How Much Should I Charge
Content
BEYOND THE BASICS
How Much
Should I
Charge?
by Lynn Wasnak
I
f you’re a beginning freelance writer, or don’t know many other freelancers, you may
wonder how anyone manages to earn enough to eat and pay the rent by writing or performing a mix of writing-related tasks. Yet, smart full-time freelance writers and editors annually
gross $35,000 and up—sometimes up into the $150,000-200,000 range. These top-earning freelancers rarely have names known to the general public. (Celebrity writers earn fees far beyond
the rates cited in this survey.) But, year after year, they sustain themselves and their families
on a freelance income, while maintaining control of their hours and their lives.
Such freelancers take writing and editing seriously—it’s their business.
Periodically, they sit down and think about the earning potential of their work, and how
they can make freelancing more profitable and fun. They know their numbers: what it costs
to run their business; what hourly rate they require; how long a job will take. Unless there’s
a real bonus (a special clip, or a chance to try something new) these writers turn down work
that doesn’t meet the mark and replace it with a better-paying project.
If you don’t know your numbers, take a few minutes to figure them out. Begin by choosing
your target annual income—whether it’s $25,000 or $100,000. Add in fixed expenses: social
security, taxes, and office supplies. Don’t forget health insurance and something for your
retirement. Once you’ve determined your annual gross target, divide it by 1,000 billable
hours—about 21 hours per week—to determine your target hourly rate.
Remember—this rate is flexible. You can continue doing low-paying work you love as long
as you make up for the loss with more lucrative jobs. But you must monitor your rate of earning
if you want to reach your goal. If you slip, remind yourself you’re in charge. As a freelancer,
you can raise prices, chase better-paying jobs, work extra hours, or adjust your spending.
‘‘Sounds great,’’ you may say. ‘‘But how do I come up with 1,000 billable hours each
year? I’m lucky to find a writing-related job every month or two, and these pay a pittance.’’
That’s where business attitude comes in: network, track your time, join professional organizations, and study the markets. Learn how to query, then query like mad. Take chances
by reaching for the next level. Learn to negotiate for a fee you can live on—your plumber
does! Then get it in writing.
You’ll be surprised how far you can go, and how much you can earn, if you believe in your
skills and act on your belief. The rates that follow are a guide to steer you in the right direction.
LYNN WASNAK (www.lynnwasnak.com) has freelanced full time for nearly three decades as a writer, editor, and small
publisher. Her international newsletter for childhood trauma survivors, Many Voices (www.manyvoicespress.com), is
now in its 17th year.
How Much Should I Charge? 69
This report is based on input from sales finalized in 2005 and 2006 only. The data is generated
from voluntary surveys completed by members of numerous professional writers’ and editors’
organizations and specialty groups. We thank these responding groups, listed below, and their
members for generously sharing information. If you would like to contribute your input, e-mail
[email protected] for a survey.
Organizations
For more information on determining freelance pay rates, negotiating contracts, etc., you can visit the following organizations’ Web sites. (Editor’s
note: A special thank you to the members of the organizations listed below
for their thoughtful responses to our survey.)
●
American Literary Translators Association (ALTA): www.literarytrans
lators.org
●
American Medical Writers Association (AMWA): www.amwa.org
●
American Society of Journalists & Authors (ASJA): www.asja.org
●
American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP): www.asmp.org
●
American Society of Picture Professionals (ASPP): www.aspp.com
●
American Translators Association (ATA): www.atanet.org
●
Association of Independents in Radio (AIR): www.airmedia.org
●
Association of Personal Historians (APH): www.personalhistorians.org
●
The Cartoon Bank: www.cartoonbank.com
●
Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA): www.the-efa.org
●
Freelance Success (FLX): www.freelancesuccess.com
●
International Association of Business Communicators (IABC): www.
iabc.com
●
Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE): www.ire.org
●
Media Communicators Association International (MCA-I): www.mcai.org
National Association of Science Writers (NASW): www.nasw.org
●
National Cartoonists Society (NCS): www.reuben.org/main.asp
●
National Writers Union (NWU): www.nwu.org
●
Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ): www.spj.org
●
Society for Technical Communication (STC): www.stc.org
●
Washington Independent Writers (WIW): www.washwriter.org
●
Women in Film (WIF): www.wif.org
●
Writer’s Guild of America East (WGAE): www.wgae.org
●
Writer’s Guild of America West (WGA): www.wga.org
Beyond the Basics
●
$100
$150
$100
$100
$150
$100
Book jacket copywriting
Campaign development
or product launch
Catalog copywriting
Copyediting for advertising
Direct-mail copywriting
E-mail ad copywriting
$167
1 Per project figures based on 30-minute speech.
Speech writing/editing (general)1
$80
Public relations for schools
or libraries
Public relations for businesses
$90
$180
Press/news release
$80
$180
Press kits
Public relations for organizations
or nonprofits
$180
Political campaigns,
public relations
Public relations for government
$110
$125
Fundraising campaign brochure
$85
$180
Event promotions/publicity
$150
Advertorials
HIGH
Advertising copywriting
Advertising, Copywriting
& Public Relations
Beyond the Basics
$43
$50
$20
$50
$50
$35
$30
$45
$69
$50
$50
$50
$20
$25
$50
$40
$50
$35
LOW
$81
$60
$53
$64
$89
$97
$96
$88
$91
$63
$80
$87
$58
$60
$89
$71
$97
$92
AVG
PER HOUR
$10,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$1,500
$5,000
n/a
$3,500
n/a
$3,500
$50,000
n/a
n/a
$8,750
$700
n/a
$9,000
HIGH
$2,700
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$125
$1,000
n/a
$300
n/a
$200
$600
n/a
n/a
$1,500
$350
n/a
$150
LOW
PER PROJECT
$5,480
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$479
$2,334
n/a
$1,525
n/a
$836
$8,248
n/a
n/a
$4,250
$500
n/a
$2,278
AVG
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$500/day
$500/page
$2/word
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$4/word
$1,200/page
$1/word
$350/item
n/a
$1/word
$3/word
$1,875/page
$3/word
HIGH
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$200/day
$150/page
50¢/word
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$1/word
$200/page
25¢/word
$25/item
n/a
50¢/word
75¢/word
$300/page
25¢/word
LOW
OTHER
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$367/day
$297/page
$1.30/word
n/a
$1/word
$500/day
$2/word
$1.50/word
$400/page
65¢/word
$84/item
n/a
75¢/word
$1.92/word
$550/page
$1.63/word
AVG
70 How Much Should I Charge?
$75
$35
$110
$100
Educational/training film scripts
Beyond the Basics
$100
n/a
n/a
$45
$1,500
n/a
n/a
$70
1 Other figures based on length of speech (min=minute).
2 Run min=run minute.
Script synopsis for business
Script synopsis for agent
or film producer
Screenwriting
(original screenplay)
Radio stories (over 2 minutes
with sound production)
n/a
Radio interviews (3 minute interview)
n/a
$30
$50
$85
$70
Radio editorials & essays
(no production)
Radio commercials/PSAs
Movie novelization
$85
n/a
$1,500
n/a
n/a
$15,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
HIGH
$58
n/a
$100
$75
n/a $106,070
$400
n/a
$60
$56
$68
$96
$129
$36
$22
$88
$150
$100
$85
$150
n/a
$92
n/a
$60
$150
$86
AVG
n/a
$30
$200
LOW
PER HOUR
Corporate product film
Copyediting audiovisuals
Business film scripts2
(training and info)
Book summaries (narrative synopsis)
for film producers1
Audiovisuals & Electronic
Communications
Speech writing for
political candidates
Speech writing for
government officials
HIGH
$60
$60
$56,500
n/a
$150
n/a
n/a
$3,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
$600
n/a
n/a
n/a
LOW
PER PROJECT
HIGH
n/a
n/a
LOW
OTHER
n/a
n/a
$650/15 min
$4,500/
20 min
AVG
$75
$65
$81,285
n/a
$400
n/a
n/a
$6,750
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$200/run min
$850/run min
n/a
$500/run min
$500/run min
n/a
$500/run min
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$45/run min
$120/run min
n/a
$100/run min
$100/run min
n/a
$50/run min
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$109/run min
$504/run min
n/a
$300/run min
$300/run min
$50/page
$229/run min
n/a $1,269/15 min $2,114/30 min $4,006/60 min
$34/page
$15/page
$20/page
n/a
n/a
AVG
How Much Should I Charge? 71
TV scripts (nontheatrical)
n/a
Fiction book writing (own)
n/a
$20
$19
$23
$30
$50
n/a
n/a
$50
$40
$40
$23
$35
n/a
$35
$70
$60
$55
LOW
n/a
$34
$49
$52
$51
$63
n/a
n/a
$60
$65
$57
$52
$75
n/a
$89
$90
$73
$80
AVG
PER HOUR
n/a
$5,500
$20,000
$4,500
$15,000
n/a
n/a
$500
$300
$10,000
$1,500
$7,900
n/a
n/a
$20,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
$2,000
$1,000
$500
$525
n/a
n/a
$120
$200
$500
$250
$4,000
n/a
n/a
$10,000
n/a
n/a
$3,000
LOW
PER PROJECT
$5,000
HIGH
n/a
$3,500
$7,988
$1,859
$6,119
n/a
n/a
$200
$250
$4,512
$792
$5,967
n/a
n/a
$15,000
n/a
n/a
$4,083
AVG
$40,000
$6/page
$40/page
$9/page
$20/page
$5/word
$4,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$2/word
$500/run min
$1,000/day
n/a
$2,500/
30 sec spot
$500/run min
HIGH
$525
$1/page
$3.75/page
$3/page
$4/page
$1/word
$1,500
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$1/word
$100/run min
$550/day
n/a
$150/
30 sec spot
$100/run min
LOW
OTHER
1 30 sec spot=30-second spot
2 $1,201 Writers Guild of America minimum/story.
3 TV scripts 30 minutes or less average $6,535/story, $19,603 with teleplay; TV scripts 60 minutes or less average $11,504/story, $28,833 with teleplay.
$75
Copyediting
$125
$75
Children’s book writing
(work for hire)
$100
n/a
Children’s book writing
(advance against royalties)
Content editing (trade)
n/a
Book query writing
Content editing (textbook)
$100
Book query critique
$125
$100
Book proposal writing
Content editing (scholarly)
$100
$80
$125
Book proposal consultation
Anthology editing
Abstracting and abridging
Book Publishing
n/a
$100
$150
TV news story/feature2
TV scripts (teleplay/MOW)3
$85
$125
HIGH
TV commercials/PSAs1
Scripts for nontheatrical films
for education, business, industry
Beyond the Basics
$14,203
$4.10/page
$7.50/page
$4/page
$6/page
$3/word
$2,920
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$1.50/word
$300/run min
$800/day
n/a
$963/
30 sec spot
$300/run min
AVG
72 How Much Should I Charge?
$45
$20
$30
$36
$180
$125
$150
$150
$100
Annual reports
Associations and organizations
(writing for)
Business & sales letters
Business & government research
Beyond the Basics
$30
$69
$81
$86
$68
$87
n/a
n/a
n/a
$63
$46
$30
$45
n/a
$85
$72
n/a
n/a
$2,000
$15,000
n/a
$15,000
n/a
n/a
$10,000
$50,000
n/a
n/a
$400
n/a
$75,000
$2,000
n/a
$150
$300
n/a
$500
n/a
n/a
$7,000
$4,000
n/a
n/a
$150
n/a
$1,300
$150
n/a
$5,000
$5,500
LOW
PER PROJECT
$80,000
HIGH
$70 $100,000
$73
AVG
1 Per project figures do not include royalty arrangements, which vary from publisher to publisher.
2 Other figures in cents are per target word.
Brochures, fliers,
booklets for business
Business
$35
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$25
$120
n/a
$15
$15
n/a
Translation (poetry)
Translation (nonfiction)
Translation (fiction)2
Rewriting
Research for writers
or book publishers
Proofreading
$75
$30
$60
$150
n/a
n/a
Nonfiction book writing (own)
(advance against royalties)
Novel synopsis (general)
$70
Nonfiction book writing (collaborative) $100
$22
$40
$36
$50
$30
$100
$115
LOW
PER HOUR
$100
Manuscript evaluation and critique
Indexing
Ghostwriting, no credit
Ghostwriting, as told to 1
HIGH
n/a
$762
$2,777
n/a
$6,147
n/a
n/a
$8,500
$14,500
n/a
n/a
$275
n/a
$25,297
$835
n/a
$36,229
$22,800
AVG
n/a
n/a
$2/word
$2/word
$800/page
$400/day
$600/day
$15/page
15¢
12¢
n/a
$600/day
$5/page
$30/page
$50,000
n/a
n/a
$5/page
$3/word
HIGH
n/a
n/a
$1/word
35¢/word
$50/page
$300/day
$400/day
$0/page
8¢
6¢
n/a
$450/day
$2/page
$10/page
$4,000
n/a
n/a
$2/page
50¢/word
LOW
OTHER
n/a
n/a
$1.42/page
$1.28/word
$387/page
$350/day
$494/day
$7.50/page
10¢
9¢
n/a
$525/day
$3.09/page
$20/page
$17,909
n/a
n/a
$3.69/page
$1.65/word
AVG
How Much Should I Charge? 73
$125
$135
$180
$135
Corporate periodicals, editing
Corporate periodicals, writing
Corporate profile
Ghostwriting for business
(usually trade magazine articles
for business columns)
$125
n/a
Newsletters, editing
writing1
Translation (commercial for
government agencies, technical)
1 Per project figures based on four-page newsletters.
Computer-related manual writing
Computer, Scientific &
Technical
$165
$100
Newsletters, desktop
publishing/production
Newsletters,
$150
$135
Grant proposal writing for nonprofits
$75
$180
Corporate histories
Government writing
$125
Copyediting for businesses
$90
Catalogs for businesses
$180
Business-writing seminars
Consultation on communications
$150
$200
Business plan
$150
HIGH
Business editing (general)
Beyond the Basics
$60
n/a
$30
$30
$35
$43
$20
$25
$65
$50
$40
$35
$25
$70
$35
$60
$50
$25
LOW
$105
n/a
$82
$63
$76
$96
$50
$96
$102
$93
$70
$87
$61
$120
$65
$103
$88
$72
AVG
PER HOUR
n/a
n/a
$5,000
n/a
n/a
$3,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
$7,500
n/a
$35,000
n/a
n/a
$10,000
$8,600
$15,000
n/a
HIGH
n/a
n/a
$800
n/a
n/a
$500
n/a
n/a
n/a
$1,000
n/a
$1,000
n/a
n/a
$2,000
$550
$1,000
n/a
LOW
PER PROJECT
n/a
n/a
$2,000
$3,600
n/a
$1,767
n/a
$750
n/a
$4,000
n/a
$12,500
n/a
n/a
$5,000
$2,450
$6,000
n/a
AVG
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$1.40/
target line
$5/word
$230/page
$750/page
n/a
$1/word
$2/word
n/a
$2/word
$3/word
n/a
$2/word
$4/page
$1,200/day
$1,500/page
HIGH
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$1/
target line
$1/word
$150/page
$150/page
n/a
25¢/word
50¢/word
n/a
$1/word
$1/word
n/a
$1/word
$2/page
$500/day
$200/page
LOW
OTHER
n/a
n/a
$1.20/
target line
$2/word
$185/page
$391/page
n/a
63¢/word
$1/word
$500/day
$1.50/word
$1.75/word
n/a
$1.50/word
$3/page
$740/day
$684/page
n/a
$1/word
AVG
74 How Much Should I Charge?
Beyond the Basics
$100
$35
$50
$100
$68
$55
$70
n/a
$39
$70
n/a
$57
$107
$83
$62
$90
$84
$72
$58
$98
$51
$66
$73
AVG
n/a
$2,500
n/a
n/a
n/a
$15,000
n/a
$2,500
n/a
$7,000
n/a
$4,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
$5,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
HIGH
1 For more information about photography rates, see 2007 Photographer’s Market.
2 Per project figures based on 4 pages/8 photos
Educational consulting and designing
business/adult education courses
Educational & Literary Services
Slides/Overhead
n/a
$40
n/a
$100
Photography (corporate-commercial)
Picture editing
$65
$20
$75
n/a
$70
$20
$30
$45
$150
$135
n/a
$32
$100
$125
$50
$150
Photo research
Photo brochures 2
Greeting card ideas
Desktop publishing
Editorial/Design Packages 1
White Papers
Web page writing
Web page editing
Web page design
Technical writing
Technical editing
$33
$30
$110
$30
$30
$180
Online editing
$100
$18
$125
Medical and science proofreading
$125
$30
$125
Medical and science editing
Medical and science writing
$35
LOW
PER HOUR
$100
E-mail copywriting
HIGH
n/a
$500
n/a
n/a
n/a
$400
n/a
$800
n/a
$100
n/a
$500
n/a
n/a
n/a
$1,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
LOW
PER PROJECT
n/a
$1,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
$4,913
n/a
$1,650
n/a
$1,251
n/a
$2,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
$2,875
n/a
n/a
n/a
AVG
$1,000/day
$90/slide
$65/picture
$2,500/day
n/a
n/a
$300/card
$150/page
n/a
$1.25/word
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$4/page
$2/word
n/a
$4/page
$2/word
HIGH
$600/day
$50/slide
$35/picture
$1,000/day
n/a
n/a
$50/card
$35/page
n/a
35¢/word
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$3/page
25¢/word
n/a
$3/page
30¢/word
LOW
OTHER
$800/day
$63/slide
$45/picture
$2,000/day
n/a
n/a
$125/card
$92/page
n/a
86¢/word
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$3.50/page
90¢/word
n/a
$3.50/page
$1.12/word
AVG
How Much Should I Charge? 75
$50
n/a
n/a
n/a
$40
$40
$30
$35
$35
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$125
$30
$15
$35
LOW
$90
n/a
n/a
n/a
$64
$50
$75
$84
$72
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$294
$85
$38
$56
AVG
PER HOUR
n/a
n/a
$500
$300
n/a
n/a
n/a
$5,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$1,500
$15,000
HIGH
n/a
n/a
$50
$100
n/a
n/a
n/a
$550
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$200
$500
LOW
PER PROJECT
n/a
n/a
$190
$167
n/a
n/a
n/a
$2,502
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$500
$8,084
AVG
n/a
n/a
n/a
$3,400
$400/event
$1,000/
event
$30,000/
event
HIGH
n/a
$250/column
n/a
$1/word
$1/word
n/a
$450/article
$4,400/event
$550/day
$175/story
$3,000/event
1 For specific pay rate information for feature articles, columns/departments, fillers, etc., see individual market listings.
$150
n/a
City magazine, calendar of
events column
Consultation on magazine editorial
n/a
n/a
Book reviews
$100
Arts reviewing
Article manuscript critique
Magazines & Trade Journals 1
$60
$220
Writers’ workshops
Writing for scholarly journals
$125
n/a
Readings by poets, fiction writers
(highest fees for celebrity writers)
$115
n/a
Presentations to school classes
(5-day visiting artists program)
Teaching college course/seminar
(includes adult education)
n/a
Presentations to local groups,
librarians or teachers
Short story manuscript critique
n/a
$500
Presentations at regional writers’
conferences
Presentations at national conventions
(by well-known authors)
$90
$100
Manuscript evaluation for theses/
dissertations
Poetry manuscript critique
$100
HIGH
Educational grant and proposal writing
Beyond the Basics
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$50/column
n/a
15¢/word
10¢/word
n/a
$100/article
$250/event
$150/day
$50/story
$50/event
$2,500
$50/event
$50/
event
$1,000/
event
LOW
OTHER
n/a
n/a
n/a
$450/day
$134/column
75¢/word
48¢/word
78¢/word
n/a
$252/article
$1,663/event
$367/day
$115/story
$200/event
$2,750
$228/event
$336/
event
$5,000/
event
AVG
76 How Much Should I Charge?
$35
$44
$70
$100
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Craft projects with instructions
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Institutional history (church school)
Beyond the Basics
Manuscript typing
$30
$80
Gagwriting for cartoonists
Family histories
Encyclopedia articles
n/a
Comedy writing for nightclub
entertainers
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$20
n/a
$125
Cartoons (gag, plus illustration)
Miscellaneous
Trade journal feature article
Trade journal column
Rewriting
Reprint fees
Proofreading
Magazine research
$20
Ghostwriting articles (general)
$20
$125
$200
Fact checking
$50
$20
$50
$75
$75
$20
$25
$125
Copyediting magazines
Content editing
n/a
n/a
Consumer magazine feature articles
n/a
n/a
LOW
$20
$50
n/a
$65
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$75
$56
$60
n/a
$34
$37
$100
$41
$40
$48
n/a
n/a
AVG
PER HOUR
Consumer magazine column
HIGH
n/a
n/a
n/a
$30,000
n/a
$300
n/a
n/a
$2,000
n/a
n/a
$1,500
n/a
n/a
$3,500
n/a
n/a
n/a
$11,700
n/a
HIGH
n/a
n/a
n/a
$7,000
n/a
$50
n/a
n/a
$150
n/a
n/a
$25
n/a
n/a
$1,100
n/a
n/a
n/a
$100
n/a
LOW
PER PROJECT
n/a
$150/joke
$500/group
$575
$3/word
$1/word
$600/column
n/a
$1.50/word
n/a
$500/item
$2/word
n/a
$10/page
$6,500/issue
$3/word
$1.50/word
$2,500/column
HIGH
n/a
n/a
n/a
$17,400
$3/page
$125/page
n/a
n/a
n/a $2,000/article
35¢/word
$175
n/a
n/a
$962
n/a
n/a
$397
n/a
n/a
$2,088
n/a
n/a
n/a
$2,993
n/a
AVG
$1/page
$75/page
n/a
n/a
$50/article
15¢/word
n/a
$5/joke
$100/group
$15
17¢/word
27¢/word
$250/column
n/a
10¢/word
n/a
$100/item
60¢/word
n/a
$2.90/page
$2,000/issue
14¢/word
37¢/word
$75/column
LOW
OTHER
$1.27/page
$100/page
$30/gag
n/a
$300/article
25¢/word
n/a
$50/joke
$250/group
$100
95¢/word
78¢/word
$342/column
n/a
59¢/word
n/a
$225/item
$1.08/word
n/a
$6.30/page
$4,250/issue
$1.28/word
84¢/word
$717/column
AVG
How Much Should I Charge? 77
n/a
n/a
n/a
Reprints
Stringing
Syndicated column, self-promoted
(rate depends on circulation)
n/a
n/a
n/a
$18
n/a
n/a
n/a
$25
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
LOW
n/a
n/a
n/a
$20
n/a
n/a
$35
$30
n/a
n/a
n/a
$50
n/a
AVG
PER HOUR
n/a
n/a
$300
n/a
n/a
$1,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
$200
$200
$250
$500
HIGH
n/a
n/a
$50
n/a
n/a
$75
n/a
n/a
n/a
$15
$15
$0
$200
LOW
PER PROJECT
n/a
n/a
$163
n/a
n/a
$338
n/a
n/a
n/a
$98
$93
$55
$300
AVG
1 Some pay in gift certificates or books. Judging of finalists may be duty included in workshop speaker’s fee.
n/a
Feature
$25
n/a
Editing/manuscript evaluation
Proofreading
n/a
Copyediting
Obituary copy
n/a
$35
Column, local
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Book reviews
judging 1
HIGH
Arts reviewing
Newspapers
Writing contest
Résumés
Beyond the Basics
n/a
$35/insertion
$2,400/story
n/a
n/a
$225/story
$1.50/word
n/a
n/a
$250/column
60¢/word
60¢/word
$20/entry
HIGH
n/a
$4/insertion
$40/story
n/a
n/a
$35/story
10¢/word
n/a
n/a
$50/column
25¢/word
10¢/word
$10/entry
LOW
OTHER
n/a
$8/insertion
$378/story
n/a
n/a
$112/story
54¢/word
n/a
n/a
$103/column
40¢/word
37¢/word
$15/entry
AVG
78 How Much Should I Charge?
How Much
Should I
Charge?
by Lynn Wasnak
I
f you’re a beginning freelance writer, or don’t know many other freelancers, you may
wonder how anyone manages to earn enough to eat and pay the rent by writing or performing a mix of writing-related tasks. Yet, smart full-time freelance writers and editors annually
gross $35,000 and up—sometimes up into the $150,000-200,000 range. These top-earning freelancers rarely have names known to the general public. (Celebrity writers earn fees far beyond
the rates cited in this survey.) But, year after year, they sustain themselves and their families
on a freelance income, while maintaining control of their hours and their lives.
Such freelancers take writing and editing seriously—it’s their business.
Periodically, they sit down and think about the earning potential of their work, and how
they can make freelancing more profitable and fun. They know their numbers: what it costs
to run their business; what hourly rate they require; how long a job will take. Unless there’s
a real bonus (a special clip, or a chance to try something new) these writers turn down work
that doesn’t meet the mark and replace it with a better-paying project.
If you don’t know your numbers, take a few minutes to figure them out. Begin by choosing
your target annual income—whether it’s $25,000 or $100,000. Add in fixed expenses: social
security, taxes, and office supplies. Don’t forget health insurance and something for your
retirement. Once you’ve determined your annual gross target, divide it by 1,000 billable
hours—about 21 hours per week—to determine your target hourly rate.
Remember—this rate is flexible. You can continue doing low-paying work you love as long
as you make up for the loss with more lucrative jobs. But you must monitor your rate of earning
if you want to reach your goal. If you slip, remind yourself you’re in charge. As a freelancer,
you can raise prices, chase better-paying jobs, work extra hours, or adjust your spending.
‘‘Sounds great,’’ you may say. ‘‘But how do I come up with 1,000 billable hours each
year? I’m lucky to find a writing-related job every month or two, and these pay a pittance.’’
That’s where business attitude comes in: network, track your time, join professional organizations, and study the markets. Learn how to query, then query like mad. Take chances
by reaching for the next level. Learn to negotiate for a fee you can live on—your plumber
does! Then get it in writing.
You’ll be surprised how far you can go, and how much you can earn, if you believe in your
skills and act on your belief. The rates that follow are a guide to steer you in the right direction.
LYNN WASNAK (www.lynnwasnak.com) has freelanced full time for nearly three decades as a writer, editor, and small
publisher. Her international newsletter for childhood trauma survivors, Many Voices (www.manyvoicespress.com), is
now in its 17th year.
How Much Should I Charge? 69
This report is based on input from sales finalized in 2005 and 2006 only. The data is generated
from voluntary surveys completed by members of numerous professional writers’ and editors’
organizations and specialty groups. We thank these responding groups, listed below, and their
members for generously sharing information. If you would like to contribute your input, e-mail
[email protected] for a survey.
Organizations
For more information on determining freelance pay rates, negotiating contracts, etc., you can visit the following organizations’ Web sites. (Editor’s
note: A special thank you to the members of the organizations listed below
for their thoughtful responses to our survey.)
●
American Literary Translators Association (ALTA): www.literarytrans
lators.org
●
American Medical Writers Association (AMWA): www.amwa.org
●
American Society of Journalists & Authors (ASJA): www.asja.org
●
American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP): www.asmp.org
●
American Society of Picture Professionals (ASPP): www.aspp.com
●
American Translators Association (ATA): www.atanet.org
●
Association of Independents in Radio (AIR): www.airmedia.org
●
Association of Personal Historians (APH): www.personalhistorians.org
●
The Cartoon Bank: www.cartoonbank.com
●
Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA): www.the-efa.org
●
Freelance Success (FLX): www.freelancesuccess.com
●
International Association of Business Communicators (IABC): www.
iabc.com
●
Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE): www.ire.org
●
Media Communicators Association International (MCA-I): www.mcai.org
National Association of Science Writers (NASW): www.nasw.org
●
National Cartoonists Society (NCS): www.reuben.org/main.asp
●
National Writers Union (NWU): www.nwu.org
●
Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ): www.spj.org
●
Society for Technical Communication (STC): www.stc.org
●
Washington Independent Writers (WIW): www.washwriter.org
●
Women in Film (WIF): www.wif.org
●
Writer’s Guild of America East (WGAE): www.wgae.org
●
Writer’s Guild of America West (WGA): www.wga.org
Beyond the Basics
●
$100
$150
$100
$100
$150
$100
Book jacket copywriting
Campaign development
or product launch
Catalog copywriting
Copyediting for advertising
Direct-mail copywriting
E-mail ad copywriting
$167
1 Per project figures based on 30-minute speech.
Speech writing/editing (general)1
$80
Public relations for schools
or libraries
Public relations for businesses
$90
$180
Press/news release
$80
$180
Press kits
Public relations for organizations
or nonprofits
$180
Political campaigns,
public relations
Public relations for government
$110
$125
Fundraising campaign brochure
$85
$180
Event promotions/publicity
$150
Advertorials
HIGH
Advertising copywriting
Advertising, Copywriting
& Public Relations
Beyond the Basics
$43
$50
$20
$50
$50
$35
$30
$45
$69
$50
$50
$50
$20
$25
$50
$40
$50
$35
LOW
$81
$60
$53
$64
$89
$97
$96
$88
$91
$63
$80
$87
$58
$60
$89
$71
$97
$92
AVG
PER HOUR
$10,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$1,500
$5,000
n/a
$3,500
n/a
$3,500
$50,000
n/a
n/a
$8,750
$700
n/a
$9,000
HIGH
$2,700
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$125
$1,000
n/a
$300
n/a
$200
$600
n/a
n/a
$1,500
$350
n/a
$150
LOW
PER PROJECT
$5,480
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$479
$2,334
n/a
$1,525
n/a
$836
$8,248
n/a
n/a
$4,250
$500
n/a
$2,278
AVG
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$500/day
$500/page
$2/word
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$4/word
$1,200/page
$1/word
$350/item
n/a
$1/word
$3/word
$1,875/page
$3/word
HIGH
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$200/day
$150/page
50¢/word
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$1/word
$200/page
25¢/word
$25/item
n/a
50¢/word
75¢/word
$300/page
25¢/word
LOW
OTHER
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$367/day
$297/page
$1.30/word
n/a
$1/word
$500/day
$2/word
$1.50/word
$400/page
65¢/word
$84/item
n/a
75¢/word
$1.92/word
$550/page
$1.63/word
AVG
70 How Much Should I Charge?
$75
$35
$110
$100
Educational/training film scripts
Beyond the Basics
$100
n/a
n/a
$45
$1,500
n/a
n/a
$70
1 Other figures based on length of speech (min=minute).
2 Run min=run minute.
Script synopsis for business
Script synopsis for agent
or film producer
Screenwriting
(original screenplay)
Radio stories (over 2 minutes
with sound production)
n/a
Radio interviews (3 minute interview)
n/a
$30
$50
$85
$70
Radio editorials & essays
(no production)
Radio commercials/PSAs
Movie novelization
$85
n/a
$1,500
n/a
n/a
$15,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
HIGH
$58
n/a
$100
$75
n/a $106,070
$400
n/a
$60
$56
$68
$96
$129
$36
$22
$88
$150
$100
$85
$150
n/a
$92
n/a
$60
$150
$86
AVG
n/a
$30
$200
LOW
PER HOUR
Corporate product film
Copyediting audiovisuals
Business film scripts2
(training and info)
Book summaries (narrative synopsis)
for film producers1
Audiovisuals & Electronic
Communications
Speech writing for
political candidates
Speech writing for
government officials
HIGH
$60
$60
$56,500
n/a
$150
n/a
n/a
$3,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
$600
n/a
n/a
n/a
LOW
PER PROJECT
HIGH
n/a
n/a
LOW
OTHER
n/a
n/a
$650/15 min
$4,500/
20 min
AVG
$75
$65
$81,285
n/a
$400
n/a
n/a
$6,750
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$200/run min
$850/run min
n/a
$500/run min
$500/run min
n/a
$500/run min
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$45/run min
$120/run min
n/a
$100/run min
$100/run min
n/a
$50/run min
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$109/run min
$504/run min
n/a
$300/run min
$300/run min
$50/page
$229/run min
n/a $1,269/15 min $2,114/30 min $4,006/60 min
$34/page
$15/page
$20/page
n/a
n/a
AVG
How Much Should I Charge? 71
TV scripts (nontheatrical)
n/a
Fiction book writing (own)
n/a
$20
$19
$23
$30
$50
n/a
n/a
$50
$40
$40
$23
$35
n/a
$35
$70
$60
$55
LOW
n/a
$34
$49
$52
$51
$63
n/a
n/a
$60
$65
$57
$52
$75
n/a
$89
$90
$73
$80
AVG
PER HOUR
n/a
$5,500
$20,000
$4,500
$15,000
n/a
n/a
$500
$300
$10,000
$1,500
$7,900
n/a
n/a
$20,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
$2,000
$1,000
$500
$525
n/a
n/a
$120
$200
$500
$250
$4,000
n/a
n/a
$10,000
n/a
n/a
$3,000
LOW
PER PROJECT
$5,000
HIGH
n/a
$3,500
$7,988
$1,859
$6,119
n/a
n/a
$200
$250
$4,512
$792
$5,967
n/a
n/a
$15,000
n/a
n/a
$4,083
AVG
$40,000
$6/page
$40/page
$9/page
$20/page
$5/word
$4,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$2/word
$500/run min
$1,000/day
n/a
$2,500/
30 sec spot
$500/run min
HIGH
$525
$1/page
$3.75/page
$3/page
$4/page
$1/word
$1,500
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$1/word
$100/run min
$550/day
n/a
$150/
30 sec spot
$100/run min
LOW
OTHER
1 30 sec spot=30-second spot
2 $1,201 Writers Guild of America minimum/story.
3 TV scripts 30 minutes or less average $6,535/story, $19,603 with teleplay; TV scripts 60 minutes or less average $11,504/story, $28,833 with teleplay.
$75
Copyediting
$125
$75
Children’s book writing
(work for hire)
$100
n/a
Children’s book writing
(advance against royalties)
Content editing (trade)
n/a
Book query writing
Content editing (textbook)
$100
Book query critique
$125
$100
Book proposal writing
Content editing (scholarly)
$100
$80
$125
Book proposal consultation
Anthology editing
Abstracting and abridging
Book Publishing
n/a
$100
$150
TV news story/feature2
TV scripts (teleplay/MOW)3
$85
$125
HIGH
TV commercials/PSAs1
Scripts for nontheatrical films
for education, business, industry
Beyond the Basics
$14,203
$4.10/page
$7.50/page
$4/page
$6/page
$3/word
$2,920
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$1.50/word
$300/run min
$800/day
n/a
$963/
30 sec spot
$300/run min
AVG
72 How Much Should I Charge?
$45
$20
$30
$36
$180
$125
$150
$150
$100
Annual reports
Associations and organizations
(writing for)
Business & sales letters
Business & government research
Beyond the Basics
$30
$69
$81
$86
$68
$87
n/a
n/a
n/a
$63
$46
$30
$45
n/a
$85
$72
n/a
n/a
$2,000
$15,000
n/a
$15,000
n/a
n/a
$10,000
$50,000
n/a
n/a
$400
n/a
$75,000
$2,000
n/a
$150
$300
n/a
$500
n/a
n/a
$7,000
$4,000
n/a
n/a
$150
n/a
$1,300
$150
n/a
$5,000
$5,500
LOW
PER PROJECT
$80,000
HIGH
$70 $100,000
$73
AVG
1 Per project figures do not include royalty arrangements, which vary from publisher to publisher.
2 Other figures in cents are per target word.
Brochures, fliers,
booklets for business
Business
$35
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$25
$120
n/a
$15
$15
n/a
Translation (poetry)
Translation (nonfiction)
Translation (fiction)2
Rewriting
Research for writers
or book publishers
Proofreading
$75
$30
$60
$150
n/a
n/a
Nonfiction book writing (own)
(advance against royalties)
Novel synopsis (general)
$70
Nonfiction book writing (collaborative) $100
$22
$40
$36
$50
$30
$100
$115
LOW
PER HOUR
$100
Manuscript evaluation and critique
Indexing
Ghostwriting, no credit
Ghostwriting, as told to 1
HIGH
n/a
$762
$2,777
n/a
$6,147
n/a
n/a
$8,500
$14,500
n/a
n/a
$275
n/a
$25,297
$835
n/a
$36,229
$22,800
AVG
n/a
n/a
$2/word
$2/word
$800/page
$400/day
$600/day
$15/page
15¢
12¢
n/a
$600/day
$5/page
$30/page
$50,000
n/a
n/a
$5/page
$3/word
HIGH
n/a
n/a
$1/word
35¢/word
$50/page
$300/day
$400/day
$0/page
8¢
6¢
n/a
$450/day
$2/page
$10/page
$4,000
n/a
n/a
$2/page
50¢/word
LOW
OTHER
n/a
n/a
$1.42/page
$1.28/word
$387/page
$350/day
$494/day
$7.50/page
10¢
9¢
n/a
$525/day
$3.09/page
$20/page
$17,909
n/a
n/a
$3.69/page
$1.65/word
AVG
How Much Should I Charge? 73
$125
$135
$180
$135
Corporate periodicals, editing
Corporate periodicals, writing
Corporate profile
Ghostwriting for business
(usually trade magazine articles
for business columns)
$125
n/a
Newsletters, editing
writing1
Translation (commercial for
government agencies, technical)
1 Per project figures based on four-page newsletters.
Computer-related manual writing
Computer, Scientific &
Technical
$165
$100
Newsletters, desktop
publishing/production
Newsletters,
$150
$135
Grant proposal writing for nonprofits
$75
$180
Corporate histories
Government writing
$125
Copyediting for businesses
$90
Catalogs for businesses
$180
Business-writing seminars
Consultation on communications
$150
$200
Business plan
$150
HIGH
Business editing (general)
Beyond the Basics
$60
n/a
$30
$30
$35
$43
$20
$25
$65
$50
$40
$35
$25
$70
$35
$60
$50
$25
LOW
$105
n/a
$82
$63
$76
$96
$50
$96
$102
$93
$70
$87
$61
$120
$65
$103
$88
$72
AVG
PER HOUR
n/a
n/a
$5,000
n/a
n/a
$3,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
$7,500
n/a
$35,000
n/a
n/a
$10,000
$8,600
$15,000
n/a
HIGH
n/a
n/a
$800
n/a
n/a
$500
n/a
n/a
n/a
$1,000
n/a
$1,000
n/a
n/a
$2,000
$550
$1,000
n/a
LOW
PER PROJECT
n/a
n/a
$2,000
$3,600
n/a
$1,767
n/a
$750
n/a
$4,000
n/a
$12,500
n/a
n/a
$5,000
$2,450
$6,000
n/a
AVG
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$1.40/
target line
$5/word
$230/page
$750/page
n/a
$1/word
$2/word
n/a
$2/word
$3/word
n/a
$2/word
$4/page
$1,200/day
$1,500/page
HIGH
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$1/
target line
$1/word
$150/page
$150/page
n/a
25¢/word
50¢/word
n/a
$1/word
$1/word
n/a
$1/word
$2/page
$500/day
$200/page
LOW
OTHER
n/a
n/a
$1.20/
target line
$2/word
$185/page
$391/page
n/a
63¢/word
$1/word
$500/day
$1.50/word
$1.75/word
n/a
$1.50/word
$3/page
$740/day
$684/page
n/a
$1/word
AVG
74 How Much Should I Charge?
Beyond the Basics
$100
$35
$50
$100
$68
$55
$70
n/a
$39
$70
n/a
$57
$107
$83
$62
$90
$84
$72
$58
$98
$51
$66
$73
AVG
n/a
$2,500
n/a
n/a
n/a
$15,000
n/a
$2,500
n/a
$7,000
n/a
$4,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
$5,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
HIGH
1 For more information about photography rates, see 2007 Photographer’s Market.
2 Per project figures based on 4 pages/8 photos
Educational consulting and designing
business/adult education courses
Educational & Literary Services
Slides/Overhead
n/a
$40
n/a
$100
Photography (corporate-commercial)
Picture editing
$65
$20
$75
n/a
$70
$20
$30
$45
$150
$135
n/a
$32
$100
$125
$50
$150
Photo research
Photo brochures 2
Greeting card ideas
Desktop publishing
Editorial/Design Packages 1
White Papers
Web page writing
Web page editing
Web page design
Technical writing
Technical editing
$33
$30
$110
$30
$30
$180
Online editing
$100
$18
$125
Medical and science proofreading
$125
$30
$125
Medical and science editing
Medical and science writing
$35
LOW
PER HOUR
$100
E-mail copywriting
HIGH
n/a
$500
n/a
n/a
n/a
$400
n/a
$800
n/a
$100
n/a
$500
n/a
n/a
n/a
$1,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
LOW
PER PROJECT
n/a
$1,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
$4,913
n/a
$1,650
n/a
$1,251
n/a
$2,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
$2,875
n/a
n/a
n/a
AVG
$1,000/day
$90/slide
$65/picture
$2,500/day
n/a
n/a
$300/card
$150/page
n/a
$1.25/word
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$4/page
$2/word
n/a
$4/page
$2/word
HIGH
$600/day
$50/slide
$35/picture
$1,000/day
n/a
n/a
$50/card
$35/page
n/a
35¢/word
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$3/page
25¢/word
n/a
$3/page
30¢/word
LOW
OTHER
$800/day
$63/slide
$45/picture
$2,000/day
n/a
n/a
$125/card
$92/page
n/a
86¢/word
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$3.50/page
90¢/word
n/a
$3.50/page
$1.12/word
AVG
How Much Should I Charge? 75
$50
n/a
n/a
n/a
$40
$40
$30
$35
$35
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$125
$30
$15
$35
LOW
$90
n/a
n/a
n/a
$64
$50
$75
$84
$72
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$294
$85
$38
$56
AVG
PER HOUR
n/a
n/a
$500
$300
n/a
n/a
n/a
$5,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$1,500
$15,000
HIGH
n/a
n/a
$50
$100
n/a
n/a
n/a
$550
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$200
$500
LOW
PER PROJECT
n/a
n/a
$190
$167
n/a
n/a
n/a
$2,502
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$500
$8,084
AVG
n/a
n/a
n/a
$3,400
$400/event
$1,000/
event
$30,000/
event
HIGH
n/a
$250/column
n/a
$1/word
$1/word
n/a
$450/article
$4,400/event
$550/day
$175/story
$3,000/event
1 For specific pay rate information for feature articles, columns/departments, fillers, etc., see individual market listings.
$150
n/a
City magazine, calendar of
events column
Consultation on magazine editorial
n/a
n/a
Book reviews
$100
Arts reviewing
Article manuscript critique
Magazines & Trade Journals 1
$60
$220
Writers’ workshops
Writing for scholarly journals
$125
n/a
Readings by poets, fiction writers
(highest fees for celebrity writers)
$115
n/a
Presentations to school classes
(5-day visiting artists program)
Teaching college course/seminar
(includes adult education)
n/a
Presentations to local groups,
librarians or teachers
Short story manuscript critique
n/a
$500
Presentations at regional writers’
conferences
Presentations at national conventions
(by well-known authors)
$90
$100
Manuscript evaluation for theses/
dissertations
Poetry manuscript critique
$100
HIGH
Educational grant and proposal writing
Beyond the Basics
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$50/column
n/a
15¢/word
10¢/word
n/a
$100/article
$250/event
$150/day
$50/story
$50/event
$2,500
$50/event
$50/
event
$1,000/
event
LOW
OTHER
n/a
n/a
n/a
$450/day
$134/column
75¢/word
48¢/word
78¢/word
n/a
$252/article
$1,663/event
$367/day
$115/story
$200/event
$2,750
$228/event
$336/
event
$5,000/
event
AVG
76 How Much Should I Charge?
$35
$44
$70
$100
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Craft projects with instructions
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Institutional history (church school)
Beyond the Basics
Manuscript typing
$30
$80
Gagwriting for cartoonists
Family histories
Encyclopedia articles
n/a
Comedy writing for nightclub
entertainers
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$20
n/a
$125
Cartoons (gag, plus illustration)
Miscellaneous
Trade journal feature article
Trade journal column
Rewriting
Reprint fees
Proofreading
Magazine research
$20
Ghostwriting articles (general)
$20
$125
$200
Fact checking
$50
$20
$50
$75
$75
$20
$25
$125
Copyediting magazines
Content editing
n/a
n/a
Consumer magazine feature articles
n/a
n/a
LOW
$20
$50
n/a
$65
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
$75
$56
$60
n/a
$34
$37
$100
$41
$40
$48
n/a
n/a
AVG
PER HOUR
Consumer magazine column
HIGH
n/a
n/a
n/a
$30,000
n/a
$300
n/a
n/a
$2,000
n/a
n/a
$1,500
n/a
n/a
$3,500
n/a
n/a
n/a
$11,700
n/a
HIGH
n/a
n/a
n/a
$7,000
n/a
$50
n/a
n/a
$150
n/a
n/a
$25
n/a
n/a
$1,100
n/a
n/a
n/a
$100
n/a
LOW
PER PROJECT
n/a
$150/joke
$500/group
$575
$3/word
$1/word
$600/column
n/a
$1.50/word
n/a
$500/item
$2/word
n/a
$10/page
$6,500/issue
$3/word
$1.50/word
$2,500/column
HIGH
n/a
n/a
n/a
$17,400
$3/page
$125/page
n/a
n/a
n/a $2,000/article
35¢/word
$175
n/a
n/a
$962
n/a
n/a
$397
n/a
n/a
$2,088
n/a
n/a
n/a
$2,993
n/a
AVG
$1/page
$75/page
n/a
n/a
$50/article
15¢/word
n/a
$5/joke
$100/group
$15
17¢/word
27¢/word
$250/column
n/a
10¢/word
n/a
$100/item
60¢/word
n/a
$2.90/page
$2,000/issue
14¢/word
37¢/word
$75/column
LOW
OTHER
$1.27/page
$100/page
$30/gag
n/a
$300/article
25¢/word
n/a
$50/joke
$250/group
$100
95¢/word
78¢/word
$342/column
n/a
59¢/word
n/a
$225/item
$1.08/word
n/a
$6.30/page
$4,250/issue
$1.28/word
84¢/word
$717/column
AVG
How Much Should I Charge? 77
n/a
n/a
n/a
Reprints
Stringing
Syndicated column, self-promoted
(rate depends on circulation)
n/a
n/a
n/a
$18
n/a
n/a
n/a
$25
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
LOW
n/a
n/a
n/a
$20
n/a
n/a
$35
$30
n/a
n/a
n/a
$50
n/a
AVG
PER HOUR
n/a
n/a
$300
n/a
n/a
$1,000
n/a
n/a
n/a
$200
$200
$250
$500
HIGH
n/a
n/a
$50
n/a
n/a
$75
n/a
n/a
n/a
$15
$15
$0
$200
LOW
PER PROJECT
n/a
n/a
$163
n/a
n/a
$338
n/a
n/a
n/a
$98
$93
$55
$300
AVG
1 Some pay in gift certificates or books. Judging of finalists may be duty included in workshop speaker’s fee.
n/a
Feature
$25
n/a
Editing/manuscript evaluation
Proofreading
n/a
Copyediting
Obituary copy
n/a
$35
Column, local
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Book reviews
judging 1
HIGH
Arts reviewing
Newspapers
Writing contest
Résumés
Beyond the Basics
n/a
$35/insertion
$2,400/story
n/a
n/a
$225/story
$1.50/word
n/a
n/a
$250/column
60¢/word
60¢/word
$20/entry
HIGH
n/a
$4/insertion
$40/story
n/a
n/a
$35/story
10¢/word
n/a
n/a
$50/column
25¢/word
10¢/word
$10/entry
LOW
OTHER
n/a
$8/insertion
$378/story
n/a
n/a
$112/story
54¢/word
n/a
n/a
$103/column
40¢/word
37¢/word
$15/entry
AVG
78 How Much Should I Charge?
