[NEED ADVICE] What is the ballpark price range for getting a map designed?

[hassdaddy3]

Hi everyone,

I am a University student studying in Melbourne and have recently been hired by an author to design a map for his fantasy novel. This is my first professional project so I don't really have any idea of what kind of payment I can expect. Hence, I was hoping you guys could help give me some idea! I am quite new to the forums but so far I have been both amazed and inspired by the work I've seen around the forums and am excited to learn some new techniques from you guys!

Thanks for your help!

[Azélor]

have recently been hired by an author

And the price has not been decided yet?
The price will depend on the kind of map, size, quantity of details and talent of the artist.
Without knowing this, it could be anywhere from 50 to 500$.

[hassdaddy3]

And the price has not been decided yet?
The price will depend on the kind of map, size, quantity of details and talent of the artist.
Without knowing this, it could be anywhere from 50 to 500$.

Yeah the price is not set. I'm in a bit of a unique situation where the author is currently negotiating a contract with a bunch of publishers. Until the contract is finalised I really don't know what the payment situation will be, it could be royalties or just a one time cash injection from the author. In case I do end up being paid a single fee I just wanted to gain a better understanding of what I can expect.

Thanks everyone for your replies!

[ThomasR]

I'm about to break a taboo here but heck.

Here are my low prices for standard size maps without fancies.
- 150 € for a black & white map.
- 250 € for a parchment with few colors.
- 350 € for a full color map.

If the map is larger, I ask for more. If there are illustrations needed, this is extra too.

If the client needs the rights to the map, he has to pay extra and I'm talking multiples of the base price.

With these kind of prices, I lose a lot of commissions (maybe it's because I'm not good enough but I'm not bad either) and I still think my prices are not high enough.

I'd recommend not to go lower than that. You can also set yourself an hourly rate and estimate the time needed to complete the map but all in all, the one thing not to forget is that you sell art, not beans, it comes at a price.

My two cents (sic).

[Wired]

I'm about to break a taboo here but heck.

Here are my low prices for standard size maps without fancies.
- 150 € for a black & white map.
- 250 € for a parchment with few colors.
- 350 € for a full color map.

If the map is larger, I ask for more. If there are illustrations needed, this is extra too.

If the client needs the rights to the map, he has to pay extra and I'm talking multiples of the base price.

With these kind of prices, I lose a lot of commissions (maybe it's because I'm not good enough but I'm not bad either) and I still think my prices are not high enough.

I'd recommend not to go lower than that. You can also set yourself an hourly rate and estimate the time needed to complete the map but all in all, the one thing not to forget is that you sell art, not beans, it comes at a price.

My two cents (sic).

Yes, my numbers are rather close to that, at least for private commissions. However, specifics may diverge depending on license, size and level of detail.

[Voolf]

I'm about to break a taboo here but heck.

Here are my low prices for standard size maps without fancies.
- 150 € for a black & white map.
- 250 € for a parchment with few colors.
- 350 € for a full color map.

If the map is larger, I ask for more. If there are illustrations needed, this is extra too.

If the client needs the rights to the map, he has to pay extra and I'm talking multiples of the base price.

With these kind of prices, I lose a lot of commissions (maybe it's because I'm not good enough but I'm not bad either) and I still think my prices are not high enough.

I'd recommend not to go lower than that. You can also set yourself an hourly rate and estimate the time needed to complete the map but all in all, the one thing not to forget is that you sell art, not beans, it comes at a price.

My two cents (sic).

And i was thinking my prices are high. I am pricing about the same and everytime i hear the same from clients "oh man that is way too expensive for me".

I haven't got any commission with satisfactory payment in a long time.

[GSEC]

Deleted by user.

[DanielHasenbos]

I'm about to break a taboo here but heck.

Here are my low prices for standard size maps without fancies.
- 150 € for a black & white map.
- 250 € for a parchment with few colors.
- 350 € for a full color map.

If the map is larger, I ask for more. If there are illustrations needed, this is extra too.

If the client needs the rights to the map, he has to pay extra and I'm talking multiples of the base price.

With these kind of prices, I lose a lot of commissions (maybe it's because I'm not good enough but I'm not bad either) and I still think my prices are not high enough.

I'd recommend not to go lower than that. You can also set yourself an hourly rate and estimate the time needed to complete the map but all in all, the one thing not to forget is that you sell art, not beans, it comes at a price.

My two cents (sic).

Oh no! Someone talked!

+€100 and you have the sort of prices that I often work with. But yeah, clients often complain that prices are too high.

[Wired]

And i was thinking my prices are high. I am pricing about the same and everytime i hear the same from clients "oh man that is way too expensive for me".

I haven't got any commission with satisfactory payment in a long time.

Oh no! Someone talked!

+€100 and you have the sort of prices that I often work with. But yeah, clients often complain that prices are too high.

A lot of (potential) clients, going by my experience, have zero idea how long it takes to do a map. When I started doing this I often was willing to undercut my own set rates if there was a dearth of commissions. It's something I'm trying to leave behind nowadays since I have enough ideas and projects stacked up that even a time without commissions isn't an unproductive time for me.

[Soraya]

I'm about to break a taboo here but heck.

Here are my low prices for standard size maps without fancies.
- 150 € for a black & white map.
- 250 € for a parchment with few colors.
- 350 € for a full color map.

If the map is larger, I ask for more. If there are illustrations needed, this is extra too.

If the client needs the rights to the map, he has to pay extra and I'm talking multiples of the base price.

With these kind of prices, I lose a lot of commissions (maybe it's because I'm not good enough but I'm not bad either) and I still think my prices are not high enough.

I'd recommend not to go lower than that. You can also set yourself an hourly rate and estimate the time needed to complete the map but all in all, the one thing not to forget is that you sell art, not beans, it comes at a price.

My two cents (sic).

Hey Thomas! This was really enlightening!
So what do you consider to be "fancies" out of curiosity?