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I'm a 5 Star Writer; how much should I charge? Options
Will-72704
Posted: Monday, October 3, 2016 7:02:04 PM

Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member

Joined: 9/26/2016
Posts: 1
My current standard rate is 3 cents per word and this is the absolute minimum I can comfortably write for; it is certainly is not very motivating. As a 5 star writer, I believe I should earn more than this. What is a reasonable rate to charge per word for non-technical writing topics?
Matthew-72721
Posted: Friday, October 7, 2016 4:01:15 PM

Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member

Joined: 10/1/2016
Posts: 2
Right now, I am charging $0.05/word for articles. I am going to bump it up to the $0.07-0.10/word range on Saturday. I'm mainly focused on Financial Technology and B2B Marketing, so I feel pretty comfortable charging more. From what I have seen, most of the non-technical topics are paying around 0.05/word on the open board. If you are looking to move it up, I would start there and see how it goes. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

—Matthew
Will-72704
Posted: Friday, October 7, 2016 5:17:05 PM

Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member

Joined: 9/26/2016
Posts: 1
This site is actually my first foray into non-technical writing; I am used to writing for around 10 cents per word. Maybe I'll change my expertise categories to things like science and medicine and get out of this 1.8 - 3.5 cent per word mire. 
Matthew-72721
Posted: Monday, October 10, 2016 8:43:30 PM

Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member

Joined: 10/1/2016
Posts: 2
Will-72704 wrote:
This site is actually my first foray into non-technical writing; I am used to writing for around 10 cents per word. Maybe I'll change my expertise categories to things like science and medicine and get out of this 1.8 - 3.5 cent per word mire. 

Most of my categories are Finance, Technology, and automotive at the moment. I haven't decided whether I want to narrow or expand my scope just yet. I hope you find success! (most of the 5* jobs in finance seem to average 4.9-7 cents/word)
Tami-25632
Posted: Wednesday, October 12, 2016 11:56:00 AM

Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member

Joined: 1/24/2013
Posts: 117
Location: Belleville, ON Canada
I wouldn't necessarily rely on changing expertise categories to increase your rate. The key is to write consistently well and develop a client base who knows they can rely on you for content that requires very little, if any work before they can publish it. Develop a relationship with a few and you can charge accordingly. 

The second reason behind me saying don't necessarily go to a more technical writing category is you have to figure in the amount of time it takes you to write a piece that is flawless. I can whip off an automotive piece in half an hour or less, but a finance or tech piece can take anywhere up to three hours, depending on my knowledge of the topic and the level of writing. If I was charging 10c/wd for the harder topics and only 5c/wd for the auto, I'd make far better money on the 5-cent pieces. Just a little food for thought.
Colin-73866
Posted: Tuesday, February 7, 2017 8:07:36 AM

Rank: Member
Groups: Member

Joined: 10/11/2016
Posts: 6
Location: South Africa
Tammy I really like what you had to say and I agree totally. I've only been on Zerys since October 2016 and have a 4.3 star rating. I've recently put my rate up to 4.5c per word, though I've noticed most clients are paying around 7c. 

I think that the rate should depend very much on the client and the topic you're writing on. 

A good example of this is a client I work for directly - a web development agency in Liverpool UK. They were my first regular clients that I took on when I started freelancing, as a result I took them on at a ridiculously low rate. While I've increased their rate slightly over time, they still pay far less than any other client. There's two reasons for this.

Firstly it's because of the volume of work they send me 10-20 articles per week at 500-600 words per article, it's always great to know that I can rely on this steady flow of work. However the main reason why I don't see a need to charge them more is the ease with which I can write these articles. I know them and they know me, this means I have free reign regarding the tone and (for the most part) the content of the articles. As a result I spend a few hours at a time working through their articles in between more challenging work. It's quick, easy and I can't remember when last they asked me for a rewrite. 

The combination of time spent and the regular work I get from this client means that their work is very valuable to me, even though I'm earning less per word. 
Kirsten-19262
Posted: Friday, March 24, 2017 1:25:37 AM

Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member

Joined: 3/5/2013
Posts: 54
Location: South Africa
Matthew-72721 wrote:
Right now, I am charging $0.05/word for articles.

—Matthew

Is this including the percentage Zerys takes? 
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