Pay For Freelance Writers: How Are Writers Paid Per Word?

There is a common misconception that writing as a career doesn’t pay the bills, except for the few lucky ones like J.K. Rowling who through primarily to her Harry Potter series, have made her a certified billionaire.

But there are writers who although they aren’t exactly very rich, still manages to get a good living off writing. They can be bloggers, authors, copywriters, ghostwriters, scriptwriters and so on.

However, the fact remains that many writing jobs are still paid on a per word basis, meaning that instead of concentrating on quality, most people who commission writers to write for them, want quantity.

As we will soon see, writing on a per word basis can be a good way for writers to earn a living from writing.

The Details:

1. How Much Are Writers Paid Per Word?

According to a BLS (U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics) study conducted by popular freelance writer and writing coach, Elma Cain, here is a 2023 breakdown of how writers are paid per word:

- 0.05 to 0.20 cents per word: 34%
- 0.21 to 0.30 cents per word: 29%
- 0.05 to 0.10 cents per word: 22%
- 0.01 to 0.05 cents per word: 17.6%
- 0.11 to 0.20 cents per word: 17.2%
- 0.30 and more cents per word: 14.5%

Assuming that you are a prodigious writer like Stephen King who writes about 2,500 words a day, you can expect to earn anywhere between 25 to 750 dollars a day. This assuming that you can really write 2,500 words per day without revisions and that you can get writing jobs which require a word length of 2,500 words.

Taking the average of 0.15 cents per word and a writing job of 2,500 words, one can on average earn 375 dollars.

However, most writing jobs are only 500 words in length, and assuming that you charge 0.15 cents per word, this equates to a daily income of 75 dollars, which is still higher than the U.S. minimum wage of 58 dollars.

Although 75 dollars is nothing to shout about, it still beats a lower paying and backbreaking minimum wage labor job in the U.S.

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2. How Much Do Content Mills Pay Writers?

As of 2023, content mills generally pay 2 cents per word and lower. Assuming you can only get one writing job which usually averages 500 words in length, then you stand to only make 10 dollars per day.

This is way, way below the U.S. minimum wage and just reaches the minimum wage rates of poor and even developing countries. Meaning that if you are a writer from a developed country, there would be many days where you won’t even earn enough to feed your family one meal.

This means that as much as possible, find writing jobs outside of content mills. Not only would you earn almost nothing, but you would be facing a lot of competition from other freelance writers who flood content mills.

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3. Apply Directly to Companies Via Their Website

A better way to earn money from writing besides writing for content mills is to directly apply to companies via their websites or in person. Many companies who have websites are already so used to receiving online job applications that their websites now have job vacancy sections.

Usually, you can get writing jobs from media and tech companies. Media companies would likely have vacancies for article, news and documentary writing while tech companies would likely have vacancies for technical and documentation writers.

The beauty of applying directly to companies is not a lot of freelance writers are doing this. This is because most of them are either too lazy to contact companies directly or are convinced that content mills are the best way to find writing jobs.

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4. Be Prepared to Hand Out Your Portfolio

One thing that you need to realize when you’re applying for writing jobs is that you need to have a portfolio of your writings. This is because there would be many online writing platforms that would expect you to have one to assess your skills as a writer.

There are also online writing platforms who give “screen tests” by making you write about a topic that they assign to you. That is why you need a portfolio, to practice your writing skills and to have ready writing materials if you are asked to write something.

Be wary of online writing platforms and individuals online who ask you to write free for them under the guise that they want to assess your writing skills. While there are legitimate online writing platforms that do this, there are those who only want to get writers to write for them for free.

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5. Self-Publish

Another thing that you can explore and is more satisfying is by publishing your own writings. For example, you can write ebooks and set your own prices. For example, many fiction ebooks are initially sold at 99 cents and their prices are raised later if the ebook sells well.

You can also blog and/or create a website where you have creative control of the things that you write about. You can monetize your blog and/or website via ads, affiliate income, eCommerce, courses and so on.

The beauty of publishing your own content is that the more you publish, the more is your chance of earning true passive income, meaning you only write one but have the potential to earn from it forever.

Compare this to writing for somebody else where you have to write based on your client’s preference. Also, you need to continuously chase new clients as you are doing your writing job for your current clients. This is very hard and could be very trying.

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6. Submit to Online Publications

Another path that you can take if you want to write what you want but is scared that no one would buy them from you is to submit your writings to online publications like Readers Digest, The New Yorker, The Huffington Post and so on.

The beauty of writing to these online publications is that you know that you already have ready writing clients whose writing needs are known, but would accept your writings if they deem that it fits their writing needs.

For a writer, this could be a win-win situation where you solve your problem of having to find writing clients, but still have creative control of your writing. Of course, the subject of your writing and your writing format must be according to what online publications require.

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Final Words

Based on the writing pay rate statistics, there is a good possibility that you can earn a living as a writer, even a good one. However, it is not advised that you depend on content mills to earn a living from writing.

Content Mills not only generally pay poorly but are also already flooded with other writers who are either too lazy to look for better writing jobs, or are convinced that content mills are the best place to get writing jobs.

Applying directly to companies via their website or directly in-person, self-publishing, and even submitting your writing to online publications can yield better paying and more satisfying writing jobs.

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You Might Be Interested To Read This Article:

Writing for a Living: 11 Facts Learned From Years of Self Publishing

Writing is a good job if you land in a high paying writing position. Unfortunately, there are many writers who are not paid well and their working conditions are atrocious at best.

Also, many writers end up writing content for someone else and not what they want to write. This is why many want to be self published writers.

I have been a full time self published writer for more than two years and have been lucky enough to earn a little from it. ...

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