-over projects. As you can see, the rates vary from $25 down to $16 per minute. This is exactly what our VO talents get paid, rounded to the next minute. Example: 72 seconds = 2 minutes.

Keep in mind that if you are fortunate enough to be chosen as the "main narrator" and recorded, let's say, 25 minutes, your pay would be $400 at the $16 per minute rate. In addition, you would also charge $1 each for edited files. 25 minutes at the top rate would be $625, plus file editing charges.

http://www.e-learningvoices.com/price-per-minute.php

Here is another link to more information:

http://www.e-learningvoices.com/articles/FAQ.html

So in a nutshell, 5 words would pay the minimum depending on the category. The good news is at least you get heard. Yes, your goal is future work. It’s all about collaboration

Cheers, Rick

I echo what Pearl said. They do keep coming back, once you've proven you're on the team. BRIAN

Thank you Rick, for that very informative article. I haven't had the opportunity to perform for e-learning projects yet, but I would certainly like to.

BP Smyth / www.bpsmythvoice.com

Thanks for sharing your insights, Rick. Your observations make a lot of sense in the context of any voice-over project.

Pricing strategies are always controversial and somewhat mysterious. What one person considers to be a 'normal minimum regular rate,' might be ridiculously low or too high in the eyes of another talent and/or producer.

In order to really understand what you're saying, it would be useful to specify what the going e-learning rates are. Most rate sheets that are out there, seem terribly outdated.

Secondly, many of the objections you list sound too familiar, and I'm sure I'm not the only talent who has heard a producer say: "I can't possibly pay that. My market is very different, you know!" Or: "In this economy it's simply impossible to pay you a regular rate."

Whether you read freelance guides for graphic designers, copy writers or voice-over pros, there seems to be a consensus that it is wise to make sure that 50% of the negotiated fee is paid upfront, especially if there's no established relationship.

If employers want to have the luxury and freedom of using a disposable workforce, they should at least give the temp workers some credit (literally) before the start of the project.

The Freelancers Union has launched a campaign to expose employers who did not live up to their end of the deal. It's called "Get Paid, not Played," and it's no surprise that so many independent contractos are fed up with being tossed around, having to beg for the money they earned months and months ago.

I fully understand that flexibility is a must to get hired, but there are limits as to how far we should be asked to bend (over backwards).

Thanks for putting your two cents in, Rick. Or is the going e-learning rate a penny for your thoughts (he said in a teasing way...)?

Thank you very much for your article, Rick.

I have voiced a number of e-learning modules, particularly for a large oil and gas company in the Middle-East. A production company in Oregon hired me and basically told me how much I would be paid. I wasn't asked how much would I charge.

I originally thought, "Wow! You're going to pay me how little?" and the deadline was within a very short time-span. The scripts were more than just a few words, but it was obvious that my part was a small contribution to a much larger project.

I completed the given task in good time, followed all the intricate instructions for labeling and organizing the files into folders, and sent the completed work via YouSendIt.com. Once the job was done I received payment approximately 30 days later.

I expected this, as I was told payment would always be on a net 30 basis. The producer wrote a very nice testimonial on Voices.com and all was right with the world!

I thought I'd worked hard for my small payment, but the gig paid off. The same company came back again offering repeat business and over the period of a year I had raked in quite a tidy sum of cash! Nice!

My BNI business networking group has a motto of "Givers Gain" and I hadn't realized how important that was until I joined last October. I now know I was a giver of my services for the Middle-Eastern e-learning project and I definitely, financially gained eventually!

Thanks again, Pearl