Why doesn't google help with the REALLY important stuff?
February 10, 2011 4:15 PM Subscribe
Thanks to some fabulous advice here, I have been invited to apply for a staff writer position. Woo-hoo! But they want to know my rate per 100 words. How do I figure that out?
They also ask me to submit an hourly rate, which I'm okay with, but per 100 words? I have no clue where to start. Part-time, around 10 hours a week, working from home, if that makes any difference.
It would be my first paid writing job, so obviously I'm not going to charge a fortune, but I don't want to undercharge either.
How do I calculate a reasonable rate?
They also ask me to submit an hourly rate, which I'm okay with, but per 100 words? I have no clue where to start. Part-time, around 10 hours a week, working from home, if that makes any difference.
It would be my first paid writing job, so obviously I'm not going to charge a fortune, but I don't want to undercharge either.
How do I calculate a reasonable rate?
I'm not a writer but would assume something like this would pay per piece not how many words it contains, I hope someone can expand on this.
posted by sadieglass at 5:52 PM on February 10, 2011
posted by sadieglass at 5:52 PM on February 10, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for your input, ottereroticist. I've researched the company - they do media 'output' for various businesses and associations via blogging, press releases, social media updates, that type of thing. In-depth research and 'insightful commentary and opinions' are mentioned too in the offer... it's all over the place, which is why I'm having a hard time figuring out what to ask for/demand.
At the moment I'm considering submitting an hourly rate, and asking for clarification on what exactly they would need from me before committing to a per-100-word rate.
Oh, and it's a casual position (to begin with). I guess that's why they're asking what rates I'd charge?
posted by malibustacey9999 at 5:53 PM on February 10, 2011
At the moment I'm considering submitting an hourly rate, and asking for clarification on what exactly they would need from me before committing to a per-100-word rate.
Oh, and it's a casual position (to begin with). I guess that's why they're asking what rates I'd charge?
posted by malibustacey9999 at 5:53 PM on February 10, 2011
Best answer: I had a similar gig for about a year. They paid me by the hour (about $14, IIRC) and there was a vague expectation that I could write about 300 words (research included) in an hour. So I guess that means I made about $5 per 100 words. YMMV, of course.
posted by OLechat at 6:17 PM on February 10, 2011
posted by OLechat at 6:17 PM on February 10, 2011
Best answer: It's been a while for me, but I believe ten cents a word is not out of order. So that would be $10 per hundred.
posted by Gilbert at 7:56 PM on February 10, 2011
posted by Gilbert at 7:56 PM on February 10, 2011
Quality magazines often pay freelancers a dollar a word. But that's for high-end features and investigative work, which requires a lot of front-end research and goes through multiple layers of vetting and fact-checking.
posted by Susan PG at 9:19 PM on February 10, 2011
posted by Susan PG at 9:19 PM on February 10, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
The answer could vary by several hundred percent depending on the form, the topic, and what you're starting with: 100 words of op-ed vs. 100 words of investigative journalism vs. 100 words of technical review vs. 100 words of high-concept ad copy.
I would go back to them and say you can't answer the question without an example of the desired result. I would also consider how much research this hypothetical project involves, since for technical topics research can take as long or longer than the actual writing.
I'm confused, though -- why do they need to know your hourly and per word rates if the job is as a staff writer?
posted by ottereroticist at 5:25 PM on February 10, 2011