How To Set Your Freelance Writing Rates
As a freelance writer, you will compete against many writers who are just as talented as you are. You will also compete against writers who write poorly and who offer their writing services at ridiculously low fees. These writers can and do get jobs. Many times you will tempt yourself to lower your rates to match or beat the bids to snag the project. Don’t do it! You are a professional. Professional writers don’t lower their rates or work for next to nothing.
Many individuals who lack writing skills drive down rates, way below what professional writers can rightfully charge. If the true professionals do not keep up their prices, this will become an even bigger problem. Just because writers from other countries want to work for eight or nine American dollars per hour, this doesn’t mean you should. As a writer, you can earn far more than many freelance writers — and certainly more than freelance writers who speak little English but still bid on the English-speaking jobs at much lower rates.
Visit any writer’s marketplace and scan through the projects. You will discover all types of bid prices and proposals. What you won’t see is how these writers came up with their bid prices or how they decided what and what not to include in their bid proposals. Often times these writers don’t know how they came up with their fees for bidding either. It becomes obvious when you see the same project posting listed under different genres or price ranges. Some of the same writers will bid on the same projects with a large spread in proposed bids. It is quite comical.
If you want prospective clients to take you seriously, you need to do three things: 1) You need a website that lists your rates; 2) You need to be consistent with your rates; and 3) You need to collect a retainer up front before you start.
Freelance writers need to know what they can charge based on the job at hand. This can vary depending on the marketplace. When it comes down to freelance writing, here is the truth in a nutshell: You can charge whatever it is you want to charge. You can base your fees on whatever you want to base your fees. The trick is finding someone to pay it who believes it is a fair price.
Freelance writers are a rare breed. Many of them are quite difficult. There is no need to be one of them. Decide on your fees and stick to them. Keeping your fees consistent enables you to keep your bookkeeping simple. You are a writer, not an accountant. Simplicity in accounting should appeal to you. Regardless of how much work you find, keep yourself grounded. Make your job fun. Take things in stride. The money will come.
The following information will help you set your rates. These rates may vary according to your experience and specialization.
WHAT TO CHARGE
Many writers will charge way too much for their services while others will charge way too little. You can find current market rates in Writer’s Market. You can also use the following as a guideline until you feel you have a good sense of what you want to charge. Remember, you can charge anything you want to charge. Always ask yourself what your time and skills are worth. More importantly, do clients feel you are worth what you are charging?
Take a look:
News Articles ( web related ): -50 per page
E-books:-25 per page
Novels and Books: per page
Radio Commentary: 0 per hour
Magazine articles: Expect anywhere from 0-00 per article
Articles for web content, not related to news: – per article based on word count and other aspects of the job (such as keywords, etc.)
Some writers prefer to charge by the word too. This is slightly different as it varies on several factors. If you are going to charge on a per word basis, decide how much that is and stick with it on all your projects of varying lengths. Often the rate per word charge fluctuates by writer depending on what the writer is writing (article, book, and web content).
Whatever you choose to charge, consider the time you spend creating the work. Remember, if you are an educated writer in your field, you should be able to realize anywhere from – per hour.
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER ABOUT RATES
You cannot please everyone all of the time. You will find publishers, editors, and clients who hire you on a fast turn around. Even though they expect quality, they also expect you to write top-notch, award-winning material.
If a client tells you up front the deadline is important, be realistic in your talents and realize you are at a disadvantage before you start. If you have a demanding buyer with demanding deadlines, then realize you may feel you cannot craft the best copy you can. You should know your own pace and when you know you can’t deliver your best manuscript. If this is the case, then ask the client for more time.
Also watch for up and coming savvy trade book publishers who hire writers to write an e-book and fully intend to market it as a trade paperback. Know this before you take the job. In fact, when you bid on e-books, expect it. If you want to charge more based on that possibility, then build it into your bid. Often, if you approach a potential client by e-mail, they will respond with a request for an author to pen an e-book for them. Many times this ghostwritten book will end up on the shelves. As long as you did your job and you got paid, what do you care? Sure, the client may have used a less than honest approach, but as a writer, you will see this every day on the freelance postings. These clients are trying to save money and this is why they do this. You can’t really blame them. The client wants to turn a book over quickly too. If they were to present a ghostwriter with a writing opportunity to write a manuscript for publication, it would take much longer and cost a lot more for their manuscript.
Even though many people work with a rate sheet as their guide, others realize it is sometimes impossible to stick to their rates. You should establish some parameters when varying from your rates if you decide to offer a discount to a client. If you are working within a tight deadline, don’t vary much because 18 hour days can be part of your reality when you’re up against a tight web content deadline. By the end of those jobs, you want clients to pay you. Writers should stick to a rate sheet for their services. When pushed to turn out a job quickly, you should never discount a project, but instead raise your rates!
Another subject has come up in many incidences on the subject of whether the writer should charge for re-writes. Many writers do charge for re-writes, especially if the client is unreasonable. If you provide re-writes for a client, make sure the client has paid you in full for the project.
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To all writers: How do you write a manuscript? How does the format look like?
I am required to submit a manuscript for a novel and have no idea how a manuscript looks like. Please help.
The cost varies, by assignment, by the subject, the length, and by the writer. I am a ghost-writer (though I prefer “WRITER FOR HIRE”) and I do most books for $300. That is less than most, but my purpose is also to expand my writing resume, and reach my goal of writing 100 books in my lifetime.
richardstill2006@yahoo.com
Right. You know the story I’m posting (and you are so magnaminously reading – and I am grateful) this was in my head several months ago – before Christmas.
But then I couldn’t even start. That was until a week ago when I asked a few people what they thought of a certain plot. They loved it. I was encouraged, so I decided to post a bit of my writing. Then I asked you guys to rate. I think the rating’s quite good, thanks to your brilliant taste… ; )
Post parts of your writing on a blog and when you fell encouraged enough (when you’ve filled in the petrol, and are ready to speed off on the motorway) write your story. I’m sure you’ll experience the Block again.
Again, post small scenes that you have not previously show. Get people to assure you that you are not off the track. See how your audience reacts to it. If they like it, it will boost your convfidence and it will mean there is a market for such a story. Then continue writing until the Block hits you again. Do this until you have the first draft done.
With the first draft done – relax. Yes, go to the beach, or go out for a massage (I’m planning to do that – must find a hot girl who would do it for me…lol) and let the energy ooze out of you. You have finished your manuscript. Now its time to rewrite, edit, polish, and publish!
Good Luck
If you do happen to post anything, you can rely on me to give an honest opinion. I also want to use this answerboard to inform you that the story-post you read recently is possibly my last post for now. I will not post another until I’m stuck – hopefully never!!! But I might just start my writing off with a little post – you never know.
Hope I answered your question as well as encouraged you.
Yours sincerely, Elijah Blake
I’m a young writer. How do I get inspiration and what is the best place to write a manuscript (pc or paper)?
These are my main problems when writing. 1. I don’t know what to write 2. I don’t know where and when to write. Please help me!!!
You type it as it would appear in the novel, print it out but don’t bind it, give it a title page and there is a manuscript. This will help you:
http://www.shunn.net/format/novel.html
Attempts to write my first manuscript?
I’ve tried numorous times to write a completed manuscript! But I always seem to get writers block or throwing it away in frustration! I have really great ideas, but nothing seems to work out. I’m not asking for ideas, I just want to know how to stay focused. Please help me!
Getting an agent and getting a publisher are two different things. If you want an agent, you have to have a completed mssc to show them – otherwise the don’t know if you have enough talent, perseverance and ability to make it worth their time to handle your stuff.
If you are bypassing an agent and presenting your material directly to a publisher, you start by writing a query letter – outline your story (briefly) and present your writing credentials.If they are interested they will ask to see a sample – say 50 pages of the manuscript. If they like that they will ask to see the whole thing.
Obviously, you are in a much better position to deal with either an agent or a publisher if you have a completed manuscript. Editors will work with their writers as long as required – down to the last comma – to get the book right. What you submit to your publisher is often several stages away from being a finished manuscript, even though you may think you have finished with it.
If you’re a celebrity, whose name alone will sell a book, none of the above applies. But if you’re just an uncelebrated writer, then it does.
You and almost every other writer out there hun!!
Don’t stress yourself out feeling you have to write something then and there. Get a piece of paper and jot down thoughts. What time period is your book set in? Is it fantasy or realistic? Comedy or serious? Just jot which one you think down and then do a spider-diagram to brainstorm your plans and see where you go from there. Planning your story out in your head never hurt either, you can run through it like a movie that way.
And I feel typing it is better, especially if you are a fast typer since you can type as you think of the ideas.
Good luck!
Does anyone know how much ghost writers charge per assignment?
Does anyone know how much ghost writers charge per assignment? If a ghost writer were to write a manuscript for someone, what would be a typical/average fee to charge? If so, does a ghost writer charge by the word, charge a one time fee? or both?
Write the book or secure an agent first?
Someone told me that writers don’t write the manuscript first, they secure an agent and then write it, as editors tend to shy away from potential clients with finished manuscripts because there is usually less involvement of the editor. Is this true? If so, how do you get an agent if you haven’t written anything? JUst based on your pitch for a book???