Publication Rates

Dee42

Can anyone please give me any idea of a ball park figure that you would seek for submitions for general articles to local newspapers / magazines?
Is it paid on a word count basis? I know its a very general question but I would like to get some sort of idea as I am new to this.
Many thanks for any help / suggestions.

EileenG

It depends on the paper, the type of submission, your experience, extra costs associated with writing it, all sorts of things.

Most papers have a specific rate per word for news, which is not very high because they assume you are also selling to other papers. If you are selling exclusively to one paper, you can negotiate a better rate.

Features usually pay between €50 and €500, depending on size, which paper, your experience etc. Tabloids often pay better than boardsheets, but like smaller features.

Magazines and local papers pay less.

Radio work pays astonishingly badly unless you negotiate a deal for yourself.

However, if you are just starting, you are not going to be a position to ask for a certain amount (unless there are expenses involved in doing the story) and will probably have to go along with whatever the editor usually pays.

Dee42

Thanks for the info. I've written some online articles and advertising copy (but I dont get paid for it - its an extra in my job). I'm looking into approaching broadsheets, magazines and online sites to see if I can branch out into freelance . Your answer was very helpful, thank you.