Billing for phone time?

[reph]

Someone who provides a business-to-business service wants me to copy-edit his website and possibly, at a later stage, edit more material he's written and do some copywriting. We've agreed on $30 (U.S.) an hour for the current phase of the work.

Typically, I don't spend much time on the phone for an editing job. In the past, I've either billed for phone time at the same rate as editing or, if it was minimal, not charged for it at all. Because this client is dyslexic, however, he finds it easier to confer by speech than in print. I therefore expect that phone time will be a bigger fraction of my total hours than usual. We spent half an hour on the phone just with preliminaries like explaining what needs to be done and what services I can offer.

After the call, I e-mailed him a memo of understanding. We hadn't discussed separate rates for editing and phoning. In the e-mail, I proposed to bill for phone time at a reduced rate, $20 an hour. (He hasn't replied yet.) Do you think this is fair and reasonable? Do other people charge different rates for doing different things on a single project? Conferring with a client doesn't require all my editing skills, but I don't want to give away the time it takes, either.

[Good Word]

When I bill hourly, it's a straight hourly rate, and includes phone time. Talking and asking questions about the client's needs, and reviewing my feedback are part of the editing process. I don't have a lot of admin, so don't count it, but if I do, I would do that as a reduced rate, but that's it.

It also gets confusing trying to figure out time spent on different things you are doing, and having a flat rate is easier.

It's a little late to change it if you already stated a price, however.

[erinbee]

I agree that it's a little late to change your mind.

I tend to offer phone and meeting time for free within reason. But in this case it sounds altogether reasonable to charge an additional fee for the phone equivalent of materials you would usually be providing in writing. Perhaps you could bill the time you spend preparing for these calls at your normal hourly rate?

This is a great remeinder that time is money, especially when you own your own business.

[reph]

I posted the question to find out what others do so I'd have a basis for negotiating if the client questioned what I'd told him.

As it turns out, he's decided to put this project on hold, so I won't be billing for anything.