Freelance Writer Types of Payment

Residual Income, Pay Per Post, and Consulting Fees

Feb 9, 2010
Cherie Burbach

Freelance Writers Have a Variety of Pay Options - ivan petrov

What does it mean to be paid a residual income? Per article? Or in trade? Here are some definitions.

Freelance writers today have the chance to be paid in a variety of different ways. This type of diversity can help writers from relying too deeply on one income source. The variety of payment types also reflects the changing job market for writers. All this is a good thing for freelancers.

Here is some clarification on the different types of payment a freelance writer may be offered.

Residual Income

Sites like Suite101, eHow, Examiner, and others pay writers residual income. This means there is no payment up front for an article, but writers earn a reoccurring amount for an article as long as it is up on the site. The income may come from a portion of ad revenue, page views, or some combination of the two.

While there is no pay initially for this type of arrangement, writers can potentially earn more per article in the long-term. This type of arrangement usually begins to pay off when a writer has built up several articles over time. The advantage of this type of payment is that writers can take a break or stop writing for a site, and still receive payment.

Pay Per Article Freelance Contract

Companies, magazines, and other outlets generally pay writers on a per article basis. Writers sign a contract, and payment is delivered when the article is published or completed, depending on the terms agreed upon. This type of payment is used in the off-line world as well as Internet sites.

The advantage is that the writer receives payment in a reasonable amount of time after completing the article, and can move on to the next assignment either with their current employer or a new one.

Consultant Fees

Writers can also sign on as a consultant to an organization, and be paid either by time of contract or in articles produced. This agreement usually happens when a writer is an expert in a certain area, and an organization hires him or her to write specifically for the company for a period of time. The writer may work on articles, eBooks, white papers, or any other mode of communication material.

Pay in Trade

While not the optimal situation, writers can agree to be paid in trade, meaning that they are essentially bartering for their services. For example, some writers may decide to write a monthly column for a company in exchange for advertising on their site. Or perhaps a freelancer will write blog posts in exchange for free web hosting. Writers should always make sure their time is being adequately compensated in this type of payment situation.

Content or Per Post Payment

Sometimes a site wants to get quality material for their website or blog. In that case, it may hire a writer on a content or per-post basis. Writers in this situation would get compensated a set dollar amount for a certain number of posts or articles per month. Freelancers generally have the freedom to write what they want as long as it fits with the topic at hand.

Freelancers today have many ways to earn money from writing. Making money is a personal decision, so writers should choose the type of work and payment that is best for them. Many writers choose a combination of various projects and payment types to keep the money coming in and the creativity flowing.