One of the questions I most commonly get from new writers is, “How much should I charge for my work?” That’s not a question I can answer definitively for you, but I can help guide you to the right answer. For the sake of this argument, let’s assume that one article means one page of writing, or 400 to 500 words. Here are the questions you need to answer before you can start talking about price:

1. How much do I already know about the article topic?
2. How in-depth does the client want the article to be?
3. How soon is the deadline?
4. How many articles is the client ordering as part of this group?
5. How readily is information about this topic available online through reliable sources?

Now, let’s assume that an unskilled worker, in most states, makes minimum wage. Studies show that as a professional with experience, training, or education, you can earn twice as much. So, let’s say that your starting wage per hour should be twice that of minimum wage in your state. I live in Pennsylvania where that equals about $15 per hour, which totals out to about $30,000 per year. Yes, you should give yourself a raise for every year of experience you have as well. But let’s say that you’re completely new as a writer. $15 per hour is a good place to start.

So, first, determine how long, on average, it takes you to write a general article. Let’s say that for a topic you know a lot about, you can write an article in an hour. Great, that was easy! You should charge $15 for an article, then, right? Well maybe. But next you have to come back to those above questions.

How much do I already know about the article topic?

If you answered “a lot,” then it won’t take you any extra time to write the article, so $15 still stands as the base price. If you know little about the subject matter, it’s likely going to take you longer to write the article, since you’ll have to do additional interest. If that’s the case, raise your base price to reflect how long it will actually take you to write the article.

How in-depth does the client want the article to be?

This one boils down to time as well. A more in-depth article will take more time, so you should raise the base price. A more general article still needs to be researched, but it will take less time overall.

How readily is information about this topic available online through reliable sources?

Again, this is about time. If you can’t find anything more than a Wikipedia page and a few blog rants about a topic online, you might have to email experts for information, do research at your local library, or otherwise spend a ton more time gathering information for your article. On the other hand, if you’re researching a topic that has resources available through a national organization or the government, it will take less time to research.

How soon is the deadline?

If the deadline is less than a week, most writers will charge a rush fee, though it depends on the number of articles in the group. A three-day deadline for a single article may not warrant a rush fee, through a three-week deadline for a group of 100 articles definitely warrants a rush fee! Short deadlines are not about the articles taking more time, but rather about your convenience. It’s like working overtime - you’re justified in charging time and a half (or even more).

How many articles is the client ordering as part of this group?

You may want to give a discount for a larger group of articles to show your appreciation. For example, I typically give a 10% discount to clients who order 50+ pages of work at once.

After taking all of this into consideration, you should have a number ranging anywhere from $10 per article to much, much more. Remember, this is the lowest amount you should accept for your work. You can charge more for your services, and I recommend that you do so if you’re a good writer who is reliable with quality and deadlines. Be careful not to price yourself right out of your clients’ budgets, but don’t be afraid to quote a much higher price than $15 per article. If you’re worth it, people will gladly pay higher amounts.