Book Review: Pricing Workbook for Creatives

 

I was excited to learn about this relatively new (2019) publication, Pricing Workbook for Creatives by Anne Ruthmann. This is an issue that comes up in every creative field and one that is always a struggle. I've mader a video about how to calculate what fee to ask for costume work, but this goes into much more depth.

Basically, I wish this workbook had been available when I got great ideas for creative businesses back in my 20s, when the main resource for mentorship was to hope for the best at a Small Business Association local chapter's outreach events. Ruthman has put together a collection of worksheets that lead the prospective creative entrepreneur through evaluating the financial requirements of goods and services your prospective business might offer, and also develop strategies to grow a profitable, successful creative business. 

Although by its very nature, there are a lot of number-crunching calculations involved in completing most of the worksheets in this book, Ruthmann's explanatory text is full of positive encouragement--it's not just a collection of boring forms to fill out. 

This is nothing less than a manual for full-time creative success. I highly recommend it to anyone thinking of starting a creative business, from costume makers to tarot card readers to interior designers and beyond