Charge For Your Writing and Editing Services

“A Money Bag” © 401kcalculator.org Photo License: Creative Commons

You got hooked on this writing thing and thought getting paid for it would be sweet.

It is. The pain comes when you stop to figure out what and how you are paid.

This is NOT an exact science but beyond research, I highly recommend touching base with other writers and artists from your community – offline and online.  Think about your expenses, your time, rights you will be selling and, what YOU bring to the table as far as experience and the amount of research you will be doing.  Add a markup percentage to help defray the costs of those things you don’t immediately think about: electricity, apportioning your taxes and insurance, your consumables (paper, ink etc.) Give some thought too, as to what the particular market will bear.

Having said all of that, consider this – your value. A great place to start is to read what Sharon Hurley Hall, one of my personal mentors, says about Writers’ Worth: Changing The Writing Conversation.  When you get stuck or overwhelmed, come back to this again.

You don’t want to undersell yourself just to get the business.  You want to walk away satisfied with what you’ve offered.  However, if the client is reliable and respects your worth, you want them to come back; good clients are hard to find!

This list will prove to be useful for those travelling along their creative journey:

Seawoman’s 2 Cents: NB. I update this from time to time as trends shift.

Trends continue to show content writing & marketing is HOTTER than ever – good news for us writers! That’s one the planks of Seawoman Creative Media‘s business.

How To Estimate On That Project

Keeping it 100%, this is the toughest part where I’ve agonized the most. You feel overwhelmed and wonder if you’re too over or too under. Then you may not send the quote at all! It won’t be perfect but just do it. I suggest you start with:

• Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator. A MUST-tap by Jennifer Mattern. Click HERE!
• Project Estimates For Freelance Writers. Jennifer Mattern gives you a great way to calculate your time. Tap HERE!

Charging for Writing (alpha)

• About Freelance Writing has a great post on “Setting Your Fees.” Tap HERE!
• Angela Hoy’s “Writing For Others – What to Charge?” Tap HERE!
• Blog post charging for Freelancers by Carol Tice (excellent one!) Tap HERE!
• Contently’s 2015 Freelance Rates Database for writers, designers, visual artists & photographers. (You can contribute your info too!). Tap HERE!
• Content Launch.com‘s published prices give you an idea with their rates
• Debra Jason gives great cost factors you need to consider. (Seems we are on the same page!) Tap HERE!
• Editorial Freelance Association has a great guide for Editorial fees and more. Tap HERE!
• Examples of Freelance Writing Rates by Allena Tapia (2016). Tap HERE!
• Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator. A MUST-click by Jennifer Mattern. Tap HERE!
• How Much Does Professional Web Content Writing Cost? by The Content Factory. Great guide offering all elements you need to consider in the true costs. Tap HERE!
• How Much Should You Pay For Quality Content? Interactive calculator for you.  Tap HERE!
• How Much To Charge For A Commercial Spot On Your Podcsst by Creative Label. Tap HERE!
• How To Hire An Editor by Mark Nichol. Tap HERE!
• Lynn Wasnak’s How Much Should I Charge is excellent. This detailed post covers EVERYTHING: even for copywriting, resume writing, critiquing manuscripts, comic book writing and much more. Tap HERE!
• Sharon Hurley Hall has a great blog called “Get Paid To Write“.  Tap HERE!
• What It Really Costs To Be A Freelance Writer by Laura Spencer. Tap HERE!
• What To Pay An Editor in 2015 Cheat Sheet by Lisa Furgison. Tap HERE!
• Writer’s Digest – Excellent table format on how to charge for writing & editing by the hour/ project/ page. Tap HERE! 

Merch (I LOVE this word! Look out for #seawoman branded merchandise hopefully sooner than later. 🙂 )

• 10 Print-On-Demand Companies For Selling Your Own Custom Products – list breakdown by shipping, features and options
• 31 Best Print On Demand Sites and Service Companies – list highlights features
• Sellfy Review 2021 by Randa Kriss on Fundera – good breakdown comparing Sellfy to other ecommerce businesses
• The Best Print On Demand Sites for Artists & Designers (March 2021) by Michael Essek

Passive Income (I want to REALLY grow this section!)

• The 67 Best Affiliate Programs for 2021 – Comb through carefully. Best to use those with which you really identify with/ use.

Podcasts

• How To Make Money Podcasting by Ella Ames on The Balance Small Business
• How To Make Money Podcasting 2021 by Adam Erhart on The Adam Erhart Marketing Show on YouTube – similar info but easier to digest since it’s a short and informative vid
• How To Make Money Podcasting: 11 Ways To Monetize A Podcast by Podcast Insights
• Podcast Sponsorships: The Ultimate Guide by Entrepreneurs On Fire

Social Media Consulting & Management won’t go away soon (strategy, auditing, training and curation). My favs are:

• Alexis Grant
• BlueCloud Solutions
• Creating a Social Media Strategy
• HQ Social Media  (savvy clients WILL ask questions!)
• Mack Collier
• Virtual Social Media (good breakdown of factors)

Songwriting & Music

• Can Songtrust Collect My YouTube Royalties? – Short answer – Yes! So a service like this is worth the investment.
• CD Baby – Global music distribution while you stream and sell your music
• Songtrust Review: Songtrust Music Publishing – Is It Worth It? – one of the most useful things is that feedback on some other music publishing sites liek CD Baby are mentioned.
• What is Tunecore and How To Use It – a breakdown Tunecore which “provides independent artists with the ability to and sell their music globally through online music services. The platform offers artists the chance to get their music onto stores such as Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon Music” etc