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Elite Veteran
Posts: 836
  
Location: Inside the Writer's Digest office | In every issue in Writer's Digest's InkWell section, we pose a thought-provoking question related to the writing life. In the December issue, Art Spiko discusses the perks of billing flat fees instead of an hourly rate for writing copy:
http://www.writersdigest.com/article/flat-fees-vs-hourly-rates/
How have you billed for your freelance writing services? What happened, and what methods would you recommend?
To be part of our monthly Conversation, post your response here by hitting the "reply" button. A few responses may be selected to run in a future "WD" e-newsletter. |
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Expert
Posts: 6932
 
| I'm a naturally fast writer, so flat rates work wonderfully well for me. They also work well for clients because there are no surprises. We agree on teh fee upfront, and that's that. A flat rate brings business to the writer, and this is what it's all about. |
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New User
Posts: 3
| I have used both methods -- usually billing by the hour the first time I work with a new client (a person, not just a corporate entity). This way I can see how organized they are, how reasonable they are, whether they tend to make unexpected changes or new demands during the project (the bane of my existence), etc. I prefer setting a flat fee, especially for larger project (like a book) because I receive 1/3 up front, 1/3 after the first draft, and 1/3 at delivery of manuscript, and can plan my own finances around that. |
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Expert
Posts: 2114
Location: Tinian...a tiny isle in the middle of the farthest | i did both, back when i had my writing consultant business up and running... flat fees i found far preferable to hourly billing, from my pov and most of my clients were happier knowing just what it would cost them up front, instead of having to wait to find out what the bite would be...
for ghosting a book, i can't imagine anyone wanting to work on an hourly rate... same goes for editing...
i did have a set rate of $75/hr [back in the 80s that was a lotta loot!] with a minimum of 2 hrs that i billed for some new work, but if the client became a regular, i'd go to a flat fee for later projects... |
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Member
Posts: 15
Location: Rural Alberta | Flat fees eliminate any unpleasant surprises for the client, and also make me more realistic in estimating a project's time. If I wind up with a surprise that the project took longer than I'd anticipated then it's chalked up to experience, and, hopefully, I won't make the same mistake again. |
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Member
Posts: 19
| I never use hourly rates. I don't think my clients would go for them. I'm often working for people who make far less an hour than my fee works out to, and I'm afraid they'd balk at that. Also, they'd still want an estimate of how long it'd take so I'd be pretty much giving a flat fee anyway. I assess the project, decide what I'm willing to work for on this job and offer them that. Early on, it worked out to a pitiful amount per hour; now of course it's significantly more. The trick was to learn how to estimate jobs correctly. I was useless at this at first but every job I charged too little or too much for taught me a lesson and now I'm pretty good at it most of the time. |
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Member
Posts: 7
Location: Wisconsin | I just started my freelance writing business. I charged my first client by-the-hour. After reading this article, I am strongly considering charging future clients a flat fee. Knowing what to charge is the tricky part for me. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 328
Location: Missouri | I like hourly rates my self........Oh wait your talking about writing ..... I guess I will move on to another thread. Don |
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New User
Posts: 4
Location: midwest USA | I just got my first freelance job and they've asked me how much I charge. How in the world do I figure out where to begin? I don't want to be unreasonable, but I also think I should be paid fairly for my work. How do I begin to figure out what to charge? |
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Expert
Posts: 6979
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico | Java - what is the job for? What will you be doing? |
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New User
Posts: 4
Location: midwest USA | I am writing a press release for an area home builder. I spent two hours talking about the article and several hours researching information he didn't have handy and a couple of hours actually writing the article. What sort of things should I consider when charging a fee? I used to work for the guy and this was just part of my job. Now that I'm "freelance" I have no idea how to charge him! |
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Expert
Posts: 2114
Location: Tinian...a tiny isle in the middle of the farthest | check out what several online writing services charge for press releases and fix your fee somewhere in the middle... |
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Expert
Posts: 3342
Location: San Diego, California | Because clients diddle around and delay and I am a perfectionist and overwork, I really dislike flat fees. However, to prevent any "unpleasant surprises" for clients, we always agree on a ceiling cost for a project. If it goes quickly, they are charged less. If they are a pain, I may charge the maximum, no matter how long it takes. Everyone is happy.
If you are working in a competitive market area (like San Diego), it is usually beneficial to know what other locals are charging. Then look at your experience level and adjust accordingly. There is no way I can compete with the guy on the Internet who offers complete book doctoring for only one cent a word, but no one around here works so cheaply.
It doesn't matter whether you call it a flat or hourly fee -- you can't work flat for original pieces; it always takes time. |
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Expert
Posts: 6979
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico | The range on Writer's Market is from $125 - $1500 / Project with an average of $425. But a lot of that is going to depend on what the market in your area can handle. For a press release in our area I usually charge anywhere from $250 - $700, depending on what has to go into the research and how many markets I have to contact with the release (local, national, etc.). And like Georganna, my rates go up if they're a pain to deal with. Some are easy and don't micromanage. They get a much lower rate than someone who wants to look over my shoulder through the entire process. |
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Flat Fees vs. Hourly Rates
