The WMF Archives

By Kerrie McLoughlin

Recently I got this e-mail from fellow WM Freelance Connection blogger Carol Tice:

Kerrie, You wrote a project worth $10,000-$25,000 for $500. Why? 100 pages of marketing materials at $5 a page?? I feel physically sick. $250 a page would be a bottom appropriate rate for that kind of work, maybe $100 if it was incredibly easy stuff. On a rush? The rate doubles. You could have made enough to take some real time off with baby 5 if you'd bid this at appropriate rates for copywriting. See the Writer's Market for some ranges on how to price this stuff. I'm a college dropout too...but you can make $95 an hour on this stuff. As long as a lot of people don't come along and do it for $5 that is.  Maybe you could post a comment and explain why you took such an obviously inappropriate rate for this job? I'm just flabbergasted. This isn't writing eHow articles or something...you've given this company a manual they can use to promote themselves and make money with FOREVER at no additional charge. It has a lot of value. Maybe I'm missing something here, where you say $500 makes your account a LOT bigger? I'm boggled. $500 is what you should get for one article, or one page of copywriting, really...am I maybe just not understanding the rate?  Carol

My reply to her, which I thought you might be interested in:

I'm going to be totally honest here, even if I end up sounding like a fool. Although I've been published in many regional parenting magazines (as well as an international magazine and a local newspaper), have published two e-books and have written sales and marketing materials, it is difficult for me to think of myself as a "professional writer" … maybe because I didn't go to college to be a writer.  It’s true I don't always do my research into things like rates.  Here are my excuses:

(1) I was flattered to be hired at all to do something I had no experience in
(2) I was too lazy and busy to check rates
(3) I'm a people pleaser and didn't want to ask for too much money to do something I wasn't even sure I could pull off

Back then I was keeping a time log, and I spent 22.5 hours on these two projects which netted me $459.50.  This came out to about $20 per hour on a rush project.  Doing something I love and making $20 per hour seemed like a dream come true.  Looking back, I busted my butt on these projects.  The call came as I was heading into a weekend away with my family.  The project took away from that weekend and also took time away from my children and husband the following week.

The next time something like this comes up, I will ask for more because my time is valuable.  It should definitely be worth my while.  That money went fast when I could have made so much more and taken a really nice vacation with my family.

I'm learning some important lessons here on The WM Freelance Connection.  One is that I may not have a degree, but I am still a decent writer.  Another is that it's okay to move up and make more money.  I can still write for smaller magazines, but I need to get off the pot and start pitching queries at some national magazines. Thanks for giving me much to ponder.  I'm frustrated that I shortchanged myself, but I have learned from this mistake!

WM Freelance Connection Readers:  Are you getting paid what you are worth?  Why or why not?  Any tips to offer?

Writer Carol Tice Kicks My Butt