This past year has surely been a period of 'proving myself' as the undiscovered talent in adult web design. There has been the ocassional small paysite tour along the way and they have all been done for a pittance. Alot of it will depend upon how urgent and complex the site, the content I have to work with, and how full my work load is. In the final analysis, it's always negotiable. My portfolio does represent a horde of gold sites, but only a handful of clients.
Clients are like lovers.
You want to give them your full attention. You want to have them content and beaming with what you have to offer. Study the work of the top designers, offer your services to those who you think might be interested. Post your sitework and talk to people in the business. Now I operate my own modest collection of golds, platinums and regular sites.