I do audio transcriptions in addition to writing, proofreading and copyediting.
A client might want to have his/her audio transcribed to turn it into an e-book, to offer as a freebie, or to offer as an alternative for the customer that doesn't want to listen to an audio or watch an entire video.
Now, if you're a speaker, chances are you have repeated yourself in your audio. Speakers are encouraged to repeat important points for impact.
In writing, if something has already been said, to say it again might imply the reader is too daft to get the point. For this reason, you may not want your transcription to be exactly the same as your audio.
You could have your audio transcribed verbatim and save money by then editing it yourself since by then it will be in an editable MS Word document.
An alternative is to have your audio edited and/or re-written. In this case, it is good to hire a transcriptionist who is also a copyeditor and writer.
GET QUOTES
Have your transcriptionist/writer give you a quote for both the transcription, editing, and/or re-writing.
It can be a pricey process. For instance, it can take me an hour just to transcribe 10 audio minutes. No, I am not going to do the work for $3 an hour like some offshore transcriptionists might; and, you will get what you pay for.
With a transcriptionist like myself, you can expect to pay upwards from $80 for a 60-minute verbatim audio. With basic copyediting included for flow, it would expect upwards from $100. For additional re-writing, estimate $130.
If you send the work out to two separate service providers, it will cost you more; transcriptionist $80; editor/re-writer upwards from $130--for a total of over $200.
