How Much Should You Charge for Your Article?

One of the problems that freelancers often face in their freelance writing career is how much to charge for their article. This is especially true for beginners. I have seen so many writers bidding $1 foe every 500-600 word article. I wonder how they are able to eat with that kind of rate?

It is always a pity to see people scrambling to get projects that pay only pennies for the kind of hard work they do. Even if I am in the Philippines and the cost of living is lower compared to the US, Australia and many parts of the globe, I still believe that $1 per project is way too low. Working for that kind of amount is some kind of slavery.

How much should you charge for your article? It all depends on the freelancer. However, a lot of things should be taken into consideration before we charge too low an amount. Even $4 per 500 word article is too low. Think freelancing as a business. Will you be able to pay for electricity, broadband and other overhead costs with that kind of amount? Will that amount suffice for all the hard work and efforts you do? I think not. When I started out, I started with $3.50, which at that time was good because others were being paid lower than that. But as I gained more experience, I also learned better. A dollar for an article is a pittance! No one should accept such amount in exchange for their hard work. I think $5 should be the minimum and it should not be much lower than that.

I used to get some work from Craigslist Philippines and I have had clients who pay according to my rates. But it pisses me to see employers offering $1 in exchange for high quality original articles. Huh! They usually make it clear that they need "high quality original article at fast turn around time" and if their specifications are not met, they may not pay. What the heck!

Fellow writers in the Philippines, you should know your worth better. We need to eat, too. We need to be compensated for the hard work we do. Like other writers from the US say, we should not work for peanuts. Know your worth. Do NOT undersell yourself. If a client declines your rate, then go to the next. Do not beg for them to give you pennies for the hard work you do. Strive for a much better pay. It is only in charging better that you will finally see fruits of your hardwork.