[NUJ.LFB] NUJ Rate for the Job:
Shifts / books

Updated: 02 March 2010

These rates have been reported by members of the National Union of Journalists and others, and printed in the Freelance, newsletter of London Freelance Branch. They are sorted by publisher/publication, then by date (most recent first). TIP: Use the "Find in page" command under your browser's "Edit" menu to be sure of finding all occurrences of a publication/publisher. AND do note the year in which the rate was reported! See also the Freelance Fees Guide, which gives general recommendations. And read the disclaimer and the key to exactly what the entries mean.

^ Shifts / books
* Tell us what you've been paid for Shifts / books * Freelance Fees Guide
Publication/Programme - details & terms        Group Year ¤ Basic fee Extras
Insider's Guide (Langenscheidt) rewrite existing book - abt 35 hours all in 2003 GBP 750
Penguin Atlas (packaged by Veneta Butler) picture research, rush job _Pearson 2001 GBP 200
The Juice (Mitchell Beazley) subbing day 2009 GBP 140
Time Out updating guide chapter, ca. 1000 words _TOut 2006 GBP 175
Time Out guidebook per day _TOut 2006 GBP 110 X
Time Out guidebook proofing short book _TOut 2006 GBP 400
Aldridge Press (packager) editorial day 2004 GBP 135
Book publisher editing day (specialist) 2006 GBP 175
Book publishers proofreading or editing, per hour, up to 2006 GBP 25
Book: Offshore Company Law 2nd edn per day per job - hours unspecified but set fee 20 chapters plus annexes (forms) _Thomson 2007 GBP 800 GR
British Council Guides (Hotcourses Ltd) 7.5 hour day subbing spreads on-screen 2007 GBP 130 X
Cadogans Travel Guides subbing day 1995 GBP 75 -
Carlton Books editing for UK edition (offered £100 a day for 2 days, bargained £250 for job long day) _Carlton 2002 GBP 250 X
Children's books per editorial hour 2009 GBP 15 X
Children's dictionary (Bender White - packager) editing day 2005 GBP 140
City of London finance house per day editing a report viz an agency, no expenses incurred, so flat fee to me 2006 GBP 250
Collins Harvill Proofread a book (size unspecified) 1992 GBP 333 -
Dorling Kindersley book editing day _DK 1995 GBP 100 -
Educational Publisher day editing 2004 GBP 400 O
English Language Teaching (ELT) coursebook editing and proofreading substantial book for secondary schools _Holtzb 2009 GBP 3500
General books picture research, basic and creative, per day UK rights only other 2007 GBP 126
Guidebook per day subbing a guide from home _Hach 2005 EUR 140 XX
Hachette books - general editing, copyediting, proofreading per day _Hach 2007 GBP 125
Hodder educational book subbing day _Hach 2008 GBP 150
Hodder Headline reading material for schools, per day _Hach 2007 GBP 350 O
Insight Guides per day editing/subbing travel books at home paid gross 2006 GBP 140
MBC subbing day 1993 GBP 120 -
Morgan-Grampian subbing day (taxed at source) _MG 1995 GBP 110 -
museum guide German copy-editing per hour 2001 GBP 20
Natural History Museum subbing, per hour _HMG 2001 GBP 14 GR X
Octopus Americanization, per book 1998 GBP 350 - XXXX
Octopus subbing day 1996 GBP 112 -
Pearson Education subbing/writing _Pearson 2003 GBP 135
Pearson Education (Books) commissioning + developmental editing, per hour _Pearson 2010 GBP 30
QED book proofing and editing day _Quarto 2009 GBP 105 X
Routledge (Academic) per day copyediting books per page _Informa 2009 GBP 1.35 X
Routledge / Taylor & Francis copy editing, per double-spaced A4 page _Informa 2006 GBP 1.35
Taylor & Francis manuscript editing, on screen, per A4 page _Informa 2006 GBP 1.30 X
Taylor + Francis STM (scientific, technical and medical) journal copyediting, per ds A4 ms page _Informa 2006 GBP 1.90
Teacher-training CD-ROM series - high-profile DfES project per day _HMG 2006 GBP 500 O
Time Out Guide Book editing new edition of city guide book - straight fee. Four months nearly full time work. _TOut 2004 GBP 7000
Zed books subbing day 1996 GBP 104 -

The above are the rates for Shifts / books notified by members up to 02 March 2010.

 
Key to the rates, by column:
1 Publication/Programme, any details of work and licence
2 Owner at the time the rate was reported, where knownGroup
3 The year in which the rate was reportedYear
4 Currency: either GBP or EUR¤
5 Amount paid for basic licence - e.g. first use in print: Basic fee
6 Paid for extra licences - web use, database resale... (no data pre Jun 2000) ...Extras
7 "Going Rate" according to experienced NUJ members - do try to better it: ......GR
or Minimum rate set out in NUJ House Agreement (more will be made soon): ......HA
8 Underpaid, in the fallible opinion of the Freelance editor:GBP500X
or Just sometimes we're pleasantly surprised:EUR1500300O
 

Other rates: Click below... For...
Words, per 1000 News Local Mag online Book PR Other writing, paid per 1000 words
Words, other News Local Mag online Book PR Other writing, paid per page, per item, etc
Photography News Local Mag online Book PR Other pix whether paid by the piece or the day
Broadcasting News Local Other including podcasting all sorts of radio & TV work
Shifts News Local Mag online Book PR Other work paid by the day; e.g. sub-editing
Other: Cartoon | Crossword | Illustration | Punditry | Retainer | Teaching | Tip-off | Translation
  Recently reported rates all rates reported in the past few months
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Texts & collection © 02 March 2010 NUJ; disclaimer.