So I've been exchanging e-mails with some guy that wants me to illustrate a comic or two. Comics is something I have never really done before but I have been wanting to try it despite the fact that I completely fail at coming up with my own ideas. I'm really intimidated though, partly because I worry I can't handle it and I don't want a client to just end up disappointed in me, especially since he's already surprised me by staying interested in me through my fumbling and price-quoting. There's really a long list of worries I have about being able to handle the project just as far as my skills go, but first I have to deal with figuring out how to get to a point where I can even start working. Right now I am stressing about what I should tell him every time he e-mails me because I really have no idea how to work with people like this. I don't know what I should charge and I kind of freak out worrying about charging too much, but I don't want to charge too little either and not get paid enough for the work I do. I understand that I'm just starting out, and shouldn't charge as much as someone more accomplished does but still. I'm basically making everything up as I go along and it's making me nervous.
What I've told him so far is that I'd charge $50-80 per page, plus another $10-20 if he wants me to also do the inking/coloring. We're going to do a kind of rough test run of a few pages first to test out the waters, and I'm going to do some character designs and I don't know what to charge for that. He did agree to work off a contract for it though, so I have to figure out how to write one of those, and what to charge for rough trial pages and character designs. I really have no idea, and continue to be paranoid about charging too much.
I really wish I knew someone I could ask for help with this stuff...I need a consultant or something. Google is really less than helpful if you don't know exactly what to look for. And it's not like all cases are the same either, there are just a lot of variables that muck everything up. I really want to be able to get this going though, I desperately need to make some money by January so I can go do something I really shouldn't instead of just saving up to pay back all those stupid loans. Sigh. omg I don't know what to dooooo. x_x