How much should you charge for your writing?
It’s common for freelance writers to charge based on word-count, with a ‘dollar per word’ rate based on their experience.
That said, most writers on Upwork charge for fractions of a cent, anywhere from .03 to .09 per word.
What’s interesting about this is two-fold.
For one, writers choose their rate. That means that a writer who charges .03 cents a word will have to work twice as much to make the same amount of pay as a writer who charges .07—even if the quality of their writing is about the same. Most clients aren’t going to advise you to increase your rate—even if you are worth more—which means that many good writers charge far less than they deserve.
The second thing that’s interesting is that if they decide to increase their rate mid-contract, their clients are less likely to want to work with them. That because paying .06 cents per word feels like nothing. But paying for a few cents per preposition feels significant.
It’s far more effective, in my opinion, to simply charge a flat-fee instead: '$100 for 1,000 words’ or ‘$500 for five pages.’ Most folks won’t do the math, and even if they do, it’ll be to your advantage.
Sure, many people (particularly folks who are trying to find the cheapest writer possible) will automatically dismiss you, but for the few folks who are looking for the best writer they can find, it’s a double-benefit.
Not only will you get the chance to only work with clients who demand high-quality writing, but by dismissing all others, you’ll build a reputation as someone who only works with quality clients--status that can serve you well as you look for new clients.
It might take some extra effort for strangers to give you the benefit of the doubt (that’s what blogging is for), but it seems to me that charging a premium for premium services for premium clients is the only way to get to the point where you able to be paid what you’re worth.