While most clients will tell you what they expect to pay, it is often way below what you would like to be paid, but the choice for many of us is to accept or not get the work. As a freelance writer there are also times when you will be asked for YOUR rates. So how do you manage to get paid what you are worth without pricing yourself out of the game?
Periodically make an honest assessment of your value as a writer. Start by first realizing what experience you have and what you can offer a potential client. Obviously the newer and less known you are, the more competitive and flexible you have to be with your desired rates. As you build a portfolio of work and your name gets out there, you will be able to demand more for your time and words. In the beginning many writers find they have to literally give away product in order to get a footing into the field; this is okay so long as there is an end to your “benevolence”.
Although it won’t pay the bills, bylines and free copies of your work are considered a form (the lowest) of payment. Use these as a stepping stone and not a permanent part of your work. You may be a writer for the love of words, but if you plan to work at this and be self-supporting then you have to treat it as work and not a hobby. Once you’ve begun to establish yourself, save the giveaways and near giveaways for pet projects when you have the extra time. When a job is assigned with an already designated payment, evaluate it based on your desired rate of payment, experience and the value of the position (or the recognition or entry you are seeking); you CAN ask for more, but you may have to settle for their offer or reject it altogether.
Research paid writing positions (salaried not freelance) in your region by going through newspaper classifieds and visiting regional business online HR sites. Break down the salary offers per hour and be sure to list what kind of work or publication this is for; use the salary only and do not list benefits or other perks unless they are purely monetary. Look through directories and reference books (ie: the current year’s edition of Writer’s Market), many of these are available in print or online, for suggested rates and a breakdown of the types of work for r writers (ie: newspaper or glossy mag, editing, column, fact checking, etc) Many of these guides will list a range of prices including low, average and high – these are national averages, use your local markets to choose the proper price range. Remember that your rates should be able to support your overhead and personal expenses (supplies, insurance, rent, etc).
Be honest with your ability to meet deadlines (this should come from personal experience) and know how long ON AVERAGE it takes you to complete a project or write so many words. Relying on your HONEST assessment, your experience, local markets and recommended prices, set up a loose rate structure that you can refer to without delay when you are asked to either accept an offer or bid for a project. Always be flexible and indicate a willingness to negotiate. It is wise to be gentler in setting rates when the project promises to be larger and/or ongoing.
Don’t get discouraged. Remember that very few writers actually make a living writing full-time as a freelancer and those that do rarely get rich. The best way to get “there” though is to keep writing.
Writing Exercise: Think of a story (fictional or real), write the beginning, middle and end – or the Who, What, Why, When and How, on an index card. Now write the story in a 50-word blurb, 150-words, 500-words and a 1000-words. Practice writing more stories until you feel comfortable setting a word limit and writing within that limit.
Writing Prompt:: Watch a TV commercial, listen to a radio commercial or study a newspaper ad. List the most important points being communicated – use Who, What, Why, When and How if necessary. Try rewriting the ad to get the same points across.
