For events, appearances and workshops, I charge in line with Literature Wales’ fair fee guidelines:
Day rate: £350
Half day: £200
Other types of work, such as commissions, are bespoke and fees for this work will be mutually agreed on a case-by-case basis, using a £350 per day fee as a rule of thumb.
You might wonder why a 2 hour workshop, for example, is charged at the rate of a half day, which would typically constitute 4 hours. The reason is that a workshop involves so much more than the 2 hours it takes to deliver it. There’s the initial admin in liaising with organisers, there’s preparation time, which might involve research, photocopying, advertising or any number of other activities depending on the nature of the session. There’s the delivery itself, and sometimes even recovery time.
Similarly, readings involve preparation, practice, admin and so on.
It’s also worth remembering that running a short session in the middle of the day might mean a writer can’t fit other work around that session, and so it becomes a full working day’s worth of income in terms of the time given over to the project.
Of course, all projects are different, and I’m always willing to chat things through, so do get in touch if you’d like any more information.
Mari Ellis Dunning 