Pricing and FAQs

Are you looking for inspiring, research-informed professional development to upskill the writers in your organization? International writing expert Dr. Helen Sword offers writing workshops, keynotes, and consultations for academic and professional writers and organizations around the world. Please contact us to start a conversation!

Online Bookings

All prices are in USD and can be invoiced in other currencies by request:

• Presentation (1 hr): $2000

• Workshop (2 hrs): $3000

• Custom packages (4+ hours): $1000/hr

• Special events and keynotes: by negotiation

We can issue invoices in your local currency and offer regional discounts for institutions in Australia and New Zealand. Please see the FAQs below for details.

Please see our Bookings page for workshop topics and examples of custom packages.

Onsite Bookings

Helen is now taking bookings for a limited number of in-person engagements in the following locations in 2024-25:

Helen is currently taking bookings for a limited number of in-person engagements in the following locations and timeframes:

• Australia: Aug / Nov 2024
  Minimum booking: 4 hrs / AUD $5K

• USA/Canada: Oct 2024 / May 2025
  Minimum booking: 4 hrs / USD $6K

• Europe/UK: Jun 2025
  Minimum booking: 4 hrs / EUR 5.5K or GBP 4.75K

• New Zealand: Feb-Dec throughout the year
  Minimum booking: 2 hrs / NZD $3K + GST

PLEASE NOTE: In most cases, transportation, accommodation, and all other expenses are included in the booking price. See the FAQs below for details.

Helen Sword answers your frequently asked questions about her workshops, presentations, and pricing.

participants

Q: What kinds of writers do you work with?

A: All of my workshops, presentations, and coaching sessions can be adapted for writers at any level and working in any genre of writing. Over the past two decades I have been fortunate enough to work with a wide range of professional writers — including doctors, lawyers, high school teachers, government employees, financial consultants, romance writers, museum curators, and even America’s Cup yacht designers — as well as with academic writers from just about every imaginable discipline across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

parameters

Q: What’s the difference between workshops, presentations, masterclasses, coaching, and consultations?

A: Here’s how I define those terms:

• Workshops are typically 2 hours long (with a 10-minute break halfway through) and include participant-centered activities such as writing exercises, reflective prompts, and small-group discussion.

• Presentations are typically 60 minutes long; they, too, are highly interactive but do not allow time for extended workshopping or discussion.

• Masterclassses involve hands-on, craft-focused coaching with a few individuals while other participants observe.

• Coaching is limited to small groups — typically no more than 6 participants per 2-hour session — so that I can work intensively with each participant one-on-one. (See also my Stylish Writing Intensive, where I work with the same small-group coaching cohort for 2 hours per day over 3 consecutive days).

• Consultations are strategic conversations with individuals and groups that provide professional development for other writers: e.g. corporate managers, provosts, deans, department chairs, educational developers, writing center directors, and research supervisors.

Q: Is there an optimal size for an online event?

A: I can facilitate highly interactive online workshops and presentations for up to 300 participants using Zoom’s chat, survey, and breakout room functions. For a more intimate session, consider limiting participant numbers to fill a single Zoom screen (16-24 participants). For small-group coaching incorporating personal feedback, I recommend a limit of 6 participants per cohort group.

Q: How do your custom packages work?

A: For maximum professional development impact, I recommend that you book a curated sequence of writing workshops, coaching sessions, and consultations over several weeks or months. Please contact me so I can work with you to design the best solution for your organization.

Q: Can you travel in person to our campus or conference?

A: I am currently taking bookings for in-person workshop packages for North America, Europe, and Australasia during specified date ranges in 2024. If you’d like to request a campus visit or conference keynote outside those dates, please contact me with your requirements, and I’ll see if we can work something out.

Q: Do you give keynote presentations at conferences?

A: Absolutely! My standard keynote fee of $5K for virtual keynotes and $10K for in-person keynotes is negotiable depending on the nature and location of the event, the size of the audience, and the topic requested. You can see some examples of past keynotes on my Links page.

Q: May we make and distribute a video recording of your session?

A: Please enquire. As a general rule, I am happy for you to record the session and distribute it locally within your organization — for example, making it available to staff members who were unable to attend the live session. However, you may not upload the video to a publically accessible platform such as Vimeo or YouTube except by prior agreement. We can arrange to have any recorded session professionally edited for you for an additional fee of USD $200 per workshop hour.

Q: What if we’re interested in a topic not listed on your website?

A: Please contact me to describe what you are looking for, and we’ll follow up with an invitation for a Zoom chat. Please note that custom presentations and workshops may incur an extra development fee.

Pricing

Q: How does your fee structure work?

A: Stand-alone online bookings of 3 hours or less are charged at a standard rate of USD $2K for a 1-hour presentation or $3K for a 2-hour workshop.

For multi-day online packages that add up to 4+ hours of workshops, coaching, and/or consultation, my fee is USD $1000/hr. Please see my Bookings page for some examples of custom packages.

Onsite events are charged at the same hourly rates as above, plus a supplementary travel free. For most in-person events, my minimum engagement time is 4 hours of workshops / coaching / consultation in the same location. Onsite events beyond Australasia incur an extra charge of up to $2000 to defray travel and accommodation costs. You’ll find more information about regional pricing and my 2024 travel dates at the top of this page.

All prices quoted above are in USD. Please see below for regional discounts.

Q: What does your fee cover?

A: For online workshops, my fee covers online teaching via Zoom (my preference) or your local conferencing platform. I do not charge extra for preparation time or for Zoom hosting up to 100 participants; for an extra fee of USD $50, we can arrange for Zoom hosting for up to 300 people. It is the responsibility of the host institution to manage participant enrollments and the distribution of materials where relevant.

For onsite events, my fee covers in-person teaching (workshops / coaching / consultation) for the number of hours contracted, including all expenses such as transportation, accommodation, and food. It is the responsibility of the host institution to arrange for workshop venues, participant enrollments, and reproduction and distribution of materials where relevant.

Q: Can you invoice us in our local currency?

A: Sure, no problem. We can provide a quote in whatever currency you specify and lock in our fee at that amount to protect you from currency fluctuations.

Q: What forms of payment do you accept?

A: We accept payment via credit card, Paypal, or direct bank transfer. Please note that we do NOT accept payment by check.

Q: Do you offer any local discounts?

A: Yes! As part of my Enabling Better Writers Australasia Program, the fee for all workshops, presentations, and keynotes in Australia and New Zealand is discounted to AUD or NZD, respectively. (Please note that all prices for workshops delivered in New Zealand are GST exclusive; that is, 15% GST will be added to the quoted price).

Q: What if we can’t afford your fees?

A: For organizations with a limited budget, I recommend the following options:

• Seek financial support from your Research Office, Writing Center, Faculty Development Center, Dean, Provost, Human Resources manager or other institutional-level sponsors.

• Work with other departments at your institution and/or with other sponsors to share the cost of the event.

• Partner with another institution in your area to bring me in for an onsite event.

• Consider making up the funding shortfall by opening the event to paying participants.

• If you work with a non-profit organization, you are welcome to contact me to make a pitch for a pro bono workshop.