writermag.com • The Writer | 11$650 instead of being satisfied with
$350. And she got it.
“I was surprised at how easy it was,”
says de la Cretaz, who has written for
The New York Times and The Atlantic.
When the rate didn’t budge, she nego-
tiated other perks such as travel and
transcription costs.
“I ultimately think the amount of
money that you want is whatever it is
that will make you enjoy working on
the piece,” says freelance writer Elon
Green, who has written for a number
of publications, including Columbia
Journalism Review. “That varies by
writer, and what made you happy two
years ago is not necessarily what’s
going to make you happy today. You
ask for what you need.”
What if the editor refuses to budge
on the price? It’s perfectly OK to walk
away. I’m sorry, but that price doesn’t
work for me, but maybe we can collabo-
rate in the future. Thank you for your
consideration. As de la Cretaz noted,
your pitch works. Surely another publi-
cation will provide a home for a higher
price. The benefits extend beyond dol-
lars. The higher the price, Green
believes, the more time editors will
spend making it better.
Getting more money involves
finesse. You can’t be offered $1,
and ask for $5,000. That’s an invita-
tion for professional exile. Go slightly
above what will make the story worth-
while. Let’s return to reality: $1,000 is
too low; you want $1,500. Ask for
$1,700. You’re negotiating up; the
publication will negotiate down. This
gives you a better chance of meeting
in your middle. Based on how the edi-
tor responds, you can accept, politely
decline, or negotiate extras like tran-
scription fees.
If you’re worried about upsetting
an editor, please redirect that con-
cern. As a full-time freelance writer, I
am running a business. Gratitude
does not put butter on my bread.
Good editors understand the realities.
“I was totally sympathetic,” says for-
mer GQ executive editor, Devin Gor-
don, who felt bad if he couldn’t get a
writer more money. And de la Cretaz
doesn’t blame editors for not-great
rates but a “broken media system”
where everyone is working with
“much less cash flow.” Translation:
publications don’t have the money
they did 20 or even 10 years ago, and
it’s not as if the cost of living has pla-
teaued. The editor who stomps their
feet over a polite request for a 25-centa word increase is either a tyrant,
delusional, or both. Leave them
behind without regret.
A lack of aggravation is more
important because top-tier freelance
writers don’t make that much money
compared to elite professionals in
other fields, says Gordon, who edited
Brodesser-Akner at GQ. A contract
freelance writer, like Chris Heath,
writes five 8,000-word features in a
good year. That’s $160,000. Yes, it’s a
wonderful haul, but a pittance for doc-
tors, lawyers, and top executives at
banks and technology firms.
That money doesn’t factor in the
research and prep work that separates
a great writer from a good one. And
let’s not forget: that six-figure salary is
before taxes.It’s not a great system.
“Can we just say it,” Gordon says.
“It sucks.”
Green, de la Cretaz, and Gordon,
now a full-time freelance writer, have
all written pieces where the prestige
of the publication outweighed their
fee. “There are also publications that
I’ve written for – that I would con-
tinue to write for – at discounted
rates, because writing for them gets
people to talk,” Green says. “That’s
sort of the bargain I made with
myself.” I’ve done that too. I wrote
heavily reported oral histories for the
websites at Sports Illustrated and Roll-
ing Stone. The pay stunk: I earned less
than $1,000 total – for both. But the
prestige – and attention – those clips
generated proved invaluable. It was a
great investment, more so when one
piece provided contacts and material
for my book.
Every piece a freelancer writes,
Gordon says, is a billboard ad to get
more work, but he can see a world
where the compensation is on par
with the exposure.
“It’s just crazy to me that we’re not
psyched about someone doing well,” he
says. “We need some success stories in
this business. Hopefully, with the
impact of Taffy and how good she is
and how successful she is, editors and
publishers will say, ‘I’d rather have one
Taffy and pay her $5 a word than five
people who are a quarter as good and
pay them a quarter of the money.’”
With decent-paying writing gigs at
a premium, landing one is an accom-
plishment because it requires your
heart and soul and professionalism,
that exhausting mixture of the passion-
ate and the practical. Don’t gripe about
what everyone else is making. Advo-
cate for yourself, and get paid. You
deserve it.Veteran freelance writer Pete Croatto (Twit-
ter: @PeteCroatto) is working on his first book
for Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.IF YOU’RE WORRIED
ABOUT UPSETTING AN
EDITOR, PLEASE REDIRECT
THAT CONCERN. AS A
FULL-TIME FREELANCE
WRITER, I AM RUNNING
A BUSINESS. GRATITUDE
DOES NOT PUT BUTTER
ON MY BREAD.