Pay Question

The answer is printed magazines. I know the local Metro Mag pays $1/word for a lot of freelance work. I've heard of some national mags paying more. A very talented friend who freelances for major magazines told me he got $4/word from (I think it was) Vanity Fair for a 5,000-word feature. Drinks were on him.

 

Before technology took over, I used to do specialty stats for the on-air guys during ESPN hockey and baseball broadcasts. I would get $200 per game for work that was much, much easier than writing a game story. I think you ought to get $100 minimum or you might as well be doing it for free. Ask for that and see what happens.

 

I find a $20,000 story a bit hard to believe...but who knows...I do know mags seem to be able to pay somewhat more than newspapers.

@ jemaz...yes, this logic makes sense...I charge $50 when going to an event that I'm going to be covering anyway...pretty simple to get some extra quotes and alter the slant a bit.

But if I'm going specially to an event for freelance I'd charge double (or close to it), plus some sort of expense allowance.

 

He had to travel on his own dime for the assignment and spent at least three weeks working on it, for what it's worth (which, incidentally, was apparently $20,000).

Also, I found this: http://www.foliomag.com/2010/demand-media-can-go-hell

 

1,000 words on one of my assignments gets a minimum of $400 and usually it's higher than that. Only if you're not doing any actual writing (transcribing a taped interview for a Q&A, for instance) might the pay be lower.

 

These days, I have a fairly steady gig as a magazine freelancer. I've been paid $200 for a 1,000-word story, and I've been paid $750 for a 5,000-word story. I recently turned in three stories, for which I'll be paid $800, $600 and $100. I also get mileage and meals when I'm on the road.

For what it's worth, the $800 story was about 3,000 words, the $600 about 1,700 and the $100 was less than 200 words (but also with a photo I took).

 

Good God. Fair is $100 for the work required to interview three people, compile notes and craft a 1,000-word feature?

THEY are asking YOU for YOUR experience and talent. Do not settle for something that sounds fair or the market will continue to be trampled.

For 1,000 words, you should be getting at least $250 if not $300.

If people think $7 a story is bullshit for a 350-worder on a rinky website, then why is $100 "fair" for 1,000 words? It's not. It's still the same shitty pay but only on a larger scale.

Don't settle. Your time, experience and talent is valuable. Be compensated well for it.

 

$100 for a 1000-word story is borderline insulting if you have to put any work at all into it.

The sad part is they'll have no problem getting people to jump at it.

 

Within the last year I've secured regular assignments for a magazine (750 words, $250) and had a niche blog paying $250 for 500-600 words.

I've written for magazines that paid $1 a word, and laughingly turned out small ones that asked for 1,000 words, a sidebar AND 1-2 good photos for $50.

Istopped writing for a website that wanted a similar word count and sidebar but requested 20-25 photos with each submission, all for $300 to $350. Why? Because after the time involved in putting together and writing the story, and selecting photos (my photos), the pay rate devalued everything submitted. The photos were worth only a few bucks, if anything, yet the site sold an advertising "frame" around it and made money.

Don't give away your talents for paltry sums. You can be firm in asking for more money for the experience you bring. And if they won't pay, let them buy shit from some wannabe.

 

I'm currently the editor of a magazine and we pay a minimum of about 30 cents a word, and that's for the cheap low end. Some of our stuff is 50 or 75 cents.

I've written for MLB Publications (WS program, All-Star Game, etc.) and they pay a buck a word. It's a sweet gig.

 

When I was in college, almost 20 years ago, I would get $75 a pop for gamers and previews. Some of those same papers pay $30 for the same stuff now.

In the late 1990s when I was actually so busy I sometimes had to turn down freelance work, $1 a word was the going rate for middle-to-lower level magazines. I think the most I ever got was $2500 for a 1,500-word feature. ESPN The Magazine would routinely pay $600 for college football capsules. One year I did three and made $1,800 for about two hours work... Those days are long gone unless you're very well-established and in demand.