All assignments and situations are different, so proceed with caution when considering any freelance rate scale and take into account all the factors when determining your rates and what you can expect to be paid.
If you want additional guidance beyond this list, refer to the Editorial Freelancers Association, which keeps a similar list on its website. Additionally, writers can check out bid sites, such as Upwork.com. These sites show you what employers have been paying in the recent past for various writing projects. Keep in mind, however, that bid sites often, though not always, pay on the low end of the scale.
Freelance Writing Rates by Project
Advertising/copywriting mail pieces (no graphics): $300 to $3,000+
Advertising/copywriting sales letter: $150 to $2,000
Articles (news, or with significant research, web-based): $15 to $50 per page
Articles (magazines): $100 to $5,000+
Articles (content/keyword): $5 to $50
Articles (newspapers): $75 to $1,000
Books (ghostwriting): $25 to $80 per page, $5,000 to $20,000+
Book reviews: $2 to $100
Book summaries: $250 to $500 per book
Brochures (no graphics work): $300 to $2,500
Business plans: $500 to $5,000+
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Editorial management (magazine/per issue): $500 to $5,000
Grant writing: $200 to $5,000+
Newsletters: $200 to $1,000
Press releases: $200 to $500
Resumes: $200 to $500
Scripts: $1,000 to $20,000+
Freelance Writing Rates by the Hour
Advertising copywriting: $45-$100/hr
Copyediting: $30-$70/hr
Developmental editing: $50-$80/hr
Editorial on call: $20-$150/hr
Fact checking: $15-$50/hr
Ghostwriting: $40-$100/hr
Indexing: $30-$70/hr
Line editing: $40-$70/hr
Proofreading: $25-$60/hr
Proposals and grants: $40-$80/hr
Tech editing: $30-$90/hr
Technical writing: $40-$100/hr
Web content :$10-$90/hr
White papers: $100-$200/hr
Freelance Writing Rates by the Page
E-books: $10-$35 per page
Indexing: $3 to $6 per page
Lesson plans: $10-$20 per page
Freelance Writing Upcharges and Down Payments
Upcharge for rush: +10 percent to +25 percent
Upcharge for keyword stuffing: +10 percent
Down payment: 10 percent for companies and publishers, 25 percent for individuals/authors
A Word About Content Mills
Many people get their start as a new writer by writing articles for various websites, through companies known as content mills. These companies hire hundreds of writers, asking them to create one-page articles for various clients.
These articles pay notoriously low rates and the work quality often reflects the low payment. Content mill payment for articles can range from less than 1 cent per word to 10 cents per word, with articles averaging 500 to 600 words.