This is a topic I keep coming back to because I see it coming up again and again, in various forums, and it’s something about which I feel very passionate. I talked about steps to setting your freelancing rates last year, and now I’m going to do it again.

On a discussion list for writers I frequent, it came up innocently enough: “A major parenting publication has asked me to blog for them,” wrote a fellow writer, “and they want to know how much I’ll charge. How do I decide? I’ve heard everything from $5 a post to $25 a post.”

And then I put my head down on the desk and wept in frustration, because I don’t want to hear “major parenting publication” and “$25 a post” in the same sentence. Ever. Yet it’s still very common, and that’s because writers are not demanding their worth. So consider me your esteem coach for the day. Ready? You might want to have a mirror handy.

Okay. Look into the mirror and repeat after me: I deserve a decent wage. My time is worth something, and my expertise is worth even more. I will not accept underpayment ever again.

See, now—don’t you feel better?

No? What’s that you say—you say that you’re afraid that if you ask for more money you won’t be able to get work? I disagree.

Look; you cannot, as a newbie, charge out of the gate demanding outrageous fees. Do read my previous post on this to take yourself through the steps of determining a reasonable rate, which includes figuring out what your fellow writers are earning. But when I say “fellow writers” I mean “fellow writers who are making a decent wage,” not the people who proudly started declaring themselves writers because someone came along and offered them $5/post.

Part of the reason this topic is near and dear to me is because I see good people, good writers, willingly getting shafted because they either don’t have the business acumen or the self-confidence to advocate for themselves. That—in and of itself—is something of a tragedy. But the other reason this irks me is a very selfish one: If you keep working for pennies, it makes it harder for me to command the wage I deserve, because potential employers point out that there are plenty of other folks willing to do my job for less. Quite frankly, that pisses me off. So stop it.

Any time you head into a job, you should ask yourself: What’s the hourly rate? You should have an approximate hourly rate in your head that you charge. That rate should be significantly higher than what you last made at an office job, because as a freelancer you’re not getting all of the benefits you had before like health insurance and such. Once you know your baseline hourly wage (it’s okay if it’s a range, but you should have some idea), ask yourself how long the proposed job will take you. Does the pay fall in line with your hourly rate once you figure out the time it will take? If the answer is no, negotiate for more money, or move on.

And if you can’t do that, consider the possibility that you’re not cut out for freelancing.

Thus ends today’s lecture. Go forth and make me proud, people. You’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and doggone it, life is too short to work for nothing. Seriously.