6 min read

·

Nov 16, 2023

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Are your freelance writing rates set so high that nobody wants to hire you? I thought mine were.

I was a full-time freelance ghostwriter and web designer for 20 years before I started writing full-time on Medium and my blog. I pride myself on being able to write about any topic, and I did, from ColdFusion programming to fine art prints. I had a couple of terrific clients, and they kept me going for a long time.

But, when Medium came along, I decided I would slow down on freelancing and focus on publishing stories. The funny thing is that I expected to earn thousands of dollars without much effort, and that never happened, so I may have been better off keeping a few clients.

The good thing about regularly publishing on Medium and my blog is that a lot of people looking to hire writers read my work and find me on LinkedIn.

I get an offer a week, at least.

Some are ridiculous, like a few dollars for a 1,000-word article. They always say how great the exposure would be and how the money could get better in the future. I’ve learned long ago not to work for pennies or for free, so that is not the problem. The problem happens when they ask me what my rates are.