What's the going rate for writing articles?

1. 82

   Lily Roseposted 14 years ago

   I've never written for anyone other than myself, but I've been contacted and asked to write some articles on different (online) platforms on a general topic that is of some interest to me.  I have no idea if it would be worth my while and no idea how much to ask for. 
   
   Anyone here have any ideas??  Any tips, hints, or words of caution?

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2. 80

   Sufidreamerposted 14 years ago

   Hi Lily,
   
   We had a little bit of a discussion on this thread a few hours back:
   
   http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/44192
   
   Hope it helps!

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3. 82

   Lily Roseposted 14 years ago

   Sorry - guess I didn't dig deep enough - thanks for the link, Sufi ...going to check it out now!
   
   Okay, checked it out but it really didn't give me any answers...
   
   I just need to know what I should be asking for - at least ballpark??  Charge by the word, by the article, by the hour??

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      NathanSyckelposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      500 word decent quality articles should cost between 8 and 10 dollars. Some people are cheap though and will only pay 5. I go for 10 though.

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         NathanSyckelposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         To add to that. Another price I see frequently is 2.3 or 2.5 cents per word.

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      2. 80

         Sufidreamerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Nathan - I read your articles and they are very interesting and very well written.
         
         You are horribly underselling yourself by pitching at that price

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         1. 59

            NathanSyckelposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Thanks! I appreciate the comments. Just to clarify I don't write for other people. The prices I gave were what I pay for articles of a decent quality. I usually end up editing them because I'm a perfectionist. But I can usually get a really decent 500 word article for 10 or 11 bucks.

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               Sufidreamerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               hehe - my mistake. It was the small hours of the morning!

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            2. 69

               SaiKitposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               Hi Nat, thanks for the tips
               
               Where do you find quality writers?
               
               Did you ever find another hubber to write or broadcast a writing job to mass hubbers?
               
               Thanks
               Sai Kit

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         flipjorkposted 9 years agoin reply to this

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            FatFreddysCatposted 9 years agoin reply to this

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               ChristinSposted 9 years agoin reply to this

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      Sufidreamerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      For article writing, I tend to quote for 500 word articles.
      
      The hourly idea is more about working out how much you need to make, per hour, to justify your time, in taxes, health insurance, electricity, internet etc. I don't know what the cost of living is in the US, so I can't be much help on that score.
      
      Too many writers undervalue their work - don't drop below $25 for a general, low research article. if your work is of a high standard, people will pay that.
      
      As a writer, you are a professional - your time is valuable, and worth much more than $7 per hour

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4. 65

   Mishaposted 14 years ago

   Let's see. I can easily hire a Philippino with bachelor's degree in English for about $200 per month. Let's say for a sake of simplicity it is 20 working days, and she can write 2 articles per working day (which is a very conservative estimate). This comes to $5 per article I believe, at best - or worst, depends on what side you are looking at it. And yes, Philippinos write in good American English.

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      Aya Katzposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      What's the cost of living in the Philippines?

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      SaiKitposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      The last time I checked. A credible outsource site I looked at with all level of Philippinos merchants --- all have some kind of funny English in their own ads.
      
      How do you find the kind of Philippinos writers you just mentioned?
      
      Thanks

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5. 65

   Mishaposted 14 years ago

   $200 is a good lower middle class salary

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   1. 82

      Aya Katzposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      But not in the US. Which may mean that the going rate should be different in different countries. Or even in different regions in the same country.;->

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      andromidaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I guess this is the secret of your success

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         Mishaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Nah, I just discovered the place myself. But I bet it is the key to my future success

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6. 82

   Lily Roseposted 14 years ago

   hmmm...definitely some interesting food for thought!  I'm waiting to hear back from this person with more details an what type of articles she's looking for.  Perhaps I'll see what she's offering first...
   
   Thanks for all the helpful comments, guys!

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7. 69

   Bill Manningposted 14 years ago

   I use to write blog post, thousands of them. I also did 500 word articles. I now pay someone else to write my post. It really depends on what type of article or post you need.
   
   But I pay my writer 3 bucks per 150 word post. She can bang out around 10 of them an hour cause they are simple post. If they required research then I would pay more.
   
   $3.00 to $4.00 bucks for a simple 150 to 200 word article is about right. 500 word article, around 9 to 10 bucks. But I've seen some charge 20 bucks for a 500 word article. It all comes down to how much the person wants to pay.

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8. 82

   Lily Roseposted 14 years ago

   Forgot to ask this all-important question regarding getting paid - do you get paid before or after you write the article??

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      Mishaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I usually pay after - but if I know the person I can pay at least part in advance. I prefer not to pay the total sum in advance, because it sort of disincentivises most people

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9. 79

   thisisoliposted 14 years ago

   Charge as much as the market will bear.
   
   The problem is that now you are competing with English speaking American college students who seem to be able to charge $0.30 per hundred words.
   
   I personally don't like to drop below the $2 per hundred word mark, and can often charge a lot more. Times are getting tougher though, I hope the recession lifts a little soon!

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10. 82

    Lily Roseposted 14 years ago

    Thank you, Misha!  I just might give this a go...

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11. 83

    IzzyMposted 14 years ago

    Sorry to butt in. I sometimes write for a filipino lady who likes my writing style, but the pay is woeful.
    I didn't actually know until I read it here the cost of living in the Phillipines - I assumed it to be on a par with Europe or the Americas. So what seems like a lot to them is pitiful to us.
    Yet some of them can write just as well as natural English speakers. What chance of getting work in the world circuit really then, when workers in lower paid countries can write just as well.
    
    Oh and I always got paid after the articles were completed to satisfaction, though I have heard of some horror stories out there from less scrupulous operators.

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12. 82

    Lily Roseposted 14 years ago

    Thanks for butting in, Izzy!  I guess I can consider myself lucky that someone contacted me to write for them?  This is totally new for me.  I usually write when something inspires me; I'm not used to writing on demand, but the overall subject matter is of interest to me so I'm hoping I'll be able to do it because I could really use the extra $...
    
    ...wish me luck!

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13. 83

    IzzyMposted 14 years ago

    If they contacted you, you don't need luck you have an already proven skill! AND you can aks the price the others suggested here as the going rate.
    You go girl!

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    Money Glitchposted 14 years ago

    Interesting posting with lots of great info. And I agree with IzzyM! Lady luck is already on your side, Lily Rose, so congratulation.  Be sure to let us know how it works out for you!

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15. 90

    habeeposted 14 years ago

    You guys are selling yourselves WAY too cheap! Sure, I've written a few short articles for $10 each, but I've also sold lots for $80, $100, and $200 each. I sold 2 last week for $160. The most I was ever paid for an article was $375, but it was a looong piece.

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