Do you want to learn how to get paid to write?

I love this quote. It’s a reminder of why it’s important to put ourselves first and receive money for our writing. We deserve to be paid to write.

“But that’s selfish,” you’ll hear many people say. Or “writing is art.” As if you’re not supposed to get paid for creative work.

To that I roll my eyes.

Your words have value. Your work has value. You should be paid for it. Simply put. Anyone who tries to trade you for “exposure” or for something else that offers no real value to you, likely doesn’t have your best interest at heart. They’re not putting you first. That’s why you have to put yourself first. Full stop.

There is a market value for words.

The first step is knowing what you can be paid to write. If you want to be paid to write, you’ll start by researching the specific kind of writing you want to do and the market. It’s well worth the effort when you walk into a potential job knowing what your time and writing are worth. You make it easier to negotiate and also to walk away if need be.

Where to go to research the value of writing?

Writer’s Digest has a comprehensive and free rates guide when you sign up for their newsletter. It includes rates for paid to write work ranging from government to copywriting jobs to commercial magazines and journals plus information about raising rates and resources for further research. You can sign up for it here.

Contently offers this pay rates database that doubles as an excellent resource when you’re deciding where you want to pitch a story. You’ll know what you’ll be paid to write before hitting send on the pitch.

This post from Freelance Writing helps you set your rates and walks you through presenting them on a website.

And Writers In Charge offers advice on how to set your freelance rates. 

Being paid to write doesn’t always mean dollar bills.

While I generally suggest always asking to be paid to write, there will be times you choose to work for less or for free.  When you choose to not to be paid to write, you must receive something else of value to you. That value will always link to your top priority and your core values.

What do I mean by core values?

I wrote about this in my book The Writer’s Roadmap. Core values are the people, places, things, and emotions that define you and your beliefs. They help distinguish your plan from other Objectives by including the things that are most important to you.

Core values can include everything from areas of expertise such as education, travel, or photography to the feelings and ethics that guide your life, such as love, energy, or charity.

This is also when the P. Diddy quote comes back into play. Motivation. Love. Support. Money. Prayer. As long as you receive something you truly value in exchange for your work, then you have been paid to write.

You might accept a lower rate of payment to publish an article you loved writing in one of your favorite magazines. A byline in a big publication has lead editors to ask writers for more work and even helped many writers land book deals.

Lola Akinmade’s Lagom book began as an article in Slate. She describes the process of publishing her book on her blog. Gemma Hartley’s Fed Up began as an article in Harper’s.

I’ve written booklets and website copy for education nonprofits. I wasn’t paid to write in money, but knowing the work I did for them helped educate students who may not have otherwise received education fits directly into my belief that when you educate a child, you improve the world.

I also co-host a monthly #bookmarketingchat with Rachel Thompson of Bad Redhead Media where I am paid to write in “exposure.”

Does exposure = paid to write?

Quite often, someone will tell you they can’t pay you, but the “exposure” you’ll get from their audience is worth your time. Ever heard the saying “You can die from exposure?” Exposure doesn’t pay bills, and in my experience, I’ve received equal if not more exposure when I’ve been paid to write.

So why do I not ask to be paid for the Twitterchats?

There are times and reasons exposure is valuable enough to work for free. My Twitterchats are a perfect example. They set me up as an expert in my field. They connect me to a community of writers. Some buy my book or write reviews. Others hire me to mentor them. I learn, enjoy chatting and generally love being part of this community. 

The chats are my way of giving back to a community who has enriched my life in so many ways, and it’s worth it to me!

You have to decide what your work is worth to you.

You must negotiate what you’re worth.

Some people love negotiating. Some people hate it. I hate it, yet I still believe it’s important to negotiate and ask more money to be paid to write. Always. Always ask for more money and negotiate no matter what. You may get a no, but you may also get a yes. Far better to give yourself the chance earn more money for your writing.

Harvard Law School’s Program On Negotiation offers these three strategies for your negotiations. You may need to adapt them to your specific needs, but the ideas are sound.

This is another great guide to negotiating.

I want to close this post with a quote from The Writer’s Roadmap:

Too often, we shy away from discussing money when it comes to our dreams. We’re artists, writers, dreamers, right? We want to create. Money shouldn’t limit us.

Let’s be honest.

While the life you most want to live won’t have a core value of money, reality dictates we need money to live. We need to eat and have a solid roof under which we’ll sleep in bed at night. If you want to realize your dream life, you’ll need a certain amount of money to make that happen.

Can you pay your mortgage? Your child’s daycare? How much are your grocery bills each month? What about the extras, like new clothes, travel and other luxuries?

How much you need to live comfortably depends on where you live, how you live, and how many dependents you have. Including a specific number as a money goals sets a clear yet achievable destination for your journey.

Do you know yet what you want? Do you know how to get there and be paid to write? If you’d like some help, consider buying a copy of The Writer’s Roadmap. It will take you step-by-step through the process of creating a plan and recognizing the value of the words you put into the world.