Hello friends, and welcome to the freshly updated FWT freelance rate database!
This is an ongoing project to collect up-to-date freelance rates for hundreds of publications. These community-submitted rates range from tiny, niche blogs and trade magazines to national publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Science, CNN, The Daily Beast, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, National Geographic, Wired, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Guardian, Forbes, The Boston Globe, Travel + Leisure, Time, and literally hundreds more. Every rate in this database was paid within the last 18 months or so, and I remove outdated rates on a rolling basis.
Please contribute some recent rates you’ve gotten to make it even more useful: Click here to share. Transparency about money helps us all out!
Before we dive in, I want to throw out some quick thoughts and caveats about this whole project, as well as rate databases in general.
The first thing to keep in mind is that, as we all know, budgets industrywide have been in freefall for years, and the number of high-paying journalism gigs is constantly shrinking. But remember that it’s still important to always ask for more! Here are some tips on how to do just that. It never hurts to ask, and good editors will do everything they can to get you more. It doesn’t always work, but it’s worth a shot.
Next, the rates in this database reflect what a specific freelancer was paid, but there are a lot of factors involved, including story type and scope, amount of reporting, whether a freelancer has worked with the publication before, and so on. All praise and credit to that industrious freelancer who got $3/word from Bloomberg Businessweek, but a rate like that is the exception, not the rule.
For paid subscribers, this Thursday’s newsletter will be an analysis of this data, highlighting some key takeaways and trends. Subscribe here to get it.
Finally, this database will be continually updated as more rates come in, so again, please feel free to contribute here.
With all of that out of the way:
Now go forth and get paid!
If you like what you’re reading and want to support FWT and projects like this, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription. This newsletter exists only by the grace of its subscribers, so your help truly keeps this whole community alive. This gets you an extra paid-only newsletter every week, access to all past and future paid-only posts, 50% off all skills-based Zoom workshops, 33% off all one-on-one coaching sessions, invites to subscriber-only events and interviews, and more. Click below to subscribe, and thanks for reading!
And if you’re interested, I have a few very relevant Zoom workshops coming up:
On Oct. 15 @ 4 p.m. Eastern, join me for a workshop on how to write story pitches editors will actually read — and commission. We’ll dive deep on exactly what goes into a fantastic story pitch and how to get an editor invested in your idea. How do you structure it? What must be in it, and what should you leave out? How much pre-reporting should you do? How do you get the most money possible? How can you head off the follow-up questions an editor will inevitably ask? How do you even find editors to pitch or know which publication to shoot for? We’ll cover all that and much, much more. (Paid subscribers get 50% off admission, and all registrants will get a recording of the workshop.)
On Oct. 21 @ 4 p.m. Eastern, join me for an in-depth tutorial on how to build, organize, and put together a longform narrative feature. This workshop will be structured like a grad school-level class, with participation encouraged (but, of course, not required). We will analyze a published longform narrative as a jumping-off point and go into detail about what it takes to go long on a story and how to use those strategies in your own writing. Bring any and all questions you have, and be ready for a deep dive! (Paid subscribers get 50% off admission, and all registrants will get a recording of the workshop.)
And if you’re interested in even more workshops, you can check out the entire library of available playbacks in the FWT Store, including sessions on getting into Travel writing, learning how Slate builds its iconic features, writing better personal essays, launching and growing a newsletter, and so much more. Check it out here:
Oh, a few other things …
Got a pitch that sold recently? I’d love to feature it in a future edition of our #pitchesthatsold series! Email me at [email protected] and put “#pitchesthatsold” in the subject line. Can’t wait to see ’em!
Got a question about freelancing or the wider world of journalism? Let’s hear it, and I may feature it in a future Q&A post! Fill out this form with your question(s).
I offer one-on-one coaching! Is your story falling apart and you need a second set of eyes on it? Want a seasoned perspective on a pitch you’re kicking around? Interested in talking about careers and/or building your freelance business? Maybe just want an edit on a story draft? I’ve got you covered! Click below to book a coaching session to talk about pitches, story ideas and development, editing, careers, or anything else you might need help with! (Paid subscribers get 33% off any session.)