How to Negotiate Pay as a Freelance Writer

Video Transcript

"REBECCA SATO: Hi. I'm Rebecca with ExpertVillage.com. We're going to talk about how to negotiate rates and payment. As a writer, it's very important that you get paid. Now, I mentioned earlier that at the very beginning of your career, you might be willing to work for little to no pay just to get your first few samples, but after that, don't look back. You don't work for free. Unless you're doing it pro bono out of the goodness of your heart for a charity or a friend or a loved one, then I would say make sure you always get paid for sure. And be careful because even if it isn't charity or a friend or a loved one, you still have to make a living. So make sure that you balance that with your paid work. And a lot of times even charities have a budget to pay a writer, and if they don't, then fine. You go with your heart on that. And I believe in karma and a lot of the harvest whatever you want to call it. If you give, you're going to get back. At the same time, you need to know how to negotiate with clients that, obviously, they know they're going to pay you and obviously, you know you're going to get paid. The question is how much money and for how--how much money will they pay for how much work rendered. And it's really important to be clear with that upfront. And it's also very important to not let them backtrack on that, and that's one reason why it is nice to get things in writing. But even before it gets in writing, you need to agree to the terms. So what you want to do is make sure that you know the market, and make sure that you know what the going rate is. Now, if you know the going rate and you have some experience and you're a good writer, then don't do it for less, unless you want to and unless it's a project that you're really interested in and you're willing to work for a little bit less. But don't ever work for free. That's for sure. And don't ever work for an amount of money that isn't going to be enough for you to live the way that you want to live. And that's what it goes down to. So what I recommend is if you're working with a client that doesn't live in your region, check the rates in where they live, in that area. It's going to be a different market in New York than it's going to be in Oklahoma or Denver, for example. It's going to be different. A New York editor is probably going to pay a little higher than a Midwest editor. So know that. You don't want to ask such an exuberant amount that you're not going to get the job and they're just going to give it to someone who's more realistic. But you also don't want to shortchange yourself. So I think negotiation is something that you really have to get good at and you really have to think about. So just keep that in mind."