How much do technical writers make?

	Gurudutt Kamath

Though the new breed of technical writers is armed with computer diplomas and degrees, there are many of us, with no more than post graduation in English Literature!

One of the most popular questions asked to me by newbie technical writers has always been: “How much should we charge?”

A few years back I was making hundreds of dollars as I was directly working for a US client. I decided to promote technical writing and paid heavily for an office. I decided to hire a trainee to help me at a princely sum of Rs 4,000 per month. Quite a few applied. However, one e-mail scoffed at my offer saying that a zero was missing. I was naturally hurt. Here I was trying to promote technical writing and instead of getting encouragement, I was getting brickbats. I gave up the idea and closed the office a little later (as I soon ran out of money!)

Recently, one of my friends applied for a job (not tech writing) in a company. She was offered Rs 2,500 and was asked to work till 10 o’clock in the night! She fled from the interview. I checked with a recruiter, who has a lot of interest in technical writing, and asked him to give me some figures for technical writers. He quoted that companies offer anywhere from Rs 2,500 to Rs 8,000 per month for technical writers with one-year experience.

FAQs on money

I had carried out a survey a few years back and I think the article is somewhere on the Web. However, here is an excerpt from my Technical Writing FAQ about money.

* What kind of money do technical writers make?

“You start with a figure of Rs 5,000 per month. Within a year or two, depending on your abilities, you will double or treble this figure to Rs 10,000 or Rs 15,000. Those with over 3-4 years experience get at least Rs 20,000. In multinational companies they get about Rs 30,000-40,0000 per month. Recently, there was a requirement that was advertised for Rs 8 lakh annual salary.”

Needless to add, this FAQ is also a couple of years old. However, I think these figures are quite true even today. Thanks to the dotcom boom, writers were much in demand in dotcom companies. I remember one recruiter tempting me to join a dotcom company by saying that there was a lot of money in it. I asked her what she meant by good money. She said: “The company was willing to pay 15-20.” I scoffed at her offer and remarked, “What? 15-20,000 per month?” She clarified: “No, 15-20 lakh per year.” I told her I was not interested in a job, but a freelance gig at that price would be fine. I never heard about the job again.

Then came the bust. Last year was bad. I think hundreds of jobs simply vanished. I had a rough time as a freelancer last year. Contracts were available, but people wanted me to work for them at 15-20 percent of my regular rates. As one person put it, “We want you to reduce your rate by half and do twice the work.” Usually, I used to start work in a day or two (or the same day!) after the negotiations, but last year people took a few weeks to a few months to get back to me. Basically, everyone wanted me to work at the price of someone with 1-2 years of experience!

I think technical writers can command a high price since they are so scarce. A technical writer with a couple of years of good company experience really commands a good price, anywhere from Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000. Mind you, though the new breed of technical writers is armed with computer diplomas and degrees, there are many of us, with no more than post graduation in English Literature! Those with technical degrees and experience definitely command a higher price. Rates vary between companies and locations. Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi prices are definitely different from each other.

One of the reasons for the high price is because of globalisation. Many companies are but subsidiaries of American or European counterparts and hence paying $500 per month is no big deal for them.

On the Web

You can see recruiters and companies advertising for technical writers on the Web. By the way, last year, I tried this avenue, but I did not get a single response. Maybe, I was overqualified. Everyone asks for just 1-2 years’ experience. Someone with 15 years of experience in technical writing would definitely not fit the bill. If you have some experience, you can definitely try out the Web approach for jobs. Mailing lists are another good source for job opportunities. Newspaper and computer publications also carry ads for technical writers. My own feeling is that only 10 percent of the jobs are advertised. Most of the jobs are filled through word of mouth (e-mail or mailing lists), or through recruiters.

(Gurudutt Kamath is a technical writer based in Mumbai. Feedback on the column may be sent to documentor@vsnl.com but the author regrets his inability to respond to mail soliciting jobs, training, personal advice, etc.)