There was another discussion on yesterday’s Twitter #FreelanceChat about rates. Ironic since the chat was about negotiation, but rates are indeed part of that. And not saying the rate discussion isn’t warranted — far too many writers don’t know what to charge for their services.
What I am saying is the discussion isn’t needed.
I don’t fault anyone for bringing up the topic because writers just don’t know what to do when it comes to setting a rate for their work. They really don’t. Look on any forum on any day, scan Twitter for five minutes and you’ll see it — writers either discussing, pondering, or asking outright what to charge. Plenty of articles and blog posts are a testament to how many times this topic is hashed out.
But it doesn’t need to be. It shouldn’t be.
You set your own rates. Period. You decide how much you want to earn. You decide what you’ll charge.
Alas, it’s in that “decide” part of those sentences that we get lost.
Here’s why:
- We look to rate charts, which are often showing a median that includes all types of writing, all levels of writers (even the ones being paid pennies per word), and all genres of writing. They’re inaccurate at their core.
- We ask other writers, who may or may not know anything about setting their own rates, about our skill level or specialization.
- We’re afraid to set our rates without permission from somewhere.
That last one is one few writers recognize in themselves. But look at how we go about setting our rates — we look to rate charts, ask around, and waffle constantly. The reason could be as simple as this:
[bctt tweet=”Too often, writers see themselves as employees instead of #freelancewriting business owners.” username=”LoriWidmer”]
Why are we afraid to set our own rates without pulling in opinions from dozens of untested, unsourced strangers and websites? What makes us think these people and places know anything more about it than we do?
Want to set your rate? Want to know what to charge for that project a client just pitched? Do these things simultaneously:
- Charge per word.
- Charge more than enough per word.
- Stop apologizing for charging more than enough per word.
Look, if you’re freelancing, you already know how much time it takes you for various projects. You know how to charge (I assume) so that you’re not left overworked and underpaid. And if you feel either of those things happening, you need to refer to the bulleted list I just above this paragraph.
I charge $1 a word on average (sometimes more, sometimes less). It’s easy math. They know what I’m charging, I know what I’m charging. If they can’t quite swing that rate with their budget, then we negotiate from there. In those times when I’ve come across a project that’s either larger than or different from other projects I’ve done, I stick with that rate and put a safety net into the contract — should the project time I’ve allotted (and stated in the contract) be more than anticipated, my rate will then be $XXX an hour for any additional work.
Should you charge $1 an hour? I don’t know — I’m not you, am I? I don’t know your background, skills, specialty, experience. Maybe you should be charging $2 an hour. Maybe not.
What I do know: There is literally no scenario in which we as freelancers need to ask “What’s the going rate for this type of project?” And we shouldn’t be asking that question because guess what? My type of project and yours are completely unrelated. My case study for a managed care organization is not going to look like your case study for a collectors group or like her case study for a car dealership. We can’t compare apples to oranges. Other than shape, they have little more in common.
Besides, there is no “going rate” as we’ve already talked about. There’s what you charge and there’s what I charge.
So what’s your rate?
Simple — it’s the amount of money you place on your time. And honey, your time is valuable. Don’t forget that.
Writers, how did you determine your rate?
Was there math behind it, or did you just settle on an amount per month/year you’d like to earn?
10 responses to “The Great Freelance Rate Debate”
As usual, you lay it out clearly, Lori. I no longer debate about my rate. Clients can decide if it works for them.
Precisely, Sharon. We should be to a point in our careers that our skills, not our rates, are what attract clients.
I’m with Sharon. Nope, not negotiating my rate for new clients. I learned this lesson from you years ago, Lori: If you’re too busy, raise your rates. Welp, I’ve got a full plate and turn down work even from regular clients right now. So why budge?
P.S. I was just running through my client list this morning thinking: Are there any of them I should notify now of a rate increase, even if it’s just to allow them to budget for it next year? And what’s a fair increase to suggest? I’m pondering.
It’s a good thing to ponder, Gabriella. I like your thought — notify them now that in the future, the price is going up.
That lesson is one my husband just blurted out! And nothing centers you like a simple truth, right?
I’m in a slightly different situation because I’m usually paid per question or per article. And I’ve found that most companies I work for have their rates in place. It’s up to me to decide whether or not to accept. What I usually do if the rate sounds somewhat workable is give an assignment or two a try and see what the hourly rate works out to and then go from there. A lot depends on how picky the client is, so the rate can be a bit deceiving. For example, there were a few projects where the rate very high. But then the client had to pick apart every little thing I did, so my “lower paying projects” actually offered a higher rate. If the rate sounds completely unreasonable, I just tell them that and quote what I’m usually paid. So far, that’s been the end of the conversation. On a different note, I’ve been on the editing/review side of some of these low paying projects, and my thought is always along the lines of, “Why didn’t you pay good writers to do it right in the first place?”
Oh Krista, I’ve been there. Some of the more annoying revisions have come from people who were paying $1.25 per word and up. The time you put into those projects often eats up any potential revenue gain.
Love your thought. In fact, I think you can make money from it. “Look, client. From what I’ve seen, you’re being hurt by paying too little for your writing help. Have you considered increasing rates and attracting more skilled writers?” Then volunteer to be one of those writers. 😉
I like it!
It’s not too much in their faces, and it’s helpful to them. Might even save them money since YOU know what you’re doing and are already trusted to edit these articles. 😉
I’m in a similar boat to Krista, in that most of my clients have set rates for articles. Occasionally there’s room to negotiate. But it’s up to me to decide if those rates are worth it to me. Sometimes the are, sometimes they aren’t. So many intangibles go into the decision, too: How easy are they to work with? How quickly can I wrap up their assignments? Can I fit the work into my schedule?
And you’re right Lori. I had one client pay $2/word but the editor was such a poor communicator (she literally gave me sources that she later said weren’t good enough….so why did she tell me to include them?) that I had to rewrite the entire thing with mostly new sources. In the end my hourly rate probably wound up being less than the minimum wage. Meanwhile, I have lower-paying clients who are so easy to work with that my hourly rate ends up much higher than the $2/word gig.
That’s a great point, Paula. The higher maintenance the client, the less total return on investment we get on our time and effort.
I had an editor a while ago who ran me through a series of hoops that were getting bigger each time. I would get sources approved (like your editor who didn’t like the ones she provided), then she’d shoot them down. Only job I ever walked away from, and it was after I’d finished it. Twelve times.