Let’s talk about everyone’s favourite and least favourite thing: money!! When it comes to being a freelancer or hiring freelancers, money can be difficult to figure out, especially if you’re new to the game (but sometimes, even if you’re not!). Most of us want to be fair while still making sure we have enough to pay the bills at the end of the day. 

When I began my freelancing journey over three years ago, I had no clue what I was doing. I spent hours upon hours on jobs that paid me next to nothing and tacked on extra work. Oftentimes, I did multiple jobs at once (usually writing and editing) but only got paid for one. I set a fee for the project and then was too afraid to ask for more when the client continually added new tasks to the job. 

I think many freelancers share a similar story. When you first enter the murky waters of freelancing, you might not know what you’re worth, especially if it’s your first time working professionally in the writing field. It can be equally difficult for clients who are looking for the best compromise between value and excellence. 

But it’s really not quite as complex as it looks. Let’s take a deep breath, take a step back, and look at what freelancing rates really mean. 

The Moral First

Here’s the long and short of all these do’s and don’ts that are coming up: quality costs more. You’d be surprised to know how few great writers are actually out there—and even fewer are people who you’d actually want to work with. If you’re a good writer, it means you’ve put in countless hours of time and effort to practice, study, read, and practice some more to get to where you are. On top of that, if you’re someone who’s great to work with, it means you’ve spent time learning how best to communicate and navigate a project. 

Having all of these traits combined is rare, so if you have them, it means you’re pretty much the optimal freelance writer that clients want to hire. The only problem? Many clients don’t understand freelancing. It’s not that they’re all arrogant or stingy, or even willfully ignorant (although some are, sadly). They simply don’t know or have preconceived notions about freelancing that get in the way. Maybe they don’t realise how much work goes into freelancing itself and so try to pay minimum wage (or less). They might not realise how many hours it actually takes to put together something cohesive, well-written, and well-edited. Perhaps they don’t understand that their current tight budget might mean they’ll have to wait and save to get the quality they want. 

This doesn’t mean that clients are bad. It means it’s our job as freelancers to inform them of these things so they can understand. All of this goes into what it means to set a rate as a freelancer or set a budget as a client. While I’ll be focusing on the freelancer side today, if you’re someone who hires freelancers or is looking to hire them in the future, this post will be extremely beneficial for you, too! 

So, without further ado, the do’s and don’ts of setting your rate as a freelancer!

Do’s

DO have a set rate

While you want to vary your rate per project (which we’ll talk about in a moment), it’s important to have a base rate that you start from. You want to calculate this rate based on a few things: 

• How much you want to make in a year
• How many hours you want to work per week
• The nature of the work you’re doing
• How much experience you have in this area
• How much time you’ll spend on the “business” side of things outside of an actual project (e.g. emails, research, meetings, classes, etc.)

Now, you need to remember that how much you want to make in a year is dependent on how skilled you are. If you’re a brand new writer, making 80k a year just isn’t realistic. But if you’re extremely skilled and have years of experience under your belt, that figure might be more doable. 

This is the reason that I can’t give you an exact price that you should put your rate at. It all depends on your unique situation—where you are in your writing journey, what kind of writing you’re doing, even where you live (cost of living). As someone who lives in a crazily booming area where inflation and the population are skyrocketing, I might have to charge a bit more than someone who lives a few hours north of me. These are the kinds of things you have to take into consideration when setting your rate!

DO your research

As I said, I can’t give you an exact number that you should set your rate at, but once you take all of the above factors into consideration and do some research, you should feel pretty confident in the rate you set. 

What do I mean by research? Talk to other freelance writers (like me!); most experienced writers are more than happy to offer help to those just starting out. Search across freelancing platforms to see what other people who have similar experience are charging. Read articles (like this one!). There’s so much freeinfo out there that you can take advantage of. 

But the one “don’t” I’ll insert into this “do” is don’t let someone tell you what you should charge. Only you can decide that after you’ve put in a lot of thought about how you want to run and grow your freelancing business.

DO vary your rate depending on the project

It’s so important to have a starting rate, because then you know how to vary it! Although it’ll largely depend on what kind of writing work you do, you’ll likely be presented with a variety of projects throughout your writing career. I’ve done everything from writing jewellery descriptions to creating a backstory for a sci-fi board game; when you get that kind of variety, you just can’t charge the same rate across the board because every project will have a different demand on your time and energy. 

For example, I charge more for research-based non-fiction than I do for personal essay non-fiction because research takes a lot of time, and for me, it takes a lot more energy than actually writing. I charge more for non-fiction in general than I do for fiction (usually) because non-fiction is often more difficult for me to write and usually requires extra work like lots of meetings, notes, research, etc. 

This is one reason why it’s so important to know the scope of the project upfront. A “figure it out as we go” approach might seem flexible, but nine times out of ten it’ll mean you won’t get paid what you’ve earned. Take the time with your client to figure out exactly what you’ll be doing before you start the project, including any outlines, research, meetings, or anything else you’ll need to accomplish throughout the whole project. Only then can you accurately set your rate. 

DO make adjustments to your rate when needed

Thanks to inflation, prices are changing all the time. For me, personally, I’ve recently had to adjust my rate because the cost of rent, gas, groceries, and everything else has gone up astronomically in my area in the past few months. This is okay; your rate will need adjustments! As the world changes, so will your business, and so will your rate. Make sure you’re staying on target with your goals and adjust as needed.

Don’ts

DON’T be afraid to ask for more if things change

This is the most difficult one for me. Sometimes, even if you know the whole scope of a project upfront, in the middle of the job you might realise that you vastly underestimated how much time one aspect of the project would take. Or maybe the client is asking you to do a few extra things or meet with them a few extra times. 

In cases like these, it’s okay to approach the client, explain the situation, and ask if the rate can be adjusted. Remember: most clients don’t understand what freelancing is like because they’ve never done it themselves. It’s one of those things that you can’t truly grasp unless you’ve actually been in the thick of it. So if you explain what’s going on, most people will understand and be happy to help however they can. If they can’t increase your pay, they might be willing to compromise in other areas to lessen your burden. You won’t know until you ask!

DON’T be above taking low-paying jobs when starting out

When I jumped into freelancing, I was already a pretty good writer, but I didn’t have much to prove it—just a bunch of half-finished manuscripts and a single published book to my name. I came from a completely different field of work, too, so I didn’t get any help there. There was no way for me to prove my skills apart from actually completing projects, and of course, usually the only people willing to take a chance on a new freelance writer are those who pay the bare minimum (or less than). 

This is really a tough line to walk. While you absolutely shouldn’t undervalue yourself as a writer, I do think that sometimes you have to suck it up and take a job or two that doesn’t pay well. Then, at least, you have the start of a professional reputation. If you do it right, it shouldn’t take long; I only worked two dirt cheap jobs before I got hired for a moderate job that lasted for several months, and after that, I started actually getting paid for what my work was worth. If you have skill, it doesn’t take long for people to recognise it. As long as you don’t get stuck in low-paying jobs when you have skill that’s worth much more, I personally think it’s okay to start out at the low end and work your way up. 

Of course, you might be really fortunate and have a great job come your way right off the bat—I’ve seen it happen! But the reality is that most people have to start with at least one crappy job before they get anywhere. Don’t be discouraged; if you’re really dedicated to writing and are continually improving your skills, you won’t stay in the muck and mire for long. 

…but DON’T settle

This is the point you must take in conjunction with the previous point. While you may have to take low-paying jobs at the start, you should not let clients take advantage of you. If they start tacking on work that wasn’t originally in the job description and not offering any more pay, you can say no. (This is one of the reasons why I advocate for starting out on a freelancing platform: they often have safeguards/mediation services in place so that as long as you have done the job exactly as described, you’ll get paid. Otherwise, a bad client might refuse to pay you altogether and there’s nothing you can really do about it.)

Additionally, don’t get roped into a long-term low-paying job. If a low-paying job advertises a higher rate for further projects, ask the client to be specific about what that means and put it in the contract. Maybe it’s worth it, but likely not. The sad reality is many clients say that just to attract people, get them to do one dirt cheap job, and then end the project. 

And even if you do think you need to take a low-paying job to earn some reputation, make sure it’s actually worth it to some degree. Spending 80 hours on something that’s going to earn you 20 bucks (as an extreme example) is definitely not worth it. There are lots of better projects to spend your time on. 

DON’T agree to an unfair bargain

“Well, this freelancer is bidding half your price for this job. Can you do any better?” 

I’ve heard it before, sadly… As I mentioned earlier, many clients aren’t trying to be nasty, they’re just totally ignorant of how freelancing works. To many, freelancing = dirt cheap work, and they don’t realise they’ll be getting dirt cheap quality for that, too. 

Yes, there are freelancers out there who can afford to set really low rates. And while I can’t judge them for making their living how they think is best, I will say that a majority of the time, the quality of the work reflects in how much they charge. That’s up to them, though. Once you’ve set your rate, adjusted it for what a specific client is asking for, and are faced with opposition, it’s about your rate, not theirs. 

In a situation like this where a client is interested in hiring you but wants to cut your rate in half or worse, I’ve found the best thing to do is again, explain. Detail the process for them and how much you’re charging for each aspect of the project. Point to your reviews and experience to show them that the work they’ll be getting from you is worth the price they’ll be paying. If they can’t afford your quality, that’s not your problem. There are many other clients who can. 

That may sound harsh, but if you earn your living from freelancing, you must have these kinds of boundaries. Sure, if you really feel like you can lower your rate for a certain project, you can absolutely do it. But don’t let it become every time. 

It’s All About Adapting

Setting your rate as a freelancer is all about research, planning, and adapting. Sure, you’ll likely make some mistakes, but the great part about having a freelancing business is that you can reflect on what went wrong and bounce right back. Following these few tips already gives you a great start to setting your rate and having success at the start—or even in the middle of—your freelancing career.

Have any questions about freelance writing? Let me know in the comments! I always love hearing your thoughts.

Happy writing!
-E.J.

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