Rates For Writing.

[Kiernansmom]

Originally Posted by beanandpumpkin

I think they're assuming a 40-hour billable workweek. My rates are substantially higher than that, but I can't bill out for 40 hours per week. I work about 20, and probably only bill for what is equivalent to 12-15. This type of business doesn't always go by a 9-5, M-F type week.

Agreed. I don't know many freelance writers - especially with kids at home - who can work 40 billable hours a week. I work about 20 hours per week now that I have two young kids, and I usually make $30-40 per hour. I used to be able to work about 30 hours per week with one kid, but I made closer to $25 per hour at the time, so it kind of evens out now. I consider myself to be working smarter, not harder, these days. And I definitely think my clients paying $.08 per word and above are less picky than the clients paying less. I actually find the work at that price and above easier and also more rewarding, but I still take on the occasional $.03-.05 per word assignment when it pays fast.

[kdbbiz]

I agree with a lot of things posted here. I see the sides of both. I have had horribly demanding clients paying both 0.02 a word and 0.15 a word. So, perhaps it depends on the client more than anything else. Those that do not have that much money and have to watch everything they pay for, I find do have certain expectations that can often be demanding. For those who make like $150+ an hr, spending $50 an article and farming it out to someone who is supposed to know what they are doing, allows them to just concentrate on doing what they do best and let you do your thing.

I think it is the same what ever field you work in though, really. I have had clients pay $150 for a website and nit pick at EVERTHING!!! and then I have had clients pay $500 for a website and only ask that it be done up with the colors they like, and to include their necessary pages for contact.

I just try to live for the great jobs and grin and bear it for the bad jobs. Luckily though in the world of pay per project, you can move on quite quickly and not allow yourself to get too stressed. If you are dealing with a tyrant retainer client, it requires a different set of rules(yeah, like "take a hike Jack!" )

Anyways...just my 2 cents...thanks for letting me ramble.

[writeagain]

I have been writing a number of articles for .10/word this summer, and they averaged between 1000 and 2000 words when done. Not too much research required and never had any edits at all. Unfortunately that client's freelance budget dried up for a while, but my contact there helped me make some additional contacts within the industry and I have a couple of meetings next week regarding projects that average between .30 and .50 per word. I would love to be able to land them.

Back in the early spring, I was working for one of the content mills for peanuts - $25 for a 400 word article - and was constantly being bludgeoned by editors who really made me doubt my writing abilities. I also had to spend a lot more time on research and rewrites, which ate into my hourly production. It was hard for me to make the decision to cut ties with that company, but now I am glad I did.

I am making a lot more per article, which are easier to write, and there have been practically no rewrites or editing requests. My new clients actually seem to value me as a person and as a writer. They thank me for working for them. I had one client actually cry when I got a last minute, crisis project done for her in an expedient manner and told her not to stress, that I had her back.

It has not been perfectly smooth and not as even as I would have liked. Sure, some clients seem to just expect a little more for their money than others. But the farther I get away from the mills, the worse I dislike them. The one I worked for nearly caused me to give up writing for a while. Don't beat yourself up if you are not successful there. I wasn't, but now that I am seriously pursuing private clients, I am finding a lot more success elsewhere.

[ssrr88]

$25 for a 400-word article sounds quite good to me. I wish I could get something like that, but I don't have a lot of online writing experience yet. I guess it depends on one's financial needs. That amount sounds great to me since my household is just my cat and me, but it may be low for someone who has to care for a bigger family or who lives in a expensive city.

[AC80]

Twenty-five dollars for a 400-word article isn't a bad rate if it only involves minimal research, which is how it should be for that amount. If it involves extensive revisions and other bs, it isn't worth it. I do a lot of writing for a similar rate, and it works. I think I know the content mill she's talking about, though, and I don't blame her for fleeing that scene. Few writers have had good experiences with that place. Mine wasn't terribly horrific, but I can understand how the place could make someone feel like quitting writing.

[ZenDude]

Originally Posted by ssrr88

$25 for a 400-word article sounds quite good to me. I wish I could get something like that, but I don't have a lot of online writing experience yet. I guess it depends on one's financial needs. That amount sounds great to me since my household is just my cat and me, but it may be low for someone who has to care for a bigger family or who lives in a expensive city.

Exactly. I have very few wants and needs. I live very simply, and am extremely frugal. My rent here for a 1 BR is about 10x less than what someone would pay in NYC for the same space. I could work harder, have a bigger place, nicer stuff, eat only organic food, but my free time is much more important to me than money. Still, I wouldn't mind making $50 an hour, because I'd have to work less, not because I'd be able to make more money. I work as much as is required to make the money I need for that month. I work harder when I have wants that don't fit into that needs budget.

Lifestyle is the second most important determining factor other than location. I probably couldn't make it in a place like NYC or Los Angeles, not that I'd want to live in either place, because they would probably kill my zen.

I admire ANY single parent who is working with kids at home. I'm lucky that mine are in school for most of the day, and then have after-school activities that leave me a lot more time to work if I need it. Summertime is hard, with their mom away at work all day and me trying to get things done, but so far, I've been able to get them involved in enough stuff that I get a few hours a day to work.

Our simple, frugal lifestyle allows me to spend precious time with them. They grow up so fast. Money just isn't my priority -- my kids are. I'm sure a lot of you WAHMs feel the same.

[writeagain]

We live in a rural area, where expenses are fairly low. I do have one teen-aged kid at home. Although I can see how your amount of financial need would drive your required pay minimums, I think it is important not to under price yourself just because you are good at being frugal or because your area has a low cost of living. If you are a good, reliable writer, then your work is worth what it is worth. Although I am certainly not God's gift to the world of writing, I make no apologies for presenting myself as a professional writer to my clients and expecting them to pay me a professional rate in spite of where I live or how I handle my money.

(I'm talking to myself here as much as anyone else) We need to not make excuses for those who would pay substandard wages for our work. The internet has created a voracious, relentless appetite for fresh, authoritative copy. Advertisers have tried feeding it a diet of junk, filled with poor writing and revisions of revisions with no unique or new material. The people I am finding as I continue to build my private client list are those who understand that the higher quality writing they obtain to "feed the need", the better result they get in turn from their clients.

[ssrr88]

Originally Posted by writeagain

We live in a rural area, where expenses are fairly low. I do have one teen-aged kid at home. Although I can see how your amount of financial need would drive your required pay minimums, I think it is important not to under price yourself just because you are good at being frugal or because your area has a low cost of living. If you are a good, reliable writer, then your work is worth what it is worth. Although I am certainly not God's gift to the world of writing, I make no apologies for presenting myself as a professional writer to my clients and expecting them to pay me a professional rate in spite of where I live or how I handle my money.

(I'm talking to myself here as much as anyone else) We need to not make excuses for those who would pay substandard wages for our work. The internet has created a voracious, relentless appetite for fresh, authoritative copy. Advertisers have tried feeding it a diet of junk, filled with poor writing and revisions of revisions with no unique or new material. The people I am finding as I continue to build my private client list are those who understand that the higher quality writing they obtain to "feed the need", the better result they get in turn from their clients.

I appreciate your viewpoint, but I feel that it's up to me to decide what rate I want. After all, I believe that no one should interfere in what consenting adults do. Besides, "good and bad" writing and "great and substandard" wages are subjective terms. What works for some may not work for others. The choice is up to me and no one else.

[AC80]

Originally Posted by writeagain

We live in a rural area, where expenses are fairly low. I do have one teen-aged kid at home. Although I can see how your amount of financial need would drive your required pay minimums, I think it is important not to under price yourself just because you are good at being frugal or because your area has a low cost of living. If you are a good, reliable writer, then your work is worth what it is worth. Although I am certainly not God's gift to the world of writing, I make no apologies for presenting myself as a professional writer to my clients and expecting them to pay me a professional rate in spite of where I live or how I handle my money.

(I'm talking to myself here as much as anyone else) We need to not make excuses for those who would pay substandard wages for our work. The internet has created a voracious, relentless appetite for fresh, authoritative copy. Advertisers have tried feeding it a diet of junk, filled with poor writing and revisions of revisions with no unique or new material. The people I am finding as I continue to build my private client list are those who understand that the higher quality writing they obtain to "feed the need", the better result they get in turn from their clients.

I agree with a lot of this, especially the part about how higher rates generally come with a more professional type of client. There are also significant benefits to working with a professional writing service that procures the work, collects and disperses payments, and protects writers from unreasonable revision requests and unwarranted rejections while charging professional rates. Although this is fairly rare, it's out there.

I kind of do a mixture of both. I write a little each day for WD just so I know I have a set amount of money coming in, and then I split my time between the type of site I mentioned above and my private clients. Works.

Also, ssrr88 is absolutely right. Not everyone wants or needs to use the Carol Tice approach to freelance writing.

[writeagain]

AC80, I had to go look up Carol Tice. I wasn't familiar with her work. I guess I do sound a bit like her! Do you personally know anyone who does use that method? Does it work?

I am not telling anyone what to charge, only trying to encourage others to seek what their work is worth. It has been on my mind a lot lately since I am preparing to go in and pitch to those 2 new potential clients next week. It is kind of hard for me to believe that my work is worth what they are paying, but I guess that is for them to decide. They must think I am in the ballpark or they wouldn't have invited me to the interviews/meetings.

The mills can be a mixed blessing. I was fairly happy at the one where I worked on and off for several years. The work was "doable" and I got what I thought was a fair wage for an hour of my time. But things changed and they began to expect me to jump through additional hoops that in several cases more than doubled the amount of time needed to complete an article. This in effect cut my pay by half or two thirds. When my per-hour pay dropped that low, I decided to pull the plug on it.