Requesting a map? Please read me.

[Midgardsormr]

The basic formula is: My desired hourly rate / working hours in the year * hours this will take + cost of my materials

Personally, I prefer not to work for any less than I'd get working for The Man, so my desired rate is at least $40/hour, which is why I don't generally do freelance cartography!

There are some other considerations that go in there: How much does my software and computer cost? How much time do I spend using them for business vs pleasure? Do I really expect to work 2000 hours in the year? If not, I should raise the rate to account for a lower number of billable hours.

If you're not a full-time freelancer, value your free time honestly. Ask yourself this question: How much would I have to get paid in order to willingly give up this time to an employer?

If you decide to work for less than what you'd really like to earn, for whatever reason, spin it as a discount and put it on your invoice that way.

Generally people don't like to disclose their rates in order to prevent the "race to the bottom" that happens when artists try to low-ball. My opinion is that the secrecy has the opposite effect, particularly in a community that is composed primarily of amateurs and people just starting out—we tend to undervalue our own time and underestimate the effort required to get to a finished product. Anyway, discussion of price and rates is usually held privately rather than in the request threads.