Writing Pay — How Low Will You Go?

November 25, 2009

Writing pay is a hot topic at the online freelancer water coolers. A lot of people have plenty to say about lower paying gigs posted on bidding sites and on freelance job lead blogs.

I’ve touched on the subject several times and seen a wide array of responses — — some rather heated. I maintain that only you can set your writing rates and there are various factors that will help you decide what’s right for you.

A lot of people have opinions but most won’t tell exactly how much they make writing. Most agree that price per word isn’t the only consideration.

Some other factors worth considering include:

  • Where you live. Cost of living is a big factor for most.

  • Your expenses. Writing part-time vs. full-time and writing as a second income vs. a primary income are factors.

  • What value you place on your writing work.

  • How busy you are. You might not take jobs below a nickel a word most days but if you need to put food on the table and can write 10 x $10 articles in a day and get paid immediately, it’s good to have that option.

Today’s post is inspired by the actions of another freelance writing site. Jennifer Mattern has drawn a line in the sand and no longer posts low-paying writing gigs for other writers on her All Freelance Writing Site. Clint Osterholz posted the “inaugural” post yesterday. Jenn’s site will no longer list gigs below $50.00 (and that’s no $50 project fee for 25 x 500-word articles, either!). $50 per article is the minimum. It is definitely nice to have another filtered source for writing leads. (Check it out: higher paid writing job leads ). Jenn’s site aims to help writers stand apart in a crowd. I agree that differentiation is the best way to help you grow professionally and financially.

I’m not embarrassed to say that I started off at a penny a word. (I am, however, embarrassed to say that I just spelled the word embarrassed wrong three times before getting it right. One r, two s’s. No. Two r’s, one s? No. Sheesh! More coffee, Dana? )

When I got started, I was in awe of the fact that I could make money writing articles and blog posts for the internet. Granted, most of the articles weren’t in-depth and took little time to put together but it didn’t take me long to look around and see what other freelance writers were making.

It’s healthy economics to strive for a larger income each year and being paid a nickel, dime, or dollar per word rather than a penny is also going to do something for most people’s sense of worth as a writer.

What one writer sees as acceptable pay, because it amounts to a decent hourly wage, will make another indignant. It’s definitely personal. What I do firmly believe is that no matter what our average rate is, we should all strive to continuously move forward.

While I love what I do, I have decided that my time is now worth more than a penny a word. In fact, I’ve decided that about every six months, my rates need to go up. I’m an entrepreneur, after all, so I get to set my own rates. And while I’ll always do my best to give customers writing work they’ll be happy to pay for, those who want to pay better and make my life easier will definitely get more out of me.

How Much are You Really Earning?

While most anyone would want to get paid high rates, it’s also important to realise that some higher paying gigs really aren’t higher paying when you factor in research time. You also need to factor in enjoyment and ease of doing business as well. I have a lower paying client but it’s almost an all-I-can-write buffet and she pays on a schedule. I have another client that drives me around the bend sometimes but she pays much better. I try to balance things out as much as possible.

There are times when I’ll take a lower-paying assignment to fill a gap but my aim is to find work with clients that value my experience and expertise and who are willing to pay a fair rate. It’s also important to me that my work makes it a pleasure to stumble from the bed to the computer every morning. Three and a half years after earning my first payment for writing, I still wake up with anticipation each morning because of what might be waiting in my inbox.

My Two Pennies:

Good on All Freelance Writing for taking this step! Having as many sources of writing leads as possible is a good thing. And what they’ve done…setting themselves apart from other freelance writing sites…is a great thing! If more of us differentiate ourselves from the rest of the crowd, we’ll naturally command higher rates, anyway!