A. James Editing, Inc.

I’ve recently worked with a few clients who have been quite taken aback when they hear what my hourly or project rates are for a piece of copy. This has led to some instances of conflict and discomfort (not to mention drama) and I want to prevent such occurrences in the future.


The only way I could think to do that was by letting it be known what a copywriter charges for her work. It obviously varies based on experience and market, but the rates below come to this post by way of Writer’s Market, an invaluable resource for any writer. The rates are broken down by lows, averages and highs. I’ve included categories that I typically work under, but if you want a more extensive list you can probably find the latest edition of Writer’s Market in any library or bookstore.


The last thing you should do is take these rates as the literal word of the Freelance Copywriting Goddess, but they should give you a good idea of what you should charge (as a freelance copywriter) and what you should expect to pay (as a purchaser of copywriting services).

Advertising Copywriting

Low: $35-40/hour
Average: $77-92
High: $125-150

Per Project
Low: $150
Average: $2,278
High: $9,000


Copyediting for Advertising

Low: $20-25/hour
Average: $55-58
High: $100-125

Press/News Release

Low: $35-40/hour
Average: $58-97
High: $100-180

Per Project
Low: $125
Average: $479
High: $1,500

Brochures & Fliers for Business

Low: $30-50/hour
Average: $86-106
High: $150-200

Per Project
Low: $300
Average: $2,777
High: $15,000

Business & Sales Letters

Low: $36-40/hour
Average: $75-81
High: $125-150

Per Project
Low: $150
Average: $762
High: $1,500

Business Plan

Low: $35-50/hour
Average: $87-88
High: $125-150

Per Project
Low: $1,000
Average: $6,000
High: $15,000

Grant Proposal

Low: $30-43/hour
Average: $69-96
High: $125-150

Per Project
Low: $500
Average: $1,767
High: $3,000

Newsletter Writing

Low: $30-40/hour
Average: $82-90
High: $125

Per Project
Low: $800
Average: $2,000
High: $5,000

Web Page Writing

Low: $30-40/hour
Average: $66-83
High: $125-150

Per Project
Low: $100
Average: $1,251
High: $7,000

An Idaho woman, Laura Silsby, is under investigation for potentially kidnapping children out of Haiti with her group of Baptist church members. She also has a laundry list of other indiscretions, all financial, that have absolutely nothing to do with the construction of this sentence by The Associated Press:

In the last year alone saw her home go into foreclosure and watched a number of legal proceedings against her and her business wend their way through Idaho’s courts.

You can get the meaning of this sentence as it is, but it could read a lot smoother. Try this instead:
“The last year alone saw her home go into foreclosure…” Or: “In the last year alone, she saw her home go into foreclosure and watched a number of legal proceedings…”

You get the idea. It seems that the author of this piece had two sentences in her head at the same time and attempted (unsuccessfully) to combine them. You can read the article here.

In a first for Latin America, Mexico City legislators voted to legalize gay marriage. Though it would seem Mexico seeks unity through inclusion, this article is missing something in an otherwise almost perfect article:

Last month, an Argentinean court narrowly blocked what would been the continent’s first gay marriage.

The word “have”. It should be between “would” and “been”. What can I say? It’s a gift. Read the pithy article here.

I was perusing the offerings on The Huffington Post today and came across two articles, “Rupert Everett: Hollywood is Like Al-Qaeda” and “Critics of Obama’s Exit Strategy Have Argument Backwards,” both with different spellings of “al Qaeda”. I have no first-hand knowledge of Arabic so I cannot say with assurance how to spell it, but after some online research I came across WikiAnswers which claims the correct spelling is “Al Qaeda”. Any Arabic speakers who can second that?

In the first article it was spelled “Al-Qaeda”. In the second article there were two different spellings, “al Qaeda” and “al-Qaeda”. I think most Americans don’t know which spelling is correct (if one of them is correct), but for the sake of consistency, THP should choose one and use it wherever the word occurs.

As a copywriter and guardian of the written word, I instinctively notice typos and grammatical errors everywhere I go. I learned a long time ago that correcting people’s speech is a good way to get on their bad side so I discontinued that practice. Channeling my grammatical gravitas into more constructive means, like copywriting, has been more rewarding and not to mention socially acceptable.

I came across this restaurant in the course of a previous job and cringed and corrected it in my head every time I passed it. Taste of what village? Did you mean “The Taste of the Village?” What about “Taste the Village?”


To all you business owners out there: I have no doubt that you know your stuff when it comes to your business, but it might be worth its weight in respect to have a copywriter look over your written materials before you go public and have your knowledge of the English language questioned.