How Much Money Do Freelance Writers Make?
Here’s what unions recommend — and what writers actually get paid
“How much do you charge?” I was asked this question a few weeks ago by a magazine editor. It’s a tough question because I didn’t want to pitch too high and lose the job, but I didn’t want to pitch low and undersell myself.
I’m a freelance writer. It’s my job, so it has to pay a decent income. Some writers expect a minimum rate per hour, which they multiply by the number of hours they expect the job to take. Some take what they can get. I try to aim for a minimum income per day, which can mean working quickly on low paying jobs. But it can also be hard to estimate how long a job will take, so that doesn’t always work out in my favour.
For many writers however, the answer depends on a whole bunch of other factors, some of which are subjective, and some of which are not related to money at all:
- How long will the piece take to write?
- How much work is involved?
- How badly do you want the job?
- How busy is your writing schedule (e.g. can you easily find the time)?
- Is it a piece you’d enjoy writing?
- Are there other perks, such as a free holiday or outing?
- Have you already written, or drafted, the piece (so a low sale is better than no sale)?
- Do you have another potential buyer for the piece if this one doesn’t like your rates?
- Do you need the exposure?
- Is there a charitable reason or personal incentive for contributing to this publication?
The Freelance Fees Guide
The Freelance Fees Guide is a website set up by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the UK, to help their members decide what to charge when working in different sectors.
The publishing industry is under a lot of pressure due to competition from the internet, and falling sales on many print titles, so editors base their rates on factors ranging from the commercial value of a story, to what they think they can get away with.
The NUJ argue that the typical rates offered by newspapers don’t pay for the days or weeks of in-depth research required for serious pieces of investigative journalism. This, they say, is why the papers are now printing more opinion pieces, less news, and filling pages with “actors’ agents’ press releases” instead of investigative journalism. “A diet of fluff is the inevitable result,” said one freelancer writing for the NUJ.
Suggested rates — magazines and newspapers
The NUJ’s suggested freelance rates for magazine writing start at £250 for a 1000 word contribution to a small press magazine. The rate rises through different categories, suggesting £350 for work published in large trade magazines; £550 for smaller consumer magazines; and £1000 per 1000 words published in large circulation and glossy magazines. They also suggest that some US publications should pay more.
The suggested rate for normal features in quality national newspapers is £500 per 1000 words, and for “splashy features for qualities” they suggest £800. The types of feature are broken down further, with a suggested rate for a page leading story in a tabloid, set at £1250+.
The NUJ acknowledge that the rates paid for newspaper copy vary hugely, saying their suggestions are “decent achievable minima”. Newspapers may pay considerably more for big stories and exclusives.
The NUJ suggest that regional newspapers might like to pay between £70 and £170 for 1000 words. In my experience, you’ll be lucky to get £17 but that’s my local reality, and it may not be yours.
In digital media, the NUJ suggests publishers pay £300 for a 1000 word article.
Business and corporate
For those people interested in working for the business and corporate sector, the NUJ’s suggested fees for a low budget PR campaign start at £250 for a 1000 word press release, rising to £350 for a 1000 word ‘corporate journalism’ article, which requires more research.
For a high budget PR campaign, the suggested fees are £600 for a 1000 word press release, rising to £850 for a 1000 word ‘corporate journalism’ article.
They suggest a 10% premium for specialist writing, and have day rates for brochure production and annual reports, ranging from £400 to £700 per day. Speech writing appears to be the most lucrative activity in corporate communications with the suggested rate for a high budget 30 minute speech set at £3500!
However, in the real world, many publishers pay considerably lower fees than these quoted by the NUJ, so don’t feel that you’re doing badly if you’re earning less from your writing. Unions always like to ‘suggest’ that their members get well paid. It’s part of their job.
See their suggested fees for different types of work at: www.londonfreelance.org/feesguide
Actual rates
Now let’s look at the NUJ’s database of actual rates paid to freelancers. The “NUJ Rate for the Job” page lists magazines, newspapers, websites, books, PR writing, and other types of writing, and the actual rates paid go back to the 1990s.
I’ll look at rates paid to writers in 2020. They vary widely and include rates paid to highly experienced journalists, as well as new people entering the profession.
Payment for features in 2020
According to ‘NUJ Rate for the Job’ pages, Aesthetica magazine paid £100 for a 1750 word article. The same year, Amateur Photographer magazine paid £75 for a 400 word opinion piece, and Condé Nast Traveler paid £350 for a 2200 word feature.
Other payments made for articles 800–1200 word long in 2020 include:
- Alma — $100 USD
- Art in America — £250
- Art Monthly — £125
- Bandcamp $350 USD
- BBC Future £400
- Billboard $250 USD
- Business Insider $100 USD
- Church Times £150
- Culture Trip £115
- Downbeat £100
- Ensia £600
- Esquire £200
- Fortean Times £75
- Grazia £150
- Gizmodo UK £100
Some publications commission longer or shorter pieces of work: Flash Art Magazine paid $120 for a 650 word exhibition review. Glamour magazine paid £650 for a 1800 word piece featuring someone’s true life story.
Rates among newspapers
Rates paid by newspapers vary enormously too. Look at the full list of newspaper rates online and you’ll find that the Guardian, for example, paid between £125 and £700 per 1000 words in 2020! The full list is fascinating, and well worth a look. You’ll probably discover many publications you’ve never heard of.
Actual rates paid to freelancers: www.londonfreelance.org/rates
Do these rates seem high to you?
Some of these rates may seem high. Others seem low. I’m sure many readers write part-time, are not NUJ members, and may be happy with lower rates. That’s good, because publications with lower rates will naturally attract less competition, so new writers have more opportunity to get published.
It’s also worth saying that there are a lot of publications who don’t pay as much as the actual rates quoted here, and that’s perhaps reflected in the fact that many of the titles listed require specialist knowledge. Take the Petroleum Economist or Computer Weekly as examples of titles that pay reasonable rates because they need experts.
In contrast, many lifestyle, nostalgia, or even hobby titles (especially those open to new contributors) will pay around £80 to £100 per article (of varying lengths). Some pay more. Some pay considerably less. Often rates are fixed, but some are negotiable, and corporate clients might be more flexible on rates if you’re writing business copy.
I sometimes have to decide whether I’d rather spend my time working for the small presses or pitching to the better paying titles. The bottom line is, I’d rather be working, so I try to maximise my output, not always for the best rates. Those writers who stand their ground and hold out for the better paying opportunities may find it pays off in the long term, assuming they’re successful.
So what is your time worth?
How much do you need to charge? It depends on your own aims, your circumstances, your experience, and whether you have the profile or expertise to command the higher rates… of course there’s no harm in trying!
The NUJ comment that writers’ pay may seem high, but they have a lot of expenses too. Freelancers have to pay two lots of National Insurance to make up for the absence of employers’ contributions, they have to spend unpaid hours on tax returns and administration, and they don’t get paid sick leave or holidays.
There’s no company pension, and they have to pay their own business travel, phone bills, IT equipment, photographic equipment and software. So freelancers need a decent rate if they’re going to be able to afford the same lifestyle as an employee when all those costs are accounted for.
Publishers cutting their fees
Due to the challenging economic environment, some publishers have cut their fees in recent years. One publication cut their fees by 25% before the pandemic, and my local paper told me they couldn’t afford to pay for my weekly column any more. Suffice to say I stopped doing it, but some local correspondents continue, unpaid, to keep in touch with their village’s activities and provide a community service.
Learn to negotiate
The NUJ suggest that there might be room for negotiation in the standard rates offered by publishers, but advise that professional freelance writers should never suggest their own rate first, because they might pitch too low. Let the client make the offer first, and then ask for more, because they might say yes. Of course they might also say no, and then you have to decide if the rate is acceptable.
Not everyone is comfortable negotiating but it does make some sense to maximise your value from the outset, because it can be difficult to renegotiate your rate later on.
Negotiating extra payment for different rights
The NUJ also suggests that freelancers should request extra payment for publishing their piece online, or for all rights contracts. Many publishers now demand all rights, and won’t ask you before uploading your article to their website, so if you feel strongly, you need to discuss it at the outset.
“How much should you charge?” There is no easy answer to this question, but consider your reasons for doing the work, how important it is to you, and try to negotiate a fair fee for your time. Once you have some experience behind you and editors know you can be relied upon, you may be able to command higher rates.
A freelance ready reckoner
Go online and take a look at Andrew Bibby’s ‘ready reckoner’ to see the day rate you’d need to secure to get the equivalent staff salary. It’s very interesting! www.andrewbibby.com/reckoner.html
For more about freelance writing and writers’ pay you might find my books on freelance writing helpful. Click here for my Amazon author page.
More on writing, by me… Make Money Writing to Market
