A Rate You Can Live With

I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that most of you don’t get paid a dollar a word. Now, I know there’s some long-form sales page writer that’s going to object and claim they get that kind of a rate, and I’m sure they do – on occasion.

I’ve never come close to that kind of a rate. My best-paying gig was a rush job on some product descriptions for a catalog. I hit about 60 cents a word on that one. I did something like a hundred product descriptions in an afternoon, and that gig carried me through an otherwise unimpressive month, in terms of revenue.

I’ve also worked for much less. I’ve done work for less than the going rate over at Demand Studios. It’s been a long time since I’ve worked for a rate like that, but I’ve done it.

Why am I telling you this? Well, with so much talk about freelance writing rates, I think this needs to be said:

The best rate you can get is one you can live with.

My good friend who writes video game reviews for store credit has a full-time job that pays the bills. He just likes getting free games, so he’ll spend four or five hours writing a review that gives him $20 in store credit. If he was trying to earn his keep that way, it’d be an “epic fail” (to use his parlance). But he can live with it.

Another good friend who’s just starting out with freelance writing earns his $15 for 500 words over at Demand Studios. He’s putting out about one article an hour, which is still more than he would make in our rural area where there just aren’t any good jobs – even after taxes and expenses.

I realize I’m sidestepping the whole “low rates pull down the market” argument. I’ll save that for another time.

I just wanted to remind folks working for low rates that it’s all right, and that you don’t have to feel ashamed, and that if it pays the bills it’s worth it.  I also wanted to remind the experienced, jaded freelancers, like myself, that people have to earn a living, and to be thankful for the rates we’re now able to command.

Give yourself, and others, a break.