Am I being underpaid/what can I do?

Well, from my experience in newspapers and magazines, ten hours (actual time) for 1,000 words is a really reasonable amount. Even including interviews and research, mine only take about five to six. Something you might consider doing if your researching is taking up more time than you would like is to increase your typing speed to compensate. Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing is a super software program designed to increase typing speed. If you move from 50-60 words per minute to 80-90 (I personally type at 110), you could fit a lot more research into those ten hours.

IMHO, I think the time is reasonable, but will be interested to see what other people say.

To some extent pay depends on experience. I'll bet that writers who are getting $50-%75 per hour have a much higher output and are not taking 16 or even 10 hours to write a 1,000 word story. With experience and by developing an area of expertise, you will cut down on the time it takes to write a story and then you can ask for more money. 16 hours for a 1,000 word service story or a feature is a huge amount of time. It might fly for investigative journalism, but I can see why your editor thinks 10 hours is plenty. Try to avoid getting sidetracked in interesting Web sites, long interviews, answering e-mail, etc.

Freelance91 said:

When I took this job two weeks ago, $15 an hour seemed so much better than what I was getting, but after doing some checking I realize that many writers doing the same work are getting $50 to $75/hr.

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Is this company giving you benefits or handling the taxes? Are you working in the company's office and using their stuff? Is this a long-term gig?

We (freelancers) have to charge as much as we do because we have to cover both sides of social security, buy our own printer ink, hunt for work, etc. I'm not saying $15/hour is reasonable or not reasonable, just noting some reasons freelance rates are what they are.

I really don't know WHEN it'd be appropriate to ask for more cash per hour, but I'm interested to hear others' opinions! Still, I'm guessing it's a moot point unless you can crank out quality articles in 10 hours -- that's what the client wants and its seems others here believe it's a reasonable request. By the way, I love quantified information like this and will use it to gauge my own productivity.

Wow, 110 wpm! I am only around 30-40. Sad... I can at least type though. I see lots of people who use the "hunt and peck" method. Of course they can type about as fast as I can though.
Sorry to side track this topic. I am thinking about buying that software though.

I highly recommend it! I still use it to help with some of my bad habits (transposing letters, capitalizing the first AND second letter of a word, etc.) It's really easy to get lazy using a keyboard. I come from a time when typewriters were unforgiving, and the first strike of the key stayed there! LOL!

A week or so with Mavis and I'm in pretty good shape for about six months. It's sort of like maintaining your vehicle. The little things ensure that the BIG things don't get you later!

But it's also SUPER for increasing your speed. The car race game is a lot of fun. The faster you type (accurately) the faster your car goes. For every error, a splotch of mud gets thrown on your windshield. If the windshield gets covered before the race is over, you lose. And if you complete it in a good time, it adds seconds to the clock so you keep racing. It's a kick.

Tish Davidson said:

To some extent pay depends on experience. I'll bet that writers who are getting $50-%75 per hour have a much higher output and are not taking 16 or even 10 hours to write a 1,000 word story. With experience and by developing an area of expertise, you will cut down on the time it takes to write a story and then you can ask for more money. 16 hours for a 1,000 word service story or a feature is a huge amount of time. It might fly for investigative journalism, but I can see why your editor thinks 10 hours is plenty. Try to avoid getting sidetracked in interesting Web sites, long interviews, answering e-mail, etc.

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As with anything, the pay also depends on the client. A large, multi-national high-tech manufacturing company won't blink at $50-70 an hour for an experienced professional. A guy running a computer repair shop in a strip mall who wants some web copy written? He's probably going to balk at that kind of money.

Know your target market.

i charge between 25 and 125 an hour, depending on the size and needs of the client, factoring in the value and visibility of the copy i'll be producing.

but, what others have said is true - regarding track record.

Do writers and editors here believe that pay should be higher if the material is boring (something you wouldn't want to read in your spare time), or is that just me?

No. I find a lot of things boring that my husband laps up with no signs of stopping. Your personal opinions of the subject matter should always be put aside so that you do the best job you can, for the benefit of the article. The money is the same either way.

i charge between 25 and 125 an hour, depending on the size and needs of the client

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i just realized that i obviously charged based, in part, on the client's body type. i wonder what freud would say...

William Haskins said:

i just realized that i obviously charged based, in part, on the client's body type. i wonder what freud would say...

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Any shrink worth his parchment would have a field day with pretty much any writer I've ever known.

They certainly would with me.

Extra pay for boring work?

Cathy C said:

No. I find a lot of things boring that my husband laps up with no signs of stopping. Your personal opinions of the subject matter should always be put aside so that you do the best job you can, for the benefit of the article. The money is the same either way.

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I'll put my question differently. I'm not talking about my opinions of the text. I'm talking about my experience while working with it.

I don't write articles. I currently write puzzles, but let's use an example that more people have experience with. I used to do a lot of editing and proofreading. Part of my compensation was the stimulation from reading the text. If it's something I don't care about, I'll feel less like doing the job. Better pay would be one way to induce me to keep going.

As a really simple example, suppose you had a choice between proofreading a good novel and proofreading a document that consisted of pages of numbers. Would you want more money for the latter because the work wouldn't be fun?

Salaried web content writers rarely make $75/hour. If you're doing freelance, consulting work, it depends. I know a freelance copywriter who charges $90/hour, but she has a great resume and track record.

I mean, I worked in the IT field. While independent contractors can make up to over $200/hr, it's rare that a salaried employee makes more than $60/hr, that's considering full-time employment. And IT pays. Not sure about "writers."

Not really, reph. I spent too many years in law, I suppose. The pay is the same whether you're working on something thrilling and mind-blowing that will change the world, or retyping dusty old documents from the basement to attach to the back of a document that nobody will probably read anyway.


Fun as it would be to charge different rates, it's not fair to choose only the choicest nuggets for my regular rate and make them pay extra for stuff I don't want to do -- so I don't. But that's just me.

Cathy C said:

Fun as it would be to charge different rates, it's not fair to choose only the choicest nuggets for my regular rate and make them pay extra for stuff I don't want to do -- so I don't. But that's just me.

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This is the way I work, too. Also, if I tried that with a repeat client, I wouldn't want to tell them that my rates were higher because their work was boring. I think I'd be more likely to reject a boring project if I was already involved in more interesting things rather than raise my rate based on the excitement level. And if I didn't have anything going on, I'd be happy to be working.

Freelance91, is there any way you can check out the median rates for freelancers in your area? Rates vary greatly depending on where you live. For example, being a freelancer in New York will probably command a far higher rate than doing the same thing in the Midwest.

16 hours!?!

I was a reporter before I started freelancing. We had to (as in - fired if you didn't) crank out several stories everyday. When I did investigative pieces, we were given more time, but 16 hours is a VERY long time to spend on one article.

My guess is that you're not using your time effectively if it takes you that long. Listen to Tish's advice to cut out on long interviews, stopping surfing the web, or whatever you're doing that isn't on point. Focus your time at the beginning of the project. What do you need to know? What can you skip? Know where you're headed before you start so that you don't get caught up worrying about things that aren't important.

As for the pay, I wouldn't want to pay you $50 an hour unless you could produce a much larger quantity of writing. If you took 16 hours, that's $800 per article, and my guess is that your employer probably couldn't afford too many of those projects.

Lots of good comments here.

Freelance91, my guess is that the website you are writing for doesn't generate a boatload of cash, and while $15 per hour may not be a lot in your area, the job sounds like a good stepping stone for you. Keep your boss happy and put yourself in her shoes--the reference will be worth it. I'll bet she isn't making much more than you. Also, you might want to write your next assignment, send her the draft and tell her you would normally spend several more hours on it, but want to get her feedback before you do. She might say it just needs a few tweaks, whereas you might agonize over it for hours (the way we writers often do).

Wow, I can see I'm spending too much time on my features. And yes, I am guilty of long interviews & doing too much research. Wow, this thread has been an eye opener for me! Thank you all!

Does anyone know what the going editorial rates are? I have a friend in NYC doing PR for some boutique hotels. I have over 500 published clips in this area & have written for & with her since '87 (formerly as my editor & we've co-written a few major pieces). Yesterday she was in a panic & asked me to edit a press release for the hotel & she'd pay me $20. What she sent me was pretty dry & boring so I told her I couldn't do it in 15 min. She said fine, she'd pay me more but she wanted me to "do my thang" & make it more "jazzy". (She likes my style.) I spent an hr. and a half on it & really re-worked it. She was thrilled & asked me to do the editing for the whole project. I told her I can't work for $10. an hr. (what she paid me awhile ago for research) because I am very busy with magazine work paying .50-.75 a word. She suggested $15. an hr. & I'm thinking that's pretty low! I know she's mentioned charging $75. an hr. & she said she doesn't think she can pay me more than 25% of her fee because of taxes etc...? I have to pay taxes, medical etc. too!


On the one hand, I'd like the PR experience & it's not very hard work. But I've been a full time journalist for 10 years & have about 1000 clips in business & travel & think I am worth more than $15. an hr. Am I? I'm also making $30.$40. an hr. writing for mags but as we all know, that can be up & down.

Any suggestions as to what is reasonable? I do want the experience because my background is as a meeting planner & I have heaps of contacts & know PR would be a great way to pay the 10K in dental work I need done!

Isn't $15. a little low? I was thinking more like $25. She just writes down the facts & it's up to me to tighten the copy, make it "sing" & get the grammar right.

Any comments would be much appreciated.

Judy

It's so hard to discuss money without knowing all the facts but, yes, $15/hours sounds low to me -- especially for clients in NYC. I live in a city with a population around 200,000 people, and freelance rates range from about $65 - $100/ hour. Well-established (and/or well-connected) writers can command even higher prices. The only time rates go lower than $65, as far as I know, is when writers are first starting out and want to get their foot in the door at a given agency or are working for fledgling non-profits or very small businesses. Still, I've yet to enounter anyone working for $15 or less.

True enough, Rose, but the original post indicated it was a full-time position, which is a different thing (at least to me.)

Oh, sorry...I was responding to Entelechy's post!

Thanks for the advice Rose. I think it's low too! It just didn't feel quite right. I mean I'd make that as a receptionist. Hairdressers make more! Yikes. I've been publishing for 20 years & I don't want to be guilty of hubris but this seems more like a slap in the face.

Her rationale? She gets $100. for the press release & she can't pay me more than 25% of what she makes. Has anyone heard of that formula? When I had my meeting planning biz I had two girls, ages 18 & 19 working for me & eighteen yrs. ago I was paying one of them $15. an hr for secretarial, admin & help with organizing conferences.

Thanks again Rose. She's gone to the Hampton's for the weekend ;-) so I'll let her think it over. I never thought I'd see the day when magazine pay was substantially higher than PR pay!

Have a good day all!

Judy

anais said:

16 hours!?!

I was a reporter before I started freelancing. We had to (as in - fired if you didn't) crank out several stories everyday. When I did investigative pieces, we were given more time, but 16 hours is a VERY long time to spend on one article.

My guess is that you're not using your time effectively if it takes you that long. Listen to Tish's advice to cut out on long interviews, stopping surfing the web, or whatever you're doing that isn't on point. Focus your time at the beginning of the project. What do you need to know? What can you skip? Know where you're headed before you start so that you don't get caught up worrying about things that aren't important.

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It appears to me that those who have come from a background in newspapers have learned speed. Probably a case of the quick or the dead (you're out of a job!). Yet, as not all writers are the same, so no two writers will approach a story the same.

I am frequently asked to do overviews, and come into a subject 'cold'. Research is a big component; also, in such cases, it doesn't help much that one has to take time to assimilate the information, and build the story and links within it (internal consistency), not forgetting the fact checking that one is required to do. This all takes time, and it adds up. And, sometimes, interviews done on the phone take around an hour - I think that I have only had one take 30 minutes, in relation to some very basic questions. E-mail interviews are quicker, but subject to far less control.

It appears to me that the per hour return for such articles is small - the payoff (hopefully) comes whereby you receive /obtain subsequent articles with the publication, allowing you to build on the knowledge base you've built ie. repeat business. Here, you start to develop 'expertise', and a broadening knowledge base, in which you can then spend less time learning the issues, and are more quickly able to provide meaningful insight, where you can go and can provide the publication.

ATP

It is true that if you come to a subject with minimal background, you'll do more work. This is why people who freelance for a living tend to develop specialties.