Reply With QuoteI'm new to this, but I can tell you for the map I'm looking for, I've had offers of $50, $100, $300, and "pay what you think it's worth".
All the portfolios are of similar quality, with the less expensive ones actually looking slightly better IMO.
I don't think people should assume that $50.00 is a realistic price for a good map made from scratch. But I do think it is great OP that you found a cartographer who was happy to provide his or her time for you at such a generous rate.
I'm new to this, but I can tell you for the map I'm looking for, I've had offers of $50, $100, $300, and "pay what you think it's worth".
All the portfolios are of similar quality, with the less expensive ones actually looking slightly better IMO.
The Guild had never been a entity who tells its members what to charge (in contrast to historical Guilds) I guess one of the reasons for the large difference in prices are on the one hand if the mapper does this as a professional Designer or a hobbiest, or on the otherhand depending on the own skill level and worthing of the own work.
As for me 10h are a rought estimation on a A4 size Map. At least in Germany the hour rates of a designer/Illustrator is between 40-100$ per hour (avarages)
Other people map for the joy of mapping and dont care about 3$/h which is not realistic for people making a living from Art.
Oh and no offence to your request or posts. Its just that stabdard rates are kind of a hot topic here.
I too find these threads very useful. I'm a professional graphic designer, but make maps as a hobby. Therefore I have no need to ask the >$60 / h I do in my day job, but on the other hand I do not want to ask too little and thus lower the price on other people's work, especially those who have to make their living with it. I often ask very little for my maps, but only when I have some other use for the map - if I need it for my portfolio or if the copyright stays with me and I can sell it to publishers for example.
Ouch. If only there were some sort of a...mapmaking sweatshop where cheap "creative" types could purchase poorly crafted, tear-soaked maps from enslaved cartographers for our equally poorly written epic fantasy novels. When will Drake Dragonblade finally be able to wander the misty vales of the Firedeep forest, or run along the coast of the Pyrian Fire Sea! Curse you professional artists demanding a professional wage!...curse you. :,(Originally Posted by Midgardsormr
Edit: I should mention that if you don't mind a drop in quality that you can usually find cheaper mapmakers at deviantART, BUT from what I've seen, the fine cartographers here are significantly more skilled. In my opinion, they're usually worth it. But if you don't need that level of polish then a DA artist might be a better fit and who knows, they may even throw in a free erotic sketch of your map.
Last edited by AuthorParmain; 04-14-2014 at 05:32 PM.
Well a lot of Guildmembers are also on DA. I guess if people are looking for cheap Art or even free Stuff, there are always people doing slavework. But pay cheap & get cheap wont do any novel any good at all. I mean also for covers, who buys stuff thats already looking extremely cheap?
Heh, well, there are more ways to pay than money, remember. I've only taken two commissions here. One was for a very simple floorplan that I was planning to make for myself, anyway, so I just charged an hourly rate for the small chunk of time it took me. I think it came out to about $45. The other I did for barter: I got a cut of royalty-free music from a composer in exchange for a map of his continent. I might even be persuaded (very rarely) to reduce my rate in exchange for royalties if I truly believe that the map will see print and a significant circulation. Usually that means that the content creator in question already has a track record of successfully monetizing their work.
Also, I'm usually willing to license existing work for far less than I'd get for a commission. The work is already done, so it's not competing with higher-paying projects I could be working on. I am, though, a professional digital artist and living in Los Angeles with it's astronomical cost of living. If I'm going to be making art for someone else's benefit, then I have to charge a rate that will pay my rent and put mac 'n' cheese on my table. And it's always nice if there's enough left over to pay down my student loans.
Bryan Ray, visual effects artist
http://www.bryanray.name
