Map Sizing for Print Novel

[GreatWhiteNorth]

Thanks for all of the advice everyone, especially the bits about starting larger, which is something I tend to always skew towards anyway, dreading the possibility that the text will be less legible when shrunk. My client at least knows that they want it one page portrait orientation, which yeah of course is the first hurdle to overcome.

Especially because some authors are in the process of writing when they commission a map, what they really want is, something they can reference while they work. So I always suggest my A4 pricing, and make sure the text is at a scale that reads for the final print size, but the map can be printed larger without blurring.

This is my case exactly Tiana - at the outset of this project it's mostly for their reference. And it's a good thing they had a cartographer on hand to go over it too; we wound up reducing the size of the landmass they wanted to depict by quite a lot based on what they'd originally said the scale was.

This isn't something that anyone necessarily needs to give specifics on if you don't want, but given a map request where you know the general density of the features the client wants, what's your general price range when you quote them a few options, like one quote a one-page portrait, another quote a two-facing-pages, another for a larger version, etc? For example, if you in your mind use a one-page portrait orientation of the client's map as your "base" quote, is a two-facing-pages map like, 150% of the base cost, 200%...

[armyforetell]

A4 is a good choice if you don't know what size you need to do. It might be used on one or two pages, so you already have two variants for your customer. I love books, and I'm often quibbling about the book's appearance. I hope you will do a great job, or if you have already done so can you post the result here? Unfortunately, I started to listen to books, not read. But thanks to this resource, it's pleasantly to do.
By the way, what kind of books do you like more: audio or simple ones?

[Tiana]

This isn't something that anyone necessarily needs to give specifics on if you don't want, but given a map request where you know the general density of the features the client wants, what's your general price range when you quote them a few options, like one quote a one-page portrait, another quote a two-facing-pages, another for a larger version, etc? For example, if you in your mind use a one-page portrait orientation of the client's map as your "base" quote, is a two-facing-pages map like, 150% of the base cost, 200%...

Well, this answer is long overdue, but currently I scale up like so.

Base price, I won't work for less than this anymore, is $150. It removes the bottom tier of clients. I used to take on some $75 maps, but it's never worth it. That can get you an A4 map if it doesn't have say, custom calligraphy or fancy stuff like truly unique compasses, frames, or "commercial rights" beyond putting it in a book, and that'll be the price of a single page map too if you just have an 6x9 book. At the time I originally posted I believe I was still doing lower tier price maps but in my experience everyone who wants a less than $100 map still wants to be treated as good as a $150 client.

Next up we're looking at legal sized paper print, or a work with something more complex about it. I don't double for that, I typically scale to $220 for the next size.

Then we're looking at small poster, 20 inches on the longest side. That's like $300, and at this price point I'll start considering doing cities but never cheaper unless it's like, more of a village.

Then we're looking at medium poster, that's like, 24 inches on the longest side, where I'll charge around $400. At this point I'll consider doing totally painted work, hand lettering, and other highly time consuming customization that make a map truly one of a kind. I can be talked into doing 30 inches at this point if it's not a city but typically that large poster size where it's 30 inches falls in the next category...

$500. At this point yeah, I might consider painting the whole map uniquely and not using any assets at all and you can get a poster sized print made of it. Weird one of a kind stuff is accepted at this point. From here it kind of abruptly scales up to...

$800. This is the "I do isometric city work" tier, "it's a totally unique poster sized painting" tier, "you want to sell this without asking me questions about what you can do with it later", etc.

Higher than that is ENORMOUS posters, work where I definitely have to do vector + painting, work where I'm doing truly weird or one of a kind things. Like I have one at the four digit tier now where I'm designing multiple conlang scripts for different races, and heraldry, and it's also going to be a unique painting in which every city for all of the countries is an isometric unique illustration that bleeds into the land.

Anyway, back when you asked I would have said that I double the cost for 1 page versus 2 pages in a novel ($75 and $150) and this sells well, and it's easy to upsell for the 2 pages because then you get a standard sized print and authors like flare. But I've stopped doing the 1 page only discount just because those clients are often far more fussy than they're worth, and I'd rather leave their commissions for people who are newer and hungrier than me. When you get people coming to you offering numbers like $800-four digit commissions it just isn't that appealing. And I get people emailing me with quotes like that now. Yay!

[armyforetell]

A4 is a good choice if you don't know what size you need to do. It might be used on one or two pages, so you already have two variants for your customer. I love books, and I'm often quibbling about the book's appearance. I hope you will do a great job, or if you have already done so can you post the result here? Unfortunately, I started to listen to books, not read. But it's comfortable