AmSAW-Recommended
Freelance
Writing/Editing Rates
The following are suggestions for minimal
writing/editing rates put
forth to help facilitate your quotes for various writing projects.
Note: The industry standard for a "page" is 250 words. To
determine the number of pages, take total word count and divide by 250.
ADVERTISING COPYWRITING RATES
Includes the creation of
all commercial marketing, promotional, sales, and advertising copy
and supportive material intended for the generation of sales
Creating Conventional, Print, Media, and Digital Copy
$50 to $100 / Hour
$350 to $600 / Day
$1,000 to $2,500 / Week
$2,000 to $3,000 / Month (Retainer)
Creating Direct-Mail, Response Cards, and Related Materials
$50 to $115 / Hour
$2,500 to $10,000 / Project Depending upon Complexity
Creating
Press Release
$350 to $500 / Release
Creating Sales Letter
$400 to $2,000 / Project Depending upon Complexity
ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION
CHARGES
include costs for additional production, such as desktop publishing,
addressing, photography, graphic design, mailing, campaign
management, etc.
EDITORIAL WRITING RATES
Includes the creation of
original reading material, for enjoyment or personal knowledge,
whether fiction or nonfiction, publishable as books, articles,
Websites, blogs, or via other venues
Original Fiction
40 to 80 Cents /
Word
$100 to $200 / 250-Word Page
Original Nonfiction, Reporting, and
Technical Writing
40 to 80 Cents /
Word
$100 to $200 / 250-Word Page
Ghostwriting, Co-Writing, Rewriting, and/or Book
Doctoring
40 to 80 Cents / Word
$100 to $200 / 250-Word Page
Resume
$50 to $100 / Page
Web Content
10 to 40 Cents / Word
$25 to $100 / 250-Word Page
EDITING RATES
Includes taking
pre-existing print copy and completing all conceptual editing and
copy editing, plus proofreading to correct typographical errors
Basic
(Light Conceptual and
Copy Editing Plus Minor Rewriting, Spell-Checking, and Proofreading)
3 to 5 Cents
/ Word
$7.50 to $12.50 / 250-Word Page
Heavy
(Substantial Conceptual
and Copy Editing Plus Fact-Checking, Major Rewriting,
Spell-Checking, and
Proofreading)
10 to 30 Cents
/ Word
$25 to $75 / 250-Word Page
SCRIPTWRITING / SCREENWRITING RATES
Includes all non-print
renderings, whether visual or audible, fiction or nonfiction,
destined for reading and/or performance
Original Screenplay, Fiction or Nonfiction (Full-Length
Feature Film)
$125 to $250 / Standard Formatted Page
Original Script, Fiction (Television, Radio, or Other
Short Script)
$100 to $200 / Standard Formatted Page
Original Script, Nonfiction (Television, Radio, Documentary,
or Other Short Script, Including All Research)
$250 to $500 / Standard Formatted Page
Ghostwriting, Fiction or Nonfiction (Television, Radio, Documentary, or Other
in Which Writer Receives No Credits or Back-End Percentage of
Profits)
$125 to $300 / Standard Formatted Page
Adaptation from Book (Fiction or
Nonfiction in Which Writer May or May Not Receive Credits and Does
Not Receive Back-End Percentage of Profits)
$100 to $200
SCRIPT EDITING / DOCTORING RATES
Includes editing pre-existing scripts, including conceptual editing
and copy editing, plus proofreading to correct typographical errors
Light
Editing
(Basic Light Editing Plus Proofreading)
$2 to $5 / Standard Formatted Page
Heavy Editing (Heavy Editing Plus Proofreading
and Minor Rewriting)
$5 to $10 / Standard Formatted Page
Rewriting or Doctoring (Major
Rework of Original)
$10 to $30 / Standard Formatted Page
SCRIPT
ANALYSIS RATES
Includes written Report
reviewing the premise, plot, sub-plots, story structure, genre
elements, character development, and dialog
$4 to $10 / Standard Formatted Page
TEACHING RATES
Includes all
instructional presentation material on how to write better,
regardless of subject matter, genre, or fiction/nonfiction
Hourly
$50 to $200 / Hour Depending upon Skills
and Experience of Instructor
ADDITIONAL
Include reimbursement
for out-of-pocket expenditures, such as postage, shipping, telephone
calls, travel, etc., billed to the client at least monthly for
longer projects or daily for shorter gigs.
Also, never enter into an agreement
without an expressly written Writer-for-Hire contract, and don't
forget to include some kind of cancellation clause, whereby you
specify that should the client cancel before the completion of a
project, you will bill and be paid immediately for all accepted work
delivered by you up to that point or, in lieu of that, a specific
flat-rate "Kill Fee."
For payment for projects
likely to last two months or less, we recommend one-half payable upon
agreement and remainder payable upon project completion. For
projects likely to last for longer than two months, we recommend
one-half payable upon agreement and the remainder split into
equal monthly installments.
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