How Much Should You Charge for Your Freelance Writing?

One of the most common questions we get is "how much do I charge for my freelance writing or copyediting work?"

And I know this is going to sound like a copout, but the answer is, it depends. It depends on a number of factors, such as how you are getting your work, or just exactly what kind of work it is and for whom.

For example, what you charge is going to be different if you're getting your work directly or if you're bidding on jobs posted on a major freelance network (such as Get a Freelancer or ELance).

Read on...

If you are bidding on projects on Get a Freelancer or ELance, and you are not a well-established provider, you will be pretty much limited to bidding at the going rate. Which usually isn't much. Since you are competing with providers in countries with very low costs of living, it's not uncommon for freelance writing work to go for as little as $.05-$.07 a word. Freelance copyediting work will vary, but can often be even less.

Now before you get discouraged, these are typical rates for a new provider or one without much of a history. Once you establish yourself, and build up a good reputation (and you have lots of good feedback on your profile), you can charge more. Buyers will also trust you with larger jobs.

If you're getting your work directly however, then you are in the cat bird seat. What you charge in this case is going to depend a lot on your relationship with the buyer. If you have an established relationship with his buyer and they trust you to provide high-quality work, then you can charge a premium rate, such as $.50 a word or even more for special types of projects. The factors you need to consider in this case are how much time you are going to put into the job and how much you need to get paid for that time to be profitable.

Remember, there's lots of freelance writing work out there. Don't fall into the trap of charging too little for your time.