Sep 26 2008
What’s Your Asking Price?
Too often you might find that you need a little tough love to give you that push. One thing I cringe at is when potential employers ask me what I think I should be paid. It’s a sticky situation. For one, you don’t want the potential employer to think that you are undervaluing your work. People don’t want to hire a writer who doesn’t know what they are worth. Second, you don’t want to ask for too much, because they might not hire you for simply financial reasons. The way I deal with it is state an amount I think is reasonable for a 500 word article or whatever type of article they are asking I write. If I think money might be an issue, I state that my rate is negotiable. Others of you might just want to state your asking price without a disclaimer, which is fine…I commend you. If you want a book that discusses issues like this and how to be firm, read Robert Bly’s Getting Started as a Freelance Writer.
