Isn’t that ironic? That’s nuts. Why the hell wouldn’t they have a budget in mind, and why not share that?

That client never directly told me THEIR hourly rates (but they demanded to know mine). I said Iw as negotiable. Just not THAT negotiable. I might drop to $75/hour, but not $25-37.

I just learned a friend accepted four “quick” assignments from them — supposed to take two hours each, by the client’s POV — and she already resents having to spend time on them.

We always think of you as clever, Cathy. 🙂

I’ve often preferred per-word rates, Devon. It makes it easy for clients to see the total cost — maybe more transparent for them, which I’ve felt builds trust. I have an hourly rate, but I rarely use it anymore. It’s a bookmark for where my rates need to be.

Paula, yes. Those jobs are fantastic. They’re the surprise gigs that don’t take a ton of time, pay quickly, and occasionally toss some really lucrative side projects your way.

That hourly rate is absurd. You can’t survive on that. No one can. Even $37 an hour is ridiculous. Make it around $100 an hour or more and we’ll talk.

Two of my clients pay flat rates, and pay quickly. I know Client A will pay exactly $400 for a short article and Client B will pay $200 per blog post. They know exactly what the cost will be and I know exactly how much I’ll be paid, and can adjust how much time I put into each job. Even if it breaks down to under $100/hour, being paid immediately upon invoice is a wonderful thing.

Others pay project rates that we determine based on the scope and length of the assignment. That’s what I prefer.

Unfortunately, last summer during a second phone interview with a potential client, they said they only pay by hourly rates. I explained that I dislike hourly rates because they reward sloth and penalize efficiency. Still, they pushed to know my hourly rate. I clarified that it was the “hourly rate” I use to help be calculate if an assignment is worth my time—pointing out that because I’m very efficient, lower-sounding flat fees can be more feasible than a long, research-heavy piece that pays $2/word. She kept pushing. Even over the phone I could tell she flinched when I mentioned my ideal hourly rate. Nearly a year later and the woman who had gushed over my clips and versatility and said they would have lots of work for me still hasn’t assigned anything. I’ve followed up a couple times. Then I spoke with someone who has taken some assignments from them as filler work—and who has turned down extra work they’ve tried to assign her while they told me they didn’t have anything “in your bailiwick”. They initially offered her $25/hour, but she got them to go up to $37/hour, but they “cap” how many hours can be billed per assignment. (Why not just use that “cap” as the per project rate?)

That’s not my ideal client. I’m done following up with them.

Earlier this spring, there was more eagerness to be flexible, on the part of the companies. But they are reverting to pre-pandemic policies, and not realizing that there’s no way back.