rates | Words on the Page

Freelancer’s Guide to Better Rates

Posted on January 28, 2025March 10, 2026 by lwidmer

Imagine doing one thing right now that gives you a higher earnings total. You’d do it, right? Sure. But I bet many of you haven’t. That one thing? Raising your rates. Yes, you’ve heard this from me before. It’s important. That’s why I repeat myself. Imagine this — you have a new client in front…

Freelance Rates & Raises

Posted on July 19, 2023December 21, 2023 by lwidmer

Sometimes you go online and for some reason, you simply don’t expect to see the stupid shit people will say in public let alone the tangle that is their thought processes. I was on a writing forum yesterday when I saw what has to be some of the most absurd thinking I’ve seen in a…

How To Increase Freelance Article Rates

Posted on January 19, 2022January 18, 2022 by lwidmer

I love it when someone shines a light on a truth and your own lightbulb comes on. That’s how it was for me in 2013 when Walt Kania (whose blog is pretty fabulous, by the way) wrote this guest post for Writers Worth that still resonates. What you charge is determined by one person —…

My Freelance Pros (and Cons) in 2021

Posted on December 8, 2021December 8, 2021 by lwidmer

I’m out of the office all month. Did your throat just tighten up? The idea of taking time off at all usually gives me hives or agita or stresses me to the point it takes days to relax on vacation. But this time, I walked away easily. Very easily. Since April 2020, I’ve been working like…

How to Earn More Freelancing (with one simple shift)

Posted on July 16, 2021July 14, 2021 by lwidmer

It’s been years since I’ve done it. That may surprise you. I advocate for it here quite often. And for some people, it still makes sense. But for freelance writers who have built a successful freelance writing career, it no longer does. I’m talking about charging by the hour. That’s right — I no longer…

The Great Freelance Rate Debate

Posted on January 15, 2021January 14, 2021 by lwidmer

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…

Freelance Writing and Why Rate Isn’t Everything

Posted on August 25, 2020October 28, 2025 by lwidmer

Here’s a freelance fact that may be somewhat unpopular (though no less true): Your freelance career outcomes are more important than your hourly rate. That’s right. I’m saying that while what you charge matters, it matters equal to what you’re getting out of that client relationship. Confused yet? Let me explain myself. Suppose your lowest-paying…

How to Drop Excuses Out of Your Freelancing

Posted on July 21, 2020July 23, 2020 by lwidmer

“Yes, the rates are low, but they’re better than content mills.” That was a response I got recently to pointing out that a job listing had abysmal rates. The person responding knew, as I did, that neither of us would ever be accepting the pitiful pay that was stated in the job listing. But where…

Freelance Files: Why We Fear Pricing

Posted on May 11, 2020May 8, 2020 by lwidmer

There’s a custom kitchen installer in our area that we’d been considering. The work they do is absolutely beautiful. More to the point, it’s timeless. We were at a party, and we were admiring the hostess’s kitchen. She’d used this particular company. I commented on how great it looked and asked how long ago it…

Guest Post: When Clients Try to Set Your Freelance Writing Worth

Posted on April 8, 2019April 4, 2019 by lwidmer

I love Mika Doyle. Mika is one of those beginning freelance writers who is carving out a career, but doing it the right way. I’ve watched her from the sidelines as she’s built her freelance foundation, and it’s exciting to watch. Mind you, she’s gone through the same tough cycles and struggles like we all…

Paula Hendrickson

April 8, 2019

It never fails to shock me just how little some people value what writers and editors – and consultants – bring to the table. I’m glad you stood your ground, Mika.

I also noticed that they’re willing to pay you more, per hour, for phone calls than for doing the actual work. Seriously? That doesn’t even make sense. It should be the exact opposite.

One thing is obvious: their lag time in responding means they’re fishing around for other writers who might agree to those rates. If they do, they’ll soon realize the old adage is true: you get what you pay for.

1. Mika E Doyle
  
  April 8, 2019
  
  I’ve noticed more and more clients have been telling me “we pay other writers xyz…,” so we’re not paying that rate, which is making it harder and harder for me to get paid what I’m worth. I keep having to walk away from jobs because other writers are willing to take lower pay. I wish more writers would stand their ground and demand better pay.
2. Paula Hendrickson
  
  April 8, 2019
  
  Very true, but those clients are probably the same ones who five years ago thought content mills were a good and “affordable” way of doing business. As bad as the rates this client offered, at least they weren’t mill rates. It will take a while for the mill mentality to lift. Graphic designers went through a similar thing when everyone thought desktop publishing was better than paying skilled designers. Sometimes there’s a steeper learning curve.
  
  The more writers like you who challenge low rates like those, the sooner they’ll learn.
lwidmer

April 8, 2019

Mika, thank you again. Great post!

What strikes me in all this is that list — “Here’s what you’re charging/being paid” — with absolutely no input from you. It’s presumptuous at best (they could be really new at this) and insulting at worst (you are NOT an employee).

It’s okay for them to ask YOU for this list, but it’s pretty awful for them to send it to you without you requesting it. I mean, would you send that same kind of list of charges to a kitchen remodeler? Would you expect the roofing company to abide by your itemized list of supply charges and worse, what you’ll pay them to do each little thing?

You said this to Paula: “I’ve noticed more and more clients have been telling me “we pay other writers xyz…,” so we’re not paying that rate, which is making it harder and harder for me to get paid what I’m worth. ”

Fish in a different pond. These are bottom-feeders. Aim higher. If you’re finding them on job lists, that’s feeding into their thinking that they call ALL the shots, including payment. If you’re being referred, lose that referral! Go for a company you’ve looked into that seems to understand that good things come with a price tag.

1. Mika Doyle
  
  April 8, 2019
  
  These are all companies that have approached me or I’ve aimed for. I don’t do job listings for that very reason. I’m fishing in the ponds I want but aren’t catching the the big fish.
Anne Wayman

April 8, 2019

Yes, fish in a different pond, as Lori suggested. I also would point out that you didn’t follow your first instinct to dump them… I probably would have also given them another ‘chance’ but I can’t, come to think of it, think of a time when ignoring my intuition paid off. Glad they didn’t snare you… none of us need clients like that.!

1. Mika Doyle
  
  April 8, 2019
  
  This felt very much like an abusive relationship does. I got the confusing back and forth of the abuse with the flattery and flowers that made me feel comfortable enough to keep moving forward.
2. Paula Hendrickson
  
  April 8, 2019
  
  What an apt comparison! (You might want to do a blog post about that, too.)
Gina

April 8, 2019

Pardon my confusion. Were you doing only proofreading? I didn’t see a quote for writing. Not sure if I missed anything. Since I don’t know your standard rates, I’m not sure what you consider minimum wage. Being the slowest writer in the West, I’d be happy at $20+ per hour. But please don’t think I’m minimizing your worth. Just trying to make sense of what I charge.

1. lwidmer
  
  April 9, 2019
  
  Hi Gina! I can’t speak for what Mika’s project scope was, but I felt the rate they quoted was far too low. I’m seeing this:
  
  They’re assuming the $25/hour for proofing (which in my opinion is too low) is all she’s doing while at the same time noting they’ll need phone calls, article reviews ….
  
  For me, the larger issue is the way they took it upon themselves to set her rates for her. Who does that? If I had a house painter, for example, I would never start the conversation by telling that painter what he or she is going to charge me. Nor should any client dictate our rates to us.
  
  Plus, this is a marketing firm. They’re easily making $250/hr. or better for their own work. And they should know better than to dictate what their contractors will pay.
2. Gina
  
  April 9, 2019
  
  Thank you. I see what you’re saying — but anymore how do we know the level of experience of the client rep doing the negotiating? There is so much turnover and chaos anymore it seems everywhere. I do realize writers are vastly underrated, so I’m not being entirely naive. But could it be the person doing the negotiating was inexperienced? Just a thought. Believe me, I’m on the writers’ side.
3. lwidmer
  
  April 9, 2019
  
  That’s an interesting question, Gina.
  
  I don’t think it matters one iota to us whether that person negotiating has experience or not. Our rate is our rate. Yes, there are clients who need to come up to speed with how to work with freelancers, and this could be the case here.
  
  Still, there comes a point when it passes beyond inexperience and straight to insult. This is an established company, I assume. I also assume they set their own rates. To set the rates of another professional, to me, is crossing the line. Even if that client had said they’d pay Mika $3,000 a month, that’s not for them to say. It’s for them to say “What’s your rate?” and to negotiate from that point.
  
  Oh, I know you’re on the writer’s side! No worries there. Thanks for your questions.
4. Mika Doyle
  
  April 9, 2019
  
  Hi, Gina,
  
  This estimate was for content consulting services, so I’m actually surprised the client threw in proofing. The client wanted to tap into my expertise to strengthen their content strategy, so they wanted me to review their current content plan and offer my recommendations for whether they were on the right track and if/how they should improve their strategy. Why that included proofing, I really don’t know. And as Lori noted, any agency would charge anywhere from $125 to upwards of $250/hour for that kind of service.
Sharon Hurley Hall

April 9, 2019

You’re better off without them, Mika, though I do hope you get paid what you’re owed. I sometimes have that experience (never hearing from them after I tell them what my writing is worth). There are some who want to argue, but it’s very liberating to say no to lowball offers. 😀 Good for you for standing your ground!

KO

April 9, 2019

I needed this today. In the industry I work in (educational assessment) the client actually does typically set the rates, I think because they often have large teams of writers working on a project. Just this past week I had not one but two potential clients get in touch with me to discuss a project. They both seemed dodgy about the rates, which is always a bad sign. In the end one finally gave me a rate sheet offering rates one-half to one-quarter of what I usually charge, but AFTER I’d spent a couple of hours on the phone and reviewing materials. The other stated a rate that at first glance seemed fair, but then proceeded to tell me about the very involved pitching/revising/review process. Two dead ends in a week! Thank god for good relationships with ongoing clients!! I always feel a bit bad bringing financial up first thing, but I’m reassured other writers feel it makes a lot of sense.

I follow another site that posts stories about difficult clients, but they are mostly from designers, computer tech people. One posted about how he fixed someone’s computer in a short time and charged more than $100. The customer was furious because it only took him a few minutes, but the expert (correctly) pointed out that it would have taken the customer forever to try to do it on his own. I think there are definitely some parallels with the writing world. Freelancers don’t get to become experts in a specific area over night, so the client should recognize they are paying you for not just the time it takes to do a task, but the work that went into learning how to do it efficiently. Hopefully that makes sense.

Great post!

1. lwidmer
  
  April 9, 2019
  
  A customer was furious to be charged over $100 for something that would have taken them all day if not longer? That’s a foolish customer. The value is often in the skills and speed of the specialist, I say.
  
  I’ve had similar dead ends, KO. I try to limit the calls to an hour tops, but it doesn’t always work that way. On a project long ago, I remember one guy who was a talker — he would not stop even when I was clearly trying to get off the phone. So the next time we talked, I told him we had exactly 10 minutes before my next call. He said “That’s not enough time!”
  
  But guess who was off the phone in under eight minutes? Funny how those parameters made him stick to the damn point.
2. Mika Doyle
  
  April 9, 2019
  
  I’m so glad to hear this was helpful, Ko. And I agree; just like any other field, writers don’t become experts overnight, and they deserve to be compensated for their expertise just like people from any other industry.
Cathy Miller

April 9, 2019

Way to stand up for yourself, Mika. Even with 30+ years experience in my niche, it took me years to get comfortable saying no. It is so liberating to walk away from the low-ballers (or projects I simply don’t want to take on).

I’m with Anne. Every time I go against my gut, it backfires. Paula’s right, there are so many who do not get the value an experienced writer or editor brings to a project. I cringe every time I see a promotion of bidding sites.

1. KO
  
  April 9, 2019
  
  Us writers must have good intuition! I feel the same about trusting my gut. Even if there is nothing specific I can pinpoint sometimes I just get an off feeling about a client or a project, and each time I’ve proceeded the results haven’t been good…
2. Mika Doyle
  
  April 9, 2019
  
  Thanks, Cathy. Lori’s Writer’s Worth content has been instrumental in teaching me how to stand up for myself as a writer.
3. lwidmer
  
  April 9, 2019
  
  And here you are inspiring others yourself, Mika. 🙂