(www.thegoldenpencil.com)
Hi Anne,
Do you think $5 per blog is a fair pay rate?
Thanks,
C

Hi C,
Great question! And there’s no single answer. Five dollars a post equals $35 a week if you post daily, which isn’t much. But wait!

Is there also a revenue share? If there is and you get popular, that can increase your pay rate significantly.
Is it a topic you’re passionate about? If it is, it probably won’t take you long to write most entries and a blog can be a great showcase of your writing.
Can you use your blog to sell ebooks, drive traffic to a …read more

We freelance writers and editors can sometimes seem obsessed by our pay. It’s not, I think, because we are more mercenary than those with jobs, but the irregular nature of our pay checks provides lots of space for confusion.
Sharlene Thomas, writer, forum member and host of Bella Online’s Career Training site has a great article called Tracking Income for the Self-Employed.
And it’s not just about income tracking. She has some great words of wisdom about collecting as well.
Write well and often,

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Freelance writers are always wondering about their pricing. We talk a lot about it on the forum. My pricing has come to my attention in a couple of ways.
The first is a ghostwriting project. The job came through a broker and, as a result, was less than I would have liked to charge. I like the client and there is probably more work coming from him. Besides, I tend to complete what I promise regardless of price.
Here’s the problem. He’s leaning on me to help him make self-publishing decisions. I haven’t self-published in quite awhile so although I can …read more

I’m always encouraging writers to charge more. This reflects my own experience of not charging enough for my writing for years. It was a problem of self-worth, etc.
But in the beginning most of us had to charge less and perhaps even under-earn to get started. It’s better, at least when starting a freelance writing career, to get paid a little than not get paid at all. So if you’re new to freelancing and get an opportunity to get paid, take it. Even the lowest paid gigs give you practice and a credit you can claim and at least a bit …read more

Sharlene Thomas, who has been a successful freelance writer since 1970 includes on her The PenmanShip.com site, a page on how freelance writers can figure their taxes.
While I certainly can’t comment on its accuracy, I do find the list she provides helpful for keeping track of legitimate expenses and the whole article for a basic understanding of my own tax situation as a freelance writer. I suppose I should remind you not to count on information on this site or Sharene’s for legal/tax advice, but you already know that.
Write well and often,

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Ugh… this is one of those days when it feels like there isn’t a creative molecule anywhere in my being. My brain wants to go to the beach, or maybe it’s my soul.
My approach so far has been to try to get some pesky details out of the way, with small, but some progress.
Fortunately, these days don’t happen to me too often. I know that if I honor the stopping of the creative flow and not try to write well today, it will pass, probably by tomorrow morning.
But gee it feels strange!
You write well and often today, not me,

Subscribe …read more

I just had an email exchange with one of the clients I blog for. They are trying to figure out how to get more traffic. I’ve told them what I know and told them about Problogger. I also told them that until they know their traffic stats we’re operating in the dark.
“I’ll ask my staff,” said the client, much to my relief. I’m a writer, for crying out loud. I haven’t got a clue how to access their stats, nor do I want to know how.
Sometimes I think I’d like a staff, although I’m most apt to have that fantasy …read more

We’ve had some discussion about low pay jobs and even a Freelance Manifesto which attempts to address low pay problems for writers.
One of my job sources, Online Writing Jobs, lets employers post jobs on their own. They offer several categories, including high pay writing jobs and low pay writing jobs. Although most of the $2 per 500 word ads do show up in the low pay category, more than once I’ve found jobs there that offer as much, or even more than 50 cents per word. I’ve also found listings in the high pay section I won’t post because they …read more

Getting paid is always important to freelance writers. Here’s what happened to me recently.
A ghostwriting client and I set up monthly payments to me. I’d already gotten most of the first month’s payment as we got to know each other and I sent an invoice for the balance which was paid promptly. Then November rolled in, I invoiced, he went on vacation and a couple of days ago I called and asked him about the November payment.
He said he thought the balance of the first month’s payment covered November; in my mind it didn’t and I started to argue… he …read more

Comments, general gnashing of teeth, and what-have-you continue on the subject of Freelance Writing Pay – hence the Freelance Writer’s Manifesto, found on CraigsList San Francisco this morning. Apparently written by Patricia Skinner who blogs at SEO Blogosphere, it’s an obviously heart felt expression of frustration and an attempt to get writers enrolled in the idea that they (we) deserve to be paid well for our work.
Obviously, I agree – I’m just not sure admonishing writers to charge decent rates accomplishes much. Sure, if every writer or almost every writer stopped writing for $4 an article, the prices would go …read more