A Manual For Freelance Writers - What Are The Proper Fees?
It is difficult to be specific in answering the question posed in the topic of his article. One of the aspects of the industry of freelance writers is that it is broad sweeping and there are many aspects to its operation. For example there is such a variety of employers with such a variety of tasks that the natural tendency is to discover a wide variety of fees. What do we mean by proper when we talk about fees? Do we mean fair? Do we mean relevant?
One of the most relevant aspects of freelance writing is that employers can hire employees from almost any country in the world. In the pre-digital age an employer was far more likely to partner with somebody in their own town or at least in their own country. That situation no longer applies. And because it is now possible to hire somebody from anywhere in the world you immediately come across the situation of the economy of a particular country.
Where you live can make a difference
There are people in countries where the standard of living generally speaking is not as high as can be found in other countries. As a consequence of this people in what we shall call a poorer country may be prepared to accept a fee for a freelance writing task which would not be acceptable to people in a more affluent country. It is common to find writing tasks being offered on freelance writing websites where the rate of play can only be described as low.
The question arises about the justice or fairness of this rate of pay. In fact the question is what are the proper fees? Well, as previously explained, a rate of pay in one country is satisfactory but that same rate of pay in another country is unsatisfactory.
There are all sorts of additional issues which need to be taken into account. For example the rate of pay does not include sick leave or holiday pay and certainly no superannuation. So you as a freelance writer need to strike a balance between what you think is fair or proper and between actually getting work. If you have a principle that you will not work below a certain fee, you run the risk of not being offered work on a regular basis if at all.
The solution of course is that you establish a good reputation which means that you have a track record of producing high-quality work and delivering on time every time. There are many employers who are looking for quality freelance writers and are prepared to pay what they believe is a proper free to obtain the services of that sort of writer.