Question - How much would you charge as a magazine writer?

I have a question for you guys. If you were hired as a magazine writer and the magazine was related to technology, please tell me how much would you charge for writing articles? Please tell me the rate per word and the hourly rate.

Thanks guys!

 

depends for who you are going to write. Some magazines like Smashing Mag. pays $300 to $500 per article. You can also work at DP, you'll get paid $5 or $3

 

$5 or $3 per article with how many words? Thanks for the reply.

 

$5 for 500 words

 

I would presume that most magazines would dictate their rates for articles based on their policies. Unlikely that they will ask you for your rates.

I could be wrong though.

 

Okay thanks guys!

 

Yes, most of the time. Sometimes they can pay more if they appreciate it, or less if it's a round-up or a link collection

 

There are few magazines who ask for your rates. Most tell you what they pay and depending on your experience you may be able to negotiate a few more pennies depending on your experience. But, if I were choosing to write for a magazine, I wouldn't go less than $1 per word.

 

Thanks for your reply!

 

Depending on the niche, the rate will vary. General topics - parenthood, construction, science - will pay less. More specific content - HDD reviews, nano science developments, California skateboarding - requires people with unique skills and specific expertise. These will pay a lot more, because there's only a handful of professionals to choose from. It's the same basic concept of supply and demand.

Best Regards,
vip-ip.

 

Is this a new or startup magazine? Is it online or offline? This will usually make a difference in how much you are paid. Either way, Latoya is right: it is rare for a legit magazine to allow the writer to establish rates. Typically the mag will have standard rates in place which vary very little, unless the author is a highly regarded authority on the chosen subject or a celebrity in the field.

 

Right now I pay $15 for 10 x 250 words articles, I think that's pretty reasonable.

 

So you only pay $1.50 per article (or $0.006 per word)? Unfortunately $1.50 per 250 words isn't a liveable wage for a lot of writers--especially when you consider the time and effort put into those 250 words.

I think this is what the original poster was talking about--for the time it takes writers to put together a good article, less than a penny a word is not reasonable. But that has been discussed in this forum at length.

 

Are you running a magazine?

 

The magazine editor should have given you a contract listing how much they will pay you, how many words the article is to be and the deadline. If you don't have that then you're not dealing with a reputable magazine, an experienced editor or both.

 

Like LaToya, I wouldn't go less than $1.00 per word for magazine pieces -- more if it would require more extensive research and interviewing than most. As others have mentioned though, magazines generally tell you what they pay and you either accept it and pitch them or find other magazines to pitch. There are always exceptions, but that's often how it works.

 

Your pay will depend on where the magazine is based. I'm in Thailand and a dollar a word for a well researched magazine article is a very good pay. I don't hear of many international agencies paying this much. But as others have mentioned, your reputation will dictate your freelance rates.