Comments on: Freelance Copywriting – What’s a Fair Price?

By: SEO Article Writing Lab

SEO Article Writing Lab — Mon, 03 May 2010 00:51:43 +0000

I must say, you have hit the nail on the head. Freelance copywriting is serious work, and often switching from a well-paying full time job is just nonsense… Then again, Ms. Copywriter doesn’t need to worry about being cut, because “the company no longer needs a full-time copywriter”, etc.

By: Caroline

Caroline — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 03:44:41 +0000

A very informative and interesting site – thanks for the info. I’m proofreading my first freelance job after completing a diploma in national book editing, proofreading & publishing. It’s a glossly brochure for a well know electronics company with lots of specs and I’ve put in 25 hrs to date. There will probably be another 10 hrs to come. (The designer lives close by and therefore I can be very flexible for her.) I thought to charge $40 ph but is this reasonable?

By: Emma

Emma — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:50:36 +0000

Thank you, Michael, for your swift and comprehensive reply!

By: admin

admin — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:01:28 +0000

Hi Emma,

Thank you for your enquiry. Rates for editing and proofreading vary considerably. The Society of Editors (Victoria) conducted a survey of its members about four years ago and found the average hourly rate was around $60 per hour. This is reasonable when you consider the amount of knowledge and experience required to be a competent editor.

I have found that I can proofread 2,000 to 3,000 words per hour, depending on the quality of the text.

People often ask for proofreading when they really need copy editing or substantive editing (see our blog post on the difference between editing and proofreading).

Let’s say you can proofread 2,000 words per hour. If you want to earn $48 per hour for your proofreading, you will charge $12 per 500 words.

I suggest that you time yourself when proofreading to get an idea of how long it takes you. Eventually you will see how many words per hour you can proofread (on average) and determine how much you need to charge for your proofreading services.

Michael

By: Emma

Emma — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 06:34:54 +0000

I’m a qualified English teacher and tutor, but am currently on extended maternity leave. Over the years, given my qualifications, I’ve done quite a bit of editing and proofreading for some community groups and friends, but my fee has ranged heavily depending on the situation. In order to earn some extra income, I have recently liaised with a friend who has a graphic design business (they specialise in websites and promotional doucments) and we are in the process of working out a contract for my proof reading services. To make matters simpler for himself and his clients, he is suggesting I charge ‘per 500 words’. Given my lack of ‘official’ qualifications and the fact most proofreaders seem to charge by the hour, how do I calcuate a reasonable fee?

By: admin

admin — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 06:51:05 +0000

Hi Jessica,

Your fees will depend on the type of work you’re doing. If you’re still studying and don’t have much experience you can’t charge as much as someone with experience, but I think $30 per hour should be the absolute minimum.

Michael

By: admin

admin — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:43:56 +0000

Thank you, Lorraine, for your positive feedback on our copywriting blog.

The main point we are trying to stress is that copywriting is a business. Freelance copywriters and organisations purchasing copywriting services don’t always understand the economics of the copywriting profession. We hope our post will help freelance copywriters and their copywriting customers.

Michael

By: Lorraine Pacey

Lorraine Pacey — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 02:12:26 +0000

I wish I’d read this article prior to setting up my business model and working out my charge rate. Luckily I followed the same logic as you suggest in your article – it just took me a lot longer to figure it out than reading your article did! I also usually charge on a project basis based on an educated guess of how long the project will take me. Please keep the informative contributions coming.
Lorraine

By: admin

admin — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:25:00 +0000

Hi Jess,

I’m glad the information was helpful. There’s so much confusion about copywriting rates that I felt it was time to write a post on this. We usually charge on a project basis for copywriting. We have a good idea of how long it will take us to complete a copywriting project. This prevents unpleasant surprises for our copywriting clients.

Best regards,

Michael