Freelance Writing Pay?

[trigger_poisal]

So, I have come across an opportunity to do some freelance writing for Skelanimals . I know, cool, right?

Well, I am sending in a resume and a sample poem, but they also want to know what my rate of pay would be...What is a reasonable rate of pay for this kind of thing? I have experience doing poetry, I have even been paid to perform before ($100/ 2

Comments

$200

[boogastreehouse]

$200-240 per day. That's $20-25 bucks an hour. That's reasonable for a professional.

That's just off the top of my head. I have no idea about poetry, but a freelance artist who isn't terribly slow can get that easy. Well, maybe not so easy, as I have had a hell of a time getting work the last couple months. An artist who is really fast, and not a lazy slob (like me) can get more.

There are, of course other factors to consider. Do you think they can afford that? If you want to work for them regardless of their budget, then you don't want to scare them off by being too pricey. If you put in a lower bid, though, that's what you're going to be stuck with. I generally say that my rate is usually $X/day. That implies that you might go lower, without shooting yourself in the foot.

If they ask you if you will accept a lower rate, don't say yes! Instead ask them more questions about the job:

Them: "We can only pay you $100 total, because we're cheap-ass bastards."

You: "Yes! I'll take it! Oh God! Whatever you say!"

You: "Hmmm... well,

Re: $200

[boogastreehouse]

If you don't want to give them a daily rate, but rather think it is more appropriate to charge them a flat fee for a finished product, try to estimate how long you expect the process to take.

For instance, if you think $200/day is appropriate for the quality of your work, and you expect that you can crank out a good poem in a day-and-a-half, then just tell them that you expect $300 for the finished piece.

Be careful! If you tell some people that their total payment is X, they will then try to get as much as they possibly can for that price. Be sure to say that additional work (such as extensive editing) will be negotiated separately.

Now, some companies pay really well without all these stupid games. If they seem really professional to you, and show that they respect your talent by making a generous offer, then it is probably good form to allow them to waste a little of your time with revisions and stuff.

Re: $200

[boogastreehouse]

The more I think about it, the more I worry that the fields of writing and art are too dissimilar. Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. Perhaps you should contact a talent agency, and ask them how much a new but established poet should charge. Or maybe see if you can find a guide to standard rates online?

Ah, what the hell. As long as you don't get ripped-off too badly, at least you're getting exposure and experience, right?

Re: $200

[trigger_poisal]

I want to thank you for all your advice, it was very helpful and a lot to think about. I decided to go with $200 a day as my rate for now, since outside of being paid to performer poetry, I don't really have any freelance writer credentials.

Thanks again man. I'll show you my sample poem I sent in tonight at the show.

[jimkeller]

I know this isn't very helpful, but your rate needs to be high enough that you feel like it's worth it to do the work, but low enough that they feel it's worth it to pay you to do the work.

I've seen professional rates for poetry ranging from $1-10/line (and lower, of course, but I don't consider that professional). Professional prose writing rates tend to run $0.05-$0.10/word (and lower, of course, but we call those markets semi-pro). So, obviously, a lot of professional writers aren't earning what we would call a living wage.

Staff writers in the L.A. area typically make $35-45K/year for full-time work.

My old boss' rule was set a rate that's high enough that about 40% of prospective clients feel you're too expensive, if that helps.