5 ms·

How much equity should I offer a writer to work on my iPhone app?

8 points by alain94040 17y ago

alain94040 17y ago
30%
DenisM 17y ago
Founder pie calculator: how to bring meaningful structure into discussions about dividing the equity among contributors. http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/fd0n/35%20Founders%27%20Pie%20Calculator.htm http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/fd0n/35%20Founders%27%20Pie%2...
- alain94040 17y ago
  Impressive! Except there is no actual calculator. I'd also question the "business plan" category. Maybe as a side-project I could develop such an online calculator. However, I have a gut feeling that the computer should not be the one telling you how to split the pie. Can it really be automated (even if only to give you a starting point)?
  - DenisM 17y ago
    The point of the FPC is to provide framework for having a discussion and make sure nothing is left implicit. You can assign zero (or negative:-)) weight to the business plan if you chose so, but at least this implicit assumption will now be on the table for both of you to see and discuss.
vaksel 17y ago
well what do you mean by writer? Do you mean someone to write "Click here to do blank" ? or do you mean someone to write the "FAQ"...either way its something you should be able to do yourself. And if you need to get a copy writer, those guys are cheap, there is no reason to give up equity over a $100 contribution
- alain94040 17y ago
  In the article, the guy needs more than one month of writing. That's not a FAQ. I don't know the details, but if the iPhone app is an adventure game with a captivating story, the writer is worth a lot.
  - vaksel 17y ago
    Writers are cheap. There are thousands of english majors out there, looking for work. A few hundred bucks should cover anything short of writing a 300 page novel. I doubt its a game, if you are not creative enough to come up with a compelling story, you probably aren't creative enough to come up with designs for the game sprites.
    - wlievens 17y ago
      > I doubt its a game, if you are not creative enough to come up with a compelling story, you probably aren't creative enough to come up with designs for the game sprites. How could you possibly know that? Most retail games right now employ several writers. Granted, this is about an iPhone game, so it's of a smaller scale, but a good adventure game could definitely use a writer. Also, building a game isn't about "designs for the game sprites" alone. He could outsource that too. It's perfectly possible for a person to be very creative, yet be unskilled at art and/or writing.

8 points by alain94040 17y ago

30%

Founder pie calculator: how to bring meaningful structure into discussions about dividing the equity among contributors. http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/fd0n/35%20Founders%27%20Pie%20Calculator.htm http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/fd0n/35%20Founders%27%20Pie%2...

alain94040 17y ago
Impressive! Except there is no actual calculator. I'd also question the "business plan" category. Maybe as a side-project I could develop such an online calculator. However, I have a gut feeling that the computer should not be the one telling you how to split the pie. Can it really be automated (even if only to give you a starting point)?
- DenisM 17y ago
  The point of the FPC is to provide framework for having a discussion and make sure nothing is left implicit. You can assign zero (or negative:-)) weight to the business plan if you chose so, but at least this implicit assumption will now be on the table for both of you to see and discuss.

vaksel 17y ago

well what do you mean by writer? Do you mean someone to write "Click here to do blank" ? or do you mean someone to write the "FAQ"...either way its something you should be able to do yourself. And if you need to get a copy writer, those guys are cheap, there is no reason to give up equity over a $100 contribution

alain94040 17y ago
In the article, the guy needs more than one month of writing. That's not a FAQ. I don't know the details, but if the iPhone app is an adventure game with a captivating story, the writer is worth a lot.
- vaksel 17y ago
  Writers are cheap. There are thousands of english majors out there, looking for work. A few hundred bucks should cover anything short of writing a 300 page novel. I doubt its a game, if you are not creative enough to come up with a compelling story, you probably aren't creative enough to come up with designs for the game sprites.
  - wlievens 17y ago
    > I doubt its a game, if you are not creative enough to come up with a compelling story, you probably aren't creative enough to come up with designs for the game sprites. How could you possibly know that? Most retail games right now employ several writers. Granted, this is about an iPhone game, so it's of a smaller scale, but a good adventure game could definitely use a writer. Also, building a game isn't about "designs for the game sprites" alone. He could outsource that too. It's perfectly possible for a person to be very creative, yet be unskilled at art and/or writing.