How much should I charge? again....

[Photolistic]

I recently met a fellow that is making a calendar using models.

He has asked me to do all the photography for it. His first run he is going to print about 250 calendars to start out and see how they sell.

I would like to get a % of what sells as well as an initial fee as well.

As far as how many he sells how would I ever know if he sold 22 or 2500 of them?

I am not sure what to charge at all. Any help would be great.

[Vegas Poboy]

I recently met a fellow that is making a calendar using models.

He has asked me to do all the photography for it. His first run he is going to print about 250 calendars to start out and see how they sell.

I would like to get a % of what sells as well as an initial fee as well.

As far as how many he sells how would I ever know if he sold 22 or 2500 of them?

I am not sure what to charge at all. Any help would be great.

Hopefully this will help you and others be able to factor a price.

Whats the value of your time per hour?

How many hours do you think it will take to capture all the models?

How many hours will it take for you to complete post production of the images?

Who is providing Make up & dress?

Who is responsable for model releases?

Does your client want full rights?

Who will draw up the contract & keep the numbers of whats sold?

I know many questions but it's your time and knowledge you should be paid for.

If this is a first run project I would try to get as much $$ up front since there is no way to project sales. Then if he comes back the next year work on job + commision.

have a contract and get model releases for you own use.

Hopefully this helps

[chtgrubbs]

If he is going to print such a low number, he probably has no marketing plan. Or budget to pay you upfront. There is probably no money to hire models, so you will need volunteers. If he is doing the layout and marketing and you are doing all the photography, then I would want a 50/50 split of the profits.

[strmrdr]

to be honest I wouldnt waste my time on it.
With that small a run he isnt going to be able to pay enough to make it worth while.

[ssim]

I would steer clear of a percentage cut. As was pointed out he is only printing 250 and no one is going to get rich at those numbers. It is already early January and unless you get the market with this in short order your opportunty is lost. The best time to be selling these are before Christmas. It is the kind of gift that people give when they don't know what else to get them.

I normally avoid percentage deals. I prefer to work in the known and that is pay me what I would charge and you can go and make as much as you want on your product. This is no different than any other type of shoot. You shoot and get paid and go on your merry way.

I have worked with people that couldn't afford to front my full charges up front. I have worked with them on a schedule for them to make full payment. I normally only do this if other vendors in the project are participating in the same fashion. We make sure that we lock up the paperwork so that if they default on payment it makes it easier to go after them.

Given the numbers involved here, if they didn't provide adequate funding up front I would walk away.

[IndyJeff]

Generally speaking you won't want to work on any sort of a royalty commission. To begin with if you are getting a piece of the action then your getting less money up front. How much risk are you willing to take counting on someone elses marketing plan?
Vegas Poboy asked some question which you should seriously look at, and answer.

Calendar production usually begins with photography being due by no later than May or June of the previous year. If this guy is working on a calendar it is probably for 2008. If it is a 2007, definately get all your money up front because he will probably get stuck with about 230 calendars that no one wants to pay for.

edit: You know as an after thought, calendars are usually run in no less than 1000 per run at traditional printers. Using a tradtional printing company for this job he will be paying about as much for 250 as he would for 1000.

[matt1987]

As far as how many he sells how would I ever know if he sold 22 or 2500 of them?

what I would do:
1) get an initial fee covering your expenses

2) also include (well, you said he's printing 250 at first) the amount of money you'd get for 250 calendars. it is not on you to sell them, if he wants 250 it's his problem to sell them.

3) don't give out negatives/raw's/etc. just hand out a smaller version which you cannot print calendar-sized, but can look at (contact sheet). So that when he needs more calendars, he has to get back to you and talk to you about getting more prints.

4) in case he needs more than those 250 and he comes up to you, redo step 2: let him pay you for the ordered number of calendars in advance.

[Photolistic]

what I would do:

3) don't give out negatives/raw's/etc. just hand out a smaller version which you cannot print calendar-sized, but can look at (contact sheet). So that when he needs more calendars, he has to get back to you and talk to you about getting more prints.
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How can I get him the image to print the 250 with then?