What is Your Writing Really Worth?
by Patricia Fry
If magazines such as Good Housekeeping and Woman's Day were to pay their freelancers comparable to what their advertisers pay them, we would be getting more like $75/word instead of $1/word. Do you know that their advertisers pay as much as $200,000 for a full-page ad?
Can it be true? Some magazines are dropping their rate of pay. Woman's Life has reportedly dropped their pay rate from 18 - 45 cents per word to 15 ? 40 cents/word. While Cosmopolitan's rate of pay has risen 40 cents/word since the 1960s, the increase hasn't kept up with our living costs. Good Housekeeping has maintained their pay at $1/word for years. There has been no cost of living increase.
And then there are the many new magazines that launch every year. Some of them pay freelancers a bare minimum and some try to get away without paying anything for the articles that they publish. Honestly, fellow freelancers, these magazines should be boycotted. Are we in this business to have our talent and hard work exploited or to earn a living?
It's interesting to see which industry pays what. For example, at the low end of the pay scale are literary, Christian, regional, sports, New Age and pet publications. Business and inflight magazines generally pay well. And then you have wide ranges in some categories. You'll find some of the lowest paying magazines among women's, parenting, hobby and home and garden magazines as well as some of the highest. Lost Treasures, Miniature Quilts and Popular Communications pay less than 10 cents/word, for example, while Popular Mechanics pays $1/word. In the parenting category, Atlanta Parent pays a mere $5-$50 for 800-1500 words while American Baby Magazine, Baby Talk, Child and Family Fun each pay $1/word OR MORE.
How to Get Paid More For Your Work
Did you know that you can negotiate pay for your article work? When an editor calls me to assign an article, he/she frequently asks, "What do you want for this piece?" Now I've been writing articles for magazines for over 30 years. I have a track record and I should not be short-changed. So I quickly grab my Writer's Market or the magazine's Writer's Guidelines and note their highest published rate of pay. I add 30 to 50 percent and that's what I request. If an editor sends me a contract or a letter of assignment offering a certain amount, I will check their published rate of pay. If their offer is anywhere under their highest published rate of pay, I will often negotiate the highest rate they publish or more. Don't be afraid to ask for what you believe you're worth.
A few months ago, I received a letter from a company in Arkansas asking permission to reprint an article they saw published in a health magazine. They wanted to print and distribute 2000 copies of the article and asked what I would charge them to do that. I thought about it. I had no idea what they generally pay for this sort of thing. Finally, I suggested $1000. To my surprise, they did not balk. I received the check in the mail last week.
As a freelance writer, you work hard. You fulfill a need. You deserve fair treatment and fair pay.
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