What do you charge for freelance work?

I'm about to enter the wonderful world of freelancing and being I really don't have a clue, what is a suitable amount to charge a website/publication for your time and effort?

I have a number in mind, but I think I may be low-balling myself.

If it matters, for this first assignment, I am being provided with all the contact information for the subjects I will be writing about.

Thanks for the help folks.

 

Oh, man....

 

You don't charge, JNEW. You accept the crumbs and beg for more.

Oh, and I wouldn't accept an assignment without first agreeing on a price, personally.

 

Agree on both points and I was going to just go with whatever they offered me, but this guy is asking me what do you charge and as I stated previously, I have no clue what to say.

 

In my opinion, it depends on the kind of assignment you're getting.

I've done a few newspaper/online stories for $50 a pop. I got $75 for one story. But then again, I haven't gotten as many assignments as folks who do freelance work regularly.

 

That's a tough one, JNEW.

For example, I might pay someone between $50 and $200 to cover a live event, depending on how long it will take, how complicated it is, how desperate I am.

Some places pay by the assignment, some by the word, etc. A lot of websites don't pay at all.

So I would try to figure how much time it would take and go from there. Since you already seem to have the assignment, I would start with a higher number and see if it flies.

For example, if it will take you a week to complete, what's a week of your time worth? $100, $500, $1,000?

 

I have been asked by more than one newspaper what I expect to get paid for a freelance assignment. I think we are all entering new territory here. More writers are looking for freelance work. More newspapers are looking for freelancers to assign stories to. Some papers pay me $50 a story, some $100. Some pay mileage, some don't. I have been paid up to $400 for magazine stories. It depends on the publication and the story. Always negotiate high and work down.

 

Rules of thumb:
* Features pay more than game stories
* Magazines pay more (and usually by the word) than newspapers (which is usually a flat fee or by the inch)
* Websites can pay more than newspapers but usually less than magazines

Possible bargaining chips:
* If you have unique access to athlete/story
* Complexity of the story
* Years of experience as a writer
* Years of experience covering that beat
* Your accuracy record
* Turn-around time (espcially if it's a feature and they need it right away)
* Experience writing for major national publications

Non-factor:
Whether the editor supplies the contact info (unless it's some sort of exclusive)

Hope that helps

p.s. Unless you're just out of college (or writing for a tiny paper), you should not be writing substantial stories for less than $100.

 

I lived off freelancing for a year after graduating in May 2008. I just recently took a job at a daily paper. I never took less than $50 per story but the way I always saw it was any money is good money. There are plenty of ways to make money as a freelancer, even though it's competitive, you just have to be willing to hustle.

 

Honestly?

Whatever they'll pay me.