The Golden Pencil: The Freelance Writer’s Resource

Clips, Credits, Cash and the Freelance Writer

by Anne Wayman on July 24th, 2005

“How much should I charge?” is a frequent question in the forum over at AboutFreelanceWriting.com. Often even experienced freelance writers couple the question with how to relate their writing experience to the amount they charge. Writers new to the freelance writing game worry about their clips, or lack of them. There are several issues here.

First, if you think you don’t have any credits or clips, read: No Writing Clips? No Problem! In fact, even if you’ve got clips, this article can help you discover credits you may have totally overlooked, or help you find new areas of specialty.

Pricing your work is a combination of knowing, at least roughly, the going rate, and believing you’re worth what you charge. Of the two, the latter is by far the most important. If you believe you’re only worth $10 an hour, you’ll have real trouble getting $25; on the other hand, if you know you’re worth $100 an hour, you’ll get that often enough to consider raising your rates even more.

You may also want to read: How Much Should I Charge for My Freelance Writing?

Write well and often,

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POSTED IN: Freelance Writing Tips and Ideas