Discussing money

[Tom Baines]

Afternoon all, quick question on pitch etiquette, really:

At what point in the pitch do you start discussing money? Do you outline your rates from the word go, or wait until somewhere further down the line, such as after submission of a draft, or even when all is done and dusted and you're going to press? I've often felt a little awkward and have left this until the end, and only really discuss it upfront with editors who I've worked with before and already have a rough idea what I would cost.

Thoughts, opinions and experiences would be greatly appreciated! Cheers!

[Mark Brown]

Like others have said, most big sites and mags have a set amount and aren't looking for your offer. Escapist pays by the word, most of the Future stuff just has a set fee. Ask friends who have worked there for a heads up, if you don't want to ask the publications yourslef.

[Nathan Meunier]

It all depends on who you're writing for and whether or not freelancing is your full-time gig. Fees and wordcounts vary widely from one outlet to another. Both can make a huge difference. Some publications may offer a $$ range for different size reviews that increases based on the size of the game and length and positioning of the review. Others pay a flat rate for all reviews or certain platforms (console vs handheld, etc). If you can managed to finagle rates around $100 starting out, that's pretty good, assuming the wordcount doesn't exceed 1,000. Some places pay a bit...or a lot more, but I think you'll find most medium to smaller outlets pay substantially less. Smaller word counts (between 300 and 600 range) that pay that much or more are much more preferrable.

As it was mentioned before, most pubs have a going rate for what they're willing to pay for various pieces. Like Ben noted above, in the rare circumstances when an editor asks you what your proposed fees are, you want to have a fee in mind that's solid and reasonable. After freelancing for awhile, you'll eventually figure out what minimum rates you are willing (or can afford) to accept for various kinds of work. That will vary widely from one writer to the next, based on their experience, expectations, financial considerations, and other crucial factors. A lower counter-offer from and editor might not be quite as hot as you'd liked, but in some cases it may be acceptable depending on the other details of the gig. Or you might just luck out and have your proposed fee accepted right off the bat. It's nice when there's some flexibility to haggle, and you can leverage your experience in such cases.

[Tom Baines]

Excellent use of 'finagle', by the way :D

[Gavin Bard]

I don't do a whole lot of pitching, I'm more of a review/opinion guy and doing anything traditional is kind of a weakness of mine, but when I do make a pitch I always make sure I know what I would like to make before it gets very far into the discussion. I'm always flexible on it because lord knows how ridiculously different one site is from another when it comes to compensation, but I definitely always have a number in my head before I'm even asked about it.