The Truth About How Much Freelance Writers Make

Data on how much freelance writers make can be tough to pin down But it’s something every writer wants to know I tackled this topic three years ago when I published this post And it’s a topic that never gets old Check out the updated resources And be sure to ask yourself the two questions at the end to determine your earning potential Carol

It’s one of the mostasked questions I get “Can you tell me how much freelance writers make?”

Let’s face it — we’ve all got mouths to feed and writing for money is critical to putting food on the table So it’s important to get a sense of whether freelance writing can yield you a real billpaying level of income It’s a good question to ask

There are two steps to figuring out the answer to this question

The first is to find survey data on what freelancers make That gives you a sense of what’s possible and what’s typical

The second step is a bit harder so let’s start with data

Resources on how much freelance writers make
There isn’t a ton of information out there on what freelance writers earn but there is some

New and updated resources

The State of Freelancing in 2015 compiled from survey data Contently collected from 643 freelancers 82 percent were freelance writers The report shows income data and trends for freelancers 24 percent earn 50K or more annually But even more interesting the report also shows the connection to income and marketing efforts That’s right How much freelance writers make has a lot to do with consistent marketing
Pay Rates for Freelance Writers is another recent trend report on freelance writing income published by ClearVoice To find out how much freelance writers make they checked in with both freelance writers and companies that hire freelancers Spoiler alert You just might wallow in missed income opportunities after reading this then raise your rates
The Writer’s Market surveys writers and publishes a What to Charge guide in the front of each annual edition of their voluminous guide to writing markets They offer rates for a wide variety of writing assignments
Freelance Writing Rates 5 Resources for Figuring Out How Much to Charge No survey data here but The Write Life guest post by Heather van der Hoop serves up a couple more smart strategies to find out how much freelance writers make And how much you should be charging
Other resources

Ed Gandia’s 2012 Freelance Industry Report no this report hasn’t been updated since 2012 covers more types of freelancing than just writing but about 40 percent of responders were writers and editors Threequarters of respondents have been freelancing more than three years The results will be eyeopening for many writers To call out just one stat About onethird of respondents reported they earned 70 an hour or more and another 23 percent earned 5070 an hour NOTE Ed has since removed this resource but he did allow us to keep available to members of the Freelance Writers Den my online community for freelancers
It doesn’t have statistics but a good book for helping you think about how to price your writing services is What to Charge Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants by Laurie Lewis Great info even though it was last published in 2011
I recommend writers give those a browse and get a sense of market rates and of good strategies for pricing hint by the project not by the hour

Now back to our question — how much can you earn?

You now have a sense of what writers typically earn and what top earners bring in But like the car companies say about gas consumption your mileage may vary

Where you will fall on that freelance earning scale is going to depend a lot on you Here are a couple of important questions to ask yourself

1 How bad do you want this?
Many writers dream about having the freedom to be their own boss set their own schedule and make a living doing what they love

But when it comes to getting off their cans and marketing the heck out of their services to find clients…many can’t seem to bring themselves to do it

If it requires learning new skills — like say how to use WordPress — they balk

When an editor tells them they need to improve their article they’re resentful

That’s when it begins to dawn Freelance writing is a hard life

You need tremendous selfdiscipline And you have to hustle for gigs all the time deal with rejection and rewrite things to suit other people

There are many factors that play into how much you will earn and how long it will take you to reach the income level you want

For instance are you willing to write about difficult topics that tend to pay better or do you only want to write from your own muse? Writing tough stuff is a great route to higher pay

How much work are you willing to put into marketing? For instance if you don’t put up a writer website it’s pretty hard to impress prospects these days

One other factor Many writers prefer to kick back and enjoy life more now that they’re out of the cubicle rather than working superhard at building a topearning business Spend more time mountainclimbing or homeschooling the kids

Go at it fewer hours and that will reduce your income Which brings us to…

2 What is your earning goal?
I discovered in my own freelancing that you rarely earn more than you imagine you can make

When I started freelancing in 2005 my dream was to replace my 60000ayear staff writing job Within a couple years I did

Then I had a big light bulb explode in my head

I suddenly had this flash of insight that as a freelance writer my earning potential wasn’t limited to what I used to make in a day job

My earning potential wasn’t limited to 100000

My earning potential was unlimited

After realizing I could earn much more I upped my marketing and aimed higher I stopped looking at Craigslist ads and proactively went after bigger clients — major corporations and national magazines I wrote more on big projects and ongoing contracts rather than having to prospect constantly for smaller gigs

In 2011 I cracked six figures as a freelance writer And since then I’ve continued to grow my income from writing every year

Expand your vision for your freelance writing business and it will change how you pursue this career And that’s how you change how much you make as a freelance writer

How much do you aim to earn as a freelance writer? Leave a comment — share your goals and what you’re doing to get there

Grow your Writing Income Freelancewritersdencom

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186 comments on “The Truth About How Much Freelance Writers Make”

keynikka on February 28th 2017 1254pm
I just started taking writing seriously around the launching of my website I aim to write to replace my current income at my job then my next goal will be to make 100000 net My eyes are dreamy just thinking about that possibility To reach so many people with my gift and do something I enjoy Your post is very inspiring to beginners like me

gloria on February 20th 2017 129pm
I love your site and your sense of humor Every time I stop by I always find something that lifts my spirits You give a dose of reality but you make it funny

Larry McCormick on February 12th 2017 1031pm
Hi Carol
If I could earn any money at all doing freelance writing I would be totally stoked If I made 40000 in a year that would be totally amazing to me I’m willing to work hard and put in the time I want this I’m going to be getting your StepbyStep guide and taking the next step Thank you very much for all your help
Larry

Carol Tice on February 13th 2017 1129am
I saw you did Larry — that should get you off and running to get those first portfolio clips 😉

Rhonda Wells on February 9th 2017 1126pm
I am eager to work in writing I’m already a freelancer in other arenas Writing has always been a thing with me I’m a bit rusty as I have not engaged in writing as often as I used to I’m eager to take the challenges and see where it can go Thanks for good perspective

Ash on February 8th 2017 731pm
Hi Carol
Thank you for your article I’m starting out some freelancing for a new architecture and design website as a side gig to my fulltime job However I take the writing very seriously taking on board time to interview professionals in the architectural industry and have good connections My articles are mixture of technical research and descriptive writing
What should I expect as fair remuneration?
charge per word? or per article?
I am also able to get some pretty spectacular photography that I can also use
I’ve read that people charge anywhere between 003025 per article?

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