Freelance Writing for Beginners: Step 2: Setting Your Freelance Writing Rates

Freelance writing rates are a very personal thing. No other topic breeds as many debates between beginning and more advanced writers. No other topic pits the content site writers against the journalists. If there’s a discussion regarding rates, be prepared for the controversy that will follow. We couldn’t do a series for beginners without including a discussion about rates, though. Every day we received letters asking what freelance writers should charge their clients. I tell anyone who writes asking about rates that I can’t make that decision for them. However, I do offer some things to consider when setting rates.

Here are some things to think about when setting freelance writing rates:

• What is your time worth? This isn’t any easy question to answer.  All freelancers must have a general idea of their self-worth as a freelance writer before quoting a rate to a potential client.

• What is your experience? If you won a Pulitizer it’s safe to say you’d command higher rates than a beginner. If you’ve been published in several different magazines or have a newspaper column, you’ll probably earn more than someone who is looking to publish his first piece of writing. Experience is a big factor when setting rates.

• What is the client’s budget? Before quoting a rate,  do some research. Does your potential client appear to have a big budget? What type of business does he run? What does his website look like? How many people does he employ? If it’s just one person, and the website is looking low budget you may not quote the same rate as the client with the unlimited budget.

• What’s your overhead? How much are you paying out each month to be a freelance writer? Your fee should cover taxes, insurance, electricity, gas, Internet and other expenses – plus some left over to tuck away.

• What is expected of you? It’s one thing to write an “off the top of your head blog post or article” but it’s quite another to have to do research or interview experts. Make sure you’re well compensated for the work you do.

• Charge additional fees accordingly: If you’re expected to do a rush job, you’ll probably want to charge extra since you have to drop everything and work long hours  to get it done.

My bottom line? Make sure you’re making a profit. If you’re breaking even or barely getting by, it’s not worth the effort. Here are some posts about rates:

• Who Sets Your Freelance Writing Rates
• Figuring Out a Good Pay Rate for Writing
• Preparing Yourself for Better Freelance Writing Rates
• Taking Baby Steps for  a Better Pay Rate for Writing
• Freelance Writer’s Rates: A Client’s Opinion
• Placing a Value on Our Freelance Writing Jobs
• Understanding the Freelance Writing Market
• On Rates and New Clients: Does it Ever Make Sense to Earn a “Starting Rate?”
• 5 Places to Find Higher Paying Freelance Writing Jobs
• Calculate Your Hourly Blogging Rate

What are some of the factors you consider when setting your own freelance writing rates?