Freelance RateSetting a rate as a writer and editor
How this work is usually priced, where the unpaid hours hide, and a worked example you can change to your own numbers.
How this work is priced
Writers are usually asked for a price per word, per article or per project, while the real cost sits in research, interviews, rewrites and waiting for feedback. A 1,000-word article that earns a flat fee may take a full working day once reading, drafting, editing and one round of changes are counted.
The unpaid work
Hours that no client pays for here include finding clients, pitching ideas that are never accepted, research that does not make it into the text, unpaid revision rounds, chasing late payments. They are the reason a billable share of 50% is used in the example, not 100%.
Costs to count
Writing and grammar tools, a reliable laptop and internet, a reference or subscription budget, and a small fund for courses. Each belongs in the yearly costs box.
A worked example
These figures are made up to show the working in Indian rupee. Use your own.
| Take-home wanted | ₹6,00,000 |
| Business costs | ₹60,000 |
| Profit needed before tax and savings (15% + 10%) | ₹8,00,000 |
| Income to bill in the year | ₹8,60,000 |
| Billable hours (46 weeks, 40 hours, 50% billed) | 920 |
| Hourly floor | ₹935 |
| Day rate floor | ₹7,478 |
What changes the answer
- If your billable share falls by 10 points to 40%, the hourly floor rises from ₹935 to ₹1,168.
- If you take 3 more weeks off, it rises to ₹1,000.
- If your costs are 25% higher than you planned, it rises to ₹951.
A tip for this work
Work out the hours a typical piece takes from the first note to the last revision, multiply by your hourly need, and only then divide by the words to get a per-word rate. If the per-word rate looks low, the client may be paying for words while you spend hours on thinking.
Try your own figures
Common questions
Should a writer charge per word or per hour?
Per word or per piece is easier for the client to compare, but set it from your hourly need. Track how long three pieces really take, then set the price so each one pays your hourly rate with the time you spent.
How many revision rounds should be included?
Many writers include one or two rounds and charge the hourly rate beyond that. Write the number of rounds in the quote so the limit is clear before work starts.
Keep going
Example figures on this site are made up to show the working. They are not market rates or averages. Tax, social-insurance, sales-tax and holiday rules differ by country and change, so this site does not state them: ask the tax authority of your country or an accountant. Checked 14 November 2026.