I bargained with life for a penny,
And life would pay no more,
However I begged at evening
When I counted my scanty store;
For life is a just employer,
He gives you what you ask,
But once you have set the wages,
Why, you must bear the task.
I worked for a menial’s hire,
Only to learn dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of life,
Life would have paid.
A poem by: Jessie Belle Rittenhouse (1869–1948)
Are you settling for less than you’re worth?
Are you content to work for pennies while other writers with no more talent than you are earning dollars by the fistful?
The BIG difference between them and you is that they’ve determined the value of their time.
They deliver their best work because they budget the time to do so, then delight their clients with every page of copy, making it easy for word of their quality to spread.
Naturally, there’s an increase in demand for their services and a corresponding increase in remuneration.
In the beginning, youʼll be tempted to take any job to pay the bills. But unless youʼre under duress of losing your house or have a similar disaster youʼre keeping at bay, itʼs smart to go a little hungry for a big meal later.
One of my biggest regrets in the first two years was spending several months churning cheap keyword copy when I should have spent my time searching for clients willing to pay me what I was worth.
You want to earn $100,000 a year for writing?
Thatʼs $400 per day, five days per week.
Fortunately, $400 a day wonʼt be difficult if youʼre writing the right type of copy.
Congregate in low paying markets and you will land low paying jobs. If you start at the bottom with a penny per word, youʼll probably be thrilled when you move up and double your rate to two cents.
Unfortunately, thatʼs still only $10 for a 1,000-word article.
By contrast, I can now charge north of $2000 for a 2,000 word report.
You can get there, too
But you must be willing to make all the baby steps required along the way.
Technical writing, white papers, annual reports, fundraising letters, wedding vows, speeches, sales letters and autoresponders are all excellent ways to boost your bottom line and maximize the hours you spend behind the keyboard (so is doing a great job ghostwriting for someone who doesnʼt want to surrender the credit).
Aim for higher paying markets and you will harvest higher paying assignments. You donʼt have to aim for magazines or print media if you think the competition might be too fierce; you can look for successful businesses that can be even more successful with quality copy.
A business thatʼs willing to spend money to make money is a freelancerʼs best friend.
Find a niche where you can easily develop a natural, authoritative voice; a niche you know inside and out. You already have a specialty even if you donʼt realize it. Ask yourself what topics you understand in depth, find the slice of that industry thatʼs spending money, and claim it as your own.
Believe in yourself. Determine your worth, then do all you can to settle for nothing less
There are plenty of freelance writers earning solid six figure incomes. Nothing is stopping you from joining them, but the right blend of ambition and time.
(Don’t forget to re-tweet!)
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About Sean Platt
Where are the best places to start looking for quality writing gigs? I have done a little bit of work but would like to turn it up a notch.
You can try job boards for sure, but I definitely prefer getting word of mouth referrals, which I find Twitter is EXCEPTIONAL for.
I consider myself an experienced writer but I never thought in my wildest dreams I could reach $100,000 in a year. I am not there yet, but I have slowly built up my price through odd writing jobs like you have said. Experience seems to be the best way to build your writing resume. I hope to someday be at the $100,000 a year level.
If you’re already building up a steady resume and increasing your rates along the way, you’re well on your way. Congratulations! :)
This is just what I needed to read today. I usually look at writing opportunities for how much they will pay vs. the kind of exposure I would get. I was waffling between two offers – neither which pay what I normally make, but they were there. Now I know what kind of decision to make. Great post timing!
Ha, thanks.
Always play the long game. Feels SO MUCH better once you hit the finish line.
(if there is such a thing as a finish line!)
Knowing that there are folks out there making a solid living in the writing business is very encouraging to me. Sean, this is a very timely post as it shows me what is possible. As I am in the early stages of the writing biz, I have a tempered optimism that I can succeed. For me, it’s a matter of learning “how” to make it happen going forward. Thanks again for so generously sharing your thoughts, advice, and personal experiences!!
You’re doing great, Frank. The most important part is getting started, which you’ve done, then maintaining your momentum, which you’ll do this summer!
Keep your eye on the prize!
Seriously, $2000 for a 2k word article? I’m happy to get $50 – $100. I used to have higher paying clients but I find they don’t need work as much. What are you doing to get such high rates, working for National Geographic?!
Big distinction between the word article and the word report, though.
An article fades far too fast to ever command top dollar. A report is something a business can use to drive revenue over and over again, which is what makes them worth every penny.
Same with a sales letter, squeeze page or autoresponder series.
Get great at producing copy that pays out the most on the scale and you will make more for every word you write!
Thanks for the comment, Kyle.