FREELANCE WRITER SEARCH

If you've never hired a professional freelance writer before, the process can be confusing. What do you pay? What's the going rate for accomplished writers and authors? How do you set expectations and deadlines?

ASJA's members are experienced, professional freelancers and authors, many with decades of experience. While every negotiation will be unique between client and writer, we hope the following will be a useful guide on fees:

How much do accomplished writers expect to be paid?

Because you're considering posting a job with ASJA's Freelance Writers Search, it's important to know that our writers are already vetted. Members of ASJA are, by definition, experienced writers; they must qualify for membership based on work they have published, and most have broad experience in books, magazines, daily newspapers and other respected writing fields. Writing is our profession and we view it as a business. This is why our members earn and expect professional-level fees.

That said, writers base their fee requirements on their experience, market rates and the demands of the proposed assignment. For example, our members who write magazine articles often do so for major publications and earn in excess of between $1.50-2.00 a word. Some may negotiate slightly less if the assignment creates an ongoing relationship with predictable workload and steady fees.

Corporate writing and custom content assignments, ranging from articles for house publications to papers and reports for internal audiences, typically start at $1.50-$2.50 a word. Other kinds of custom content, such as blog posts or newsletter content, may have a lower per-word rate if the work doesn't require a lot of research.

What are alternatives to paying by the word?

In the corporate and custom content world, per-hour or per-project fees are a common practice, and many ASJA members work with companies on such terms. The amount depends on the type and complexity of assignment and regional rates, but our members report corporate fees ranging from $60 (from low-budget nonprofits or entrepreneurs) to more than $200/hour.

Writers with very specific skills and experience matching the needs of the client command top hourly rates. You have the right to ask writers for work samples, resumes and other evidence of the particular skills and performance you are seeking.

What about bigger projects?

For lengthy works such as book proposals, fees reported by ASJA members average between $5,000-$20,000 — though some have been paid much more, depending again on the work and time involved. Members who write book proposals also may negotiate other terms, such as authorship of the book, advances and royalty arrangements if the book is published.

My budget is really tight. Can I afford a professional writer?

All projects benefit from the right talent, so even if your project budget is small it's worth investing in quality writing. Being as detailed as possible in your project description will help you attract people with the specific skills and experience that fit. If a project can be done quickly it may well be attractive for a professional with space in the schedule to fill.

What else should we know about paying professional writers?

The timing of payments is highly important to freelance writers, as it is to all self-employed businesspeople. The following points should inform the negotiations:

• For features, brochures and other relatively short works, ASJA members are accustomed to (and expect) payment on acceptance -- generally meaning within two weeks of final acceptance of the work.
• For longer works, most writers will ask 30-50 percent to be paid in advance. If the advance is one-third of the total amount, another portion generally is paid when the project is half completed, with the remainder to be paid immediately after satisfactory completion of the entire project.
• If a writer is hired to complete or fix a project with an extremely tight deadline, the writer may apply an "emergency" fee to his or her bid for the project.
• One revision of the work is acceptable to most writers without additional compensation. If unexpected research, significant additional length or changes in direction are asked of the writer — in other words, significantly more work than was reasonably expected at the outset -- then the writer will expect additional compensation.
• Expenses incurred by the writer toward completion of the assignment should be negotiated at the time of agreement. Typical expenses include transportation, extraordinary phone or Internet expenses as well as any office equipment or supplies needed to complete the job.
• The writer's fee does not depend on publication of the work, or on some infusion of funds expected by the client. If the writer performs the work satisfactorily, he or she is entitled to full compensation at the agreed-upon time of payment.
• While no one anticipates trouble on a project, the time to discuss client expectations and reasons for severing a work agreement should be at the start of the negotiation, not when the project is underway. Both sides should negotiate specific project objectives, deadlines, scheduled fee payments and the possibility of severance if certain conditions are met. Why? Because writers turn away other work to do your project. At the same time, clients have the right to demand acceptable work on time. Both sides should agree on the parameters of the job going in — and put it in writing — a signed contract or writers' agreement is an absolute must.