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195 of 205 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Memorize Ethical/Legal Guidelines; Beware DECLINING Prices!, June 5, 2001
This review is from: Graphic Artists Guild Handbook : Pricing & Ethical Guidelines (Graphic Artists Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines, 10th Edition) (Paperback)
The Copyright, Legal, and Professional Issues and information, and Trade Customs in this book are an invaluable and comprehensive resource for freelancers, art buyers, and business managers--a real bible. I gave the previous edition of this book a 4 star rating for those reasons and continue to give that large portion of the book the same rating. The Pricing charts for freelance illustration however, need a strong ALERT. If one quotes the fees in these charts or budgets these figures with no adjustments, the fees in these charts will remain the same, year after year, ad infiniteum because the same figures will continue to be reported. In comparing figures from previous editions, many of these figures in these have remained exactly the same or even gone down for at least a decade. THE FEES WERE HIGHER IN 1991, TEN YEARS AGO Even in places where they have gone up, and if one considers inflationary adjustments, the scenario is even more negative. From 1991-2001, the inflationary adjustment based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index is 31%. To compare, if the price for the front cover of a paperback trade book, major distribution is suggested in the1991 edition to be $3000, and in the 2001 edition the range of fees reported is $1500- $3000, something is wrong. That inflation adjusted fee of $3000 in 1991 would be almost $4000 today. The scenario is no better in other areas like advertising, corporate, and magazine editiorial. If a freelancer does 2 dozen jobs like this a year, at the stagnated fee, if would mean a $24,000 loss of income compared to 1991. That loss is even higher when you factor in capital expenditures in technology-computers, printers, scanners, websites--which didn't exist before. I am not saying that this book is to blame for declining or stagnating prices. the reasons for that are many and complicated: wild discounting by stock houses, and increased competition caused by easy access to national/international markets, increased pressure on copyright usage caused by globalization, electronic uses and corporate conglomerates, to name a few. But freelancers using the reported fees in this book for quoting and accepting fees won't even maintain the status quo ad infiniteum, to the delight of client business mangagers.
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66 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The ultimate business resource for artists and designers, March 31, 1998
Although there are thousands of books of business advice available for sale, very few address the issues of unique importance to creatives. There are thousands of how-to books on creating visual images, technique and design that ignore the non-glamourous aspects of art. This precisely focused handbook of solutions is a testimonial to the dedication of the Graphic Artists' Guild to its mission "to promote and protect the economic interests of artists." Anyone with an interest in earning money through graphic design, interactive media, illustration, multimedia, broadcast design, or photography needs this invaluable resource. Every aspect of project planning, proposal development, pricing trends, budgeting, legal, intellectual property and contractual issues, working with artists' representatives, billing procedures, credit, and collections is covered in depth and organized in a clear and concise format, with step-by-step information and resources. Truly the most current and thoroughly researched book in its genre; it's the essential, real world guide to doing business and for every creative, from the aspiring student to the most seasoned pro. If you are interested in creating art for profit, you will benefit from an investment in this book.
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
the best of what's available, March 18, 2004
Pros: Covers a lot of ground; defined creative terms and boundaries for the profession, fees, moral issues, client relationships, salaries, photographer relationships, illustrator relationships, etc. Rare is the book that has the guts to put actual numbers on project fees, rarer still to see it in this field. The only guide of its kind available. Cons: Shape/bindery of the piece. It's a pain to even open it wide. (This was designed by the guild?) Some of the fee quotes/ideas are too vague, to the point of offering little guidance. The flow of the chapters is odd. Example: It starts with illustrator relationships(?!), when you'd think the first chapter would be an overall state of industry, issues facing communication arts employees and employers, trends, etc. The section on digital/non traditional media is still a little shaky, but better than it was. Last thoughts: To the review that said they need a new version, they've done two in the last 3 or 4 years. The most recent being 2003. To everyone else: it's a guide, not a law book. The prices are at once too high and too low. Fees/salaries will vary no matter how accurate it is.
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by Editors of Writer's Digest Books
by Steven Heller
