The Age Old "What Are Your Rates" Question

Hey all,

The other day I had a really nice job interview. Today, the interviewer got back to me and told me they've chosen another candidate, but she was interested in hiring me for freelance work. That's when she asked what are your rates, which if you haven't guessed, is still a question I struggle to answer.

Context:

I live in Spain, so the rates tend to be lower than in North America. With that said, I don't know any other professional writers, so I'm not sure who to ask to get a decent idea.

I've been writing consistently since about 2020. Before, I had jobs here and there and I wrote in school, but to give you an idea, I'd say I have 2/3 years of experience. Of course, to adorn my CV for it to even get looked at, I say I have 5 years of experience.

In the past, I've been grossly underpaid (looking at you, Upwork), so I'm really invested in asking for a fair price for me and my client. It's a pretty big name entity too, so I think it could really boost my CV and get me some other really nice work if I keep it up.

Judging by what we talked about in the interview, I think I'd be doing weekly blog posts of about 1000/2000 words. I'm not sure if it's best to charge by words, projects, or hours.

TL;DR With 3 years of experience covering innovation/tech/urbanism niche in Spain (although the posts will be in English since it's for international markets), how much should I charge?

I was thinking between .30-.50/word, but I'm curious to hear other people's opinions.

Thank you <3