How Much Does A Freelance Writer Earn In India? Is It Worth The Effort?

Finding out new opportunities whichever field you are chasing as your potential career path is indeed a difficult task. It does not matter whether you are a fresher or an intermediate employee happily working in a well-reputed company, it does have challenges to a certain degree. Although as a fresher you are still yet to make new connections and that is even more of a struggle, but as an already-established employee you will find assistance through your good professional network; nevertheless, several situations such as recession or Covid-19 will likely add up battles to your plans.

It is tricky to find a stable job at the time when people are practically losing their employment. Most of them prefer to remain with their current employer until the situation subsides.

Now what if you want a job as a freelance content writer because there are plenty of responsibilities on your shoulders and getting a full-time employment will not be feasible at the moment? How much should you demand from your clients? Is it hourly based, word-count based, or based on the entire document or draft you are going to write?

There are several areas one needs to think about. But first of all, it is vital that you introspect within that how much you think you deserve after analyzing your actual work experience. It also depends on where you currently reside. All countries have their own standards. For instance, the average price of an experienced writer in the United States will fall somewhere around $50 for a 500-words article. You do the math!

In India, an entry-level writer will have an average cost about 0.50 paisa per word. Once the experience is gained, they will move to somewhere between 1 to 3 INR per word. With more and more opportunities, the price will vary. Obviously, if you had a deal of 1 INR per word in your previous projects, you will elevate your criteria till 1.5 or 2 INR in your next, and even more in your next-to-next. I have always chosen to elevate my price every year.

There will be instances when you will find yourself in a position in which some employers will fail to notice your skills. The reason could be any. They may think that researching and writing is not a skill to be counted, and is not enough to be appreciated. So, you may find yourself in a dilemma whether it is a right time to switch to somewhere better where you could be valued. But more about that we will discuss later.

You should also take note that your pay check depends on who hires you. A start-up company may not be able to pay you as much as an MNC would. Likewise, a US-based firm would pay you better compared to the ones that are situated in South-Asian countries due to the difference in their currency value. I still remember I used to be paid 100 INR for 800 words blogs in my first project as a freelance content writer. Little did I know that the price used to be too low to associate with that employer for long term.

You should also take a note that if someone is hiring you as an intermediate between you and the client, it is natural to expect some margin reserved for that firm that acts as an intermediate and then some part will be given to you. This is usually transparent between you and that intermediate party. However, the exact amount paid by the client to that intermediate party may not be known to you. Therefore, it is sometimes better to leave this scenario.

Although some popular freelancing sites like Upwork (formerly known as odesk) have their margin but the percentage is written clearly on the site itself. This means if you are providing your service to a potential client and are paid through that platform then some fraction would be reserved for Upwork. I don’t think there is any issue in this. The advantage is that the associated clients are trustworthy. So, if they get satisfied with your work, they will pay you. If they don’t, you can write a negative review there itself so that others could see. If you are signing for hourly payment, some amount will still be paid for the hours given regardless of their dissatisfaction. As a writer, getting paid on hourly basis is usually rare. It is more common as a software developer.

If you somehow managed to find a good client, there can be instances when they would want you to modify your write-ups right after you submit your work. It could be due to the following reasons:

1. You couldn’t understand what they wanted (or not) to include.

2. They had changed their mind. So, whatever you had written may not come to terms with their recent ideas.

Making a few edits is not an issue. Naturally you wouldn’t want them to be unsatisfied. However, too much of rewriting can be real pain. Anybody who is not into the field of content development cannot understand that too much of modification takes nearly the same time as creating a fresh one, or more!

Even the pricing is based on how much research you put in the whole write-up. General topics require research but you can at least also mention your personal views. Conversely, technical topics need thorough research, and therefore, continuous modification of any blog or article can make a writer exhausted. So, it is always feasible to determine the price which satisfies your effort as well as the client. If you think that the client is not able to accept your contents no matter how many changes you make, better to move on to a new and fulfilling projects instead of stressing on the current one.

Content writing has always been a learning phase regardless of one’s years of experience. As a non-native English speaker, it is tricky to write the whole thing in a limited time with little to no errors. But as the time passes, most of us adjust and are capable to do that effortlessly. It also provides a stable job if you have multiple responsibilities at home and so are not able to manage a progressive yet stressful career like software development, management, and others. It is an ideal job for those who are good at storytelling. Don’t you agree?