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MLV WritesBlog of Monica Valentinelli, Writer & Content Consultant

Posts Tagged ‘freelancing rates’


Posted on April 10, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli

Is Your Next Writing Project Worth the Trouble? Use the K.I.S.S. System and Find Out!


There are a lot of ways to communicate your point, but sometimes the simplest vocabulary and the shortest sentences offer the the biggest benefit. While every writer knows and understands that, what’s not so simple is our process for making decisions.

Enter the K.I.S.S. system, which stands for Keep It Simple Stupid. (The acronym can also be used to describe Keep It Short and Simple, too.)

Sounds easy enough, right? Well, the challenge for a lot of writers is this little thing called “the brain.” This spongy mass tends to get in the way of great writing because it’s easy to “over-think” your projects and what you’re working on. Having a strategy to write is one thing, but thinking about your writing so much that you end up either a) not writing or b) writing something you’re not happy about. Our writing ends up suffering because we feel obligated to write something rather than focus on something we want to write.

If you feel you’re over-rationalizing your projects, then read on because I’ve got good news for you. You can use the K.I.S.S. system to simplify your woes and get back to writing what you want to write. All you have to do is ask yourself these simple questions and limit your responses to one, two or three word answers.

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Posted on February 20, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli

How Clients Get Away With Not Paying Freelancers (And What You Can Do About It)


As I mentioned earlier this week in a post about why writers need to list more skills than just writing, it’s not uncommon for businesses to undervalue communication to cut financial corners. Many businesses will add company communications to other positions as a way to save money, especially if it’s not the businesses primary product [...]

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Posted on January 26, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli

How Much Should You Get Paid to Blog?


Are you new to blogging? Do you know how much writers typically get paid per blog post? Back before blogging existed, most writers would get paid by the word. The higher the word count, the better pay a writer might receive, the more prestigious the publication. For example, publications with national distribution models might offer [...]

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Posted on July 1, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli

The Cost of Writing Fiction versus Nonfiction


Before I’ve offer you some suggestions on resources you can utilize to get published, I’d like to point out the financial aspect of writing. My only caveat to this post, is that parts of this post compare the difference between how much a short story pays versus what a nonfiction article might. Books and blogging [...]

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Posted on February 19, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli

Ralan Conley’s Interview from Ralan.com on Flames Rising


Previously, I had mentioned that one of the best freelancer resources on the web is through Ralan.com. If you haven’t checked out this site, I highly recommend that you do so in short order. Ralan offers a wealth of information on genre (and even some non-genre) places that request submissions. Even if you aren’t in [...]

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Posted on May 17, 2007 - by Monica Valentinelli

Freelance Writing Tip #13: Markets Pay Different Rates


Depending upon what market you’re involved in, markets pay different rates based on their distribution and sales. Writing for one magazine could earn you up to $2.50 a word; publishing the same piece in another, lesser-known magazine could pay you anywhere from 5 to 15 cents a word. Higher rates usually mean higher competition, so [...]

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Posted on May 4, 2007 - by Monica Valentinelli

Freelance Writing Tip #4: Money Flows to the Writer


There are several publishers, agents, and other folk out there who claim to “get you published” if you pay them “x” amount of dollars. Writer Beware! As a creator, money is always supposed to flow toward the writer—not the other way around. So use your common sense; if something sounds too good to be true, [...]

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