Book: "Secrets of a Freelance Writer" -- How are the fees/rates he discusses in 1988 so high in 2017?
My name is Erik, and I'm a freelance copywriter with 9+ years in the business. This is my first post, and I look forward to being a part of the community!
I'm currently reading a book called "Secrets of a Freelance Writer: How to Make $100,000 a Year or More" by Robert W. Bly, the first edition of which was published in 1988. Despite the tacky name, it's actually full of good evergreen info.
One thing that baffles me, however, is the author's discussion of pricing. Just as an example, he claims that he charges a fixed amount of "$2,500 for a two-page sales letter," or "$700-$850 for a press release," "$750-$1000 for a 300-400 word web page" and only for copy alone. This book, mind you, was written 30 years ago.
These numbers are somewhere in the ballpark of 5-8x (if not more) the amount that I regularly quote said jobs, see said jobs quoted and have been asked to do said jobs for, and we're 30 years in the future. Logically, I should be charging MUCH more than what he was in the '80s given inflation.
Again, it's not that I'm under-pricing my work (I don't think?)--it seems as if the market value has depreciated significantly according to these figures.
Can anyone explain this before my head explodes?
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Cheers, Laurence.
Writer/Editor/Proofreader.
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Lightin' fuses is for blowin' stuff togethah.