Freelance work -- what to charge?

Like I said, I've been lucky. Found a small handful of clients who pay enough to make it worth the extra time (on top of school work) to take it on.

FWIW, I found them all through craigslist.

 

I found one of my current part-time newspaper gigs through craigslist, but for me, it seems like that's a really rare find and that most of the stuff on there is spam.

 

What kind of stuff you find there?

 

Freelance editing/writing.

Fair bit of photo work to found as well.

Nice thing about the writing, etc, is that it doesn't have to be local. Photo tends to need to be close by.

 

They want you.

Charge them for it.

Forty cents a word is not astronomical. If you write 1,000 words then you should be getting $400 or more for your research, time and your craftsmanship.

Giving someone 1,000 words for $150 or $200 is selling yourself too short. You have what they want or need. Don't be afraid to ask for a sum that reflects what you can provide. They may pay it, say no or negotiate. But don't give in cheaply.

You wouldn't write a feature for a Web site for $10 or $15 and probably express disdain toward those who would. Why give someone your talents for a lesser amount?

As for editing, $30 an hour sounds like you're looking at college term papers for beer money A professional service would charge more. If you're a professional, you value your time, you are good at what you do and they want or need you, charge $75 or more an hour depending on the amount of work.