As a freelance writer, you will compete against many writers who are just as talented as you are. You will also compete against writers who write poorly and who offer their writing services at ridiculously low fees. These writers can and do get jobs. Many times you will tempt yourself to lower your rates to match or beat the bids to snag the project. Don’t do it! You are a professional. Professional writers don’t lower their rates or work for next to nothing.

Many individuals who lack writing skills drive down rates, way below what professional writers can rightfully charge. If the true professionals do not keep up their prices, this will become an even bigger problem. Just because writers from other countries want to work for eight or nine American dollars per hour, this doesn’t mean you should. As a writer, you can earn far more than many freelance writers — and certainly more than freelance writers who speak little English but still bid on the English-speaking jobs at much lower rates.

What You Need

Your freelancing rates need to be adequate to meet your needs.

Not only do your needs include your personal living expenses (what would be called a “wage” at a traditional job), your needs should also include your overhead and any project-related business expenses that you incur.

If you are in business for the long haul, then your rates need to be adequate to cover overhead costs. (Many freelancers forget about overhead when they are starting out.) Overhead costs include:
Marketing your services
Accounting and collections
Office equipment
Software expense
Record keeping
Professional education
Health insurance costs
Down time and sick time

 What to charge. 

Determining your freelance writing rates requires the same information gathering required to write an essay or a 400-word Internet article. Visit websites that serve freelance writers to view discussions of rates, prices and changes in the marketplace.

Freelance writing rates can vary.

Web content writers charge by the word. Bloggers often set their prices by the post and a split of ad revenue. Freelance magazine writers charge by the word. Copywriters set their rates by the hour or the project. Based upon the type of writing and where your work is published, expect to see a strong variation in freelance pricing models.

Expertise.

Buyers want to hire top notch writers and experts in a certain field. If you are an SEO expert and you have all the knowledge then you can say to the client, “If you want quality, you have to pay for it.”

Client’s budget.

There is no secret in it and it is the reality that most of the clients do not know the exact rate either. They are looking for a writer who can deliver what they require and usually pay whatever the writer demands.