What would you charge to write a 1000 word article on your field?

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

Blog owner contacted me and asked whether I would be interested in writing a couple of 1000 word articles on my field (biological electron microscopy)--they are "very interested" in having me do this. They do not seem to be offering any compensation for this, although their website encourages people to submit articles, and if they are published, there is supposedly some sort of compensation.

If a scientific society contacted me and asked, I would probably do it for free or refuse (i.e., and not ask for compensation), but for-profit blog should be willing to offer something. I do consulting work on the side and, and given that such an article would likely cost me several hours of time, it would run into the thousands of dollars if I were to charge my full rate. However, I realize that articles do not command that much of a premium, and I suspect they will give me the "good publicity" argument (which is insulting, in addition to being complete bullshit). (BTW, I have a Ph.D., 20 peer-reviewed papers, 12 covers, and five museum exhibits). 

I want to get at least some sort of compensation for my time and will not do this for free. However, I do realize that there is value in outreach (much of which I HAVE done for free, such as my various journal covers and museum exhibits), am generally happy to do what I can for my field.

What do  you say-- a couple hundred bucks? More? What would you charge if someone approached you and you knew it would take several hours--away from other paid work?

[Brian]

As it happens, today the Dallas Observer published a 1000 word freelance article of mine. Now, I'm not nearly as in-depth of a subject matter expert as you are, it's not in a super cool Ph.D. field - just a general interest article written by a person with general interests (namely a restaurant review). And the Dallas Observer is a weekly newspaper, not a blog.

But having laid out why this is apples-to-oranges, the fee we settled on for my story was $250 (plus expenses). As a badass expert, you'll command more, but with a blog, you'll command less. Those factors might, to some degree, cancel out. When I'm writing just for the Observer's blog, not the print edition, the money is substantially less - 1000 words might, MIGHT, get three figures. Or not.

So a couple hundred bucks might be a good figure to name, to see if the blog owner says "sure!" or is aghast at the cost. Unless it turns out that this blog owner is doing the blog for fun, and it only generates enough money to cover his hosting fees...?

[Super Blood Moon]

Blog owner contacted me and asked whether I would be interested in writing a couple of 1000 word articles on my field (biological electron microscopy)--they are "very interested" in having me do this. They do not seem to be offering any compensation for this, although their website encourages people to submit articles, and if they are published, there is supposedly some sort of compensation.

If a scientific society contacted me and asked, I would probably do it for free or refuse (i.e., and not ask for compensation), but for-profit blog should be willing to offer something. I do consulting work on the side and, and given that such an article would likely cost me several hours of time, it would run into the thousands of dollars if I were to charge my full rate. However, I realize that articles do not command that much of a premium, and I suspect they will give me the "good publicity" argument (which is insulting, in addition to being complete bullshit). (BTW, I have a Ph.D., 20 peer-reviewed papers, 12 covers, and five museum exhibits). 

I want to get at least some sort of compensation for my time and will not do this for free. However, I do realize that there is value in outreach (much of which I HAVE done for free, such as my various journal covers and museum exhibits), am generally happy to do what I can for my field.

What do  you say-- a couple hundred bucks? More? What would you charge if someone approached you and you knew it would take several hours--away from other paid work?

If your time is worth thousands of dollars, charge them that. Unless you think this article will be beneficial to your own career somehow. Only makes sense. I work with fiction so am no expert on non-fiction stuff.

[vandermolen]

For the handful of CD booklet notes I wrote (about 1300-1500 words) I was paid £75 Per CD. Not much for all the research involved but it was nice to be paid for writing about something I love.

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

You guys are expensive dates. I used to pen book, magazine, research award citations (biography, quotations, accomplishments, reasons for award, etc.) for $50 each. Some were easy work, others not so and many were "can we have this tomorrow?"

[vandermolen]

You guys are expensive dates. I used to pen book, magazine, research award citations (biography, quotations, accomplishments, reasons for award, etc.) for $50 each. Some were easy work, others not so and many were "can we have this tomorrow?"

Interesting. I don't think they would pay me £75 now. I did spend hours and hours on some of the research and also sometimes bought books to help me and getting stuff translated from Russian (for the Miaskovsky CDs). Having said that I usually used my Russian school students as slave labour to do it for me. 

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

Interesting. I don't think they would pay me £75 now. I did spend hours and hours on some of the research and also sometimes bought books to help me and getting stuff translated from Russian (for the Miaskovsky CDs). Having said that I usually used my Russian school students as slave labour to do it for me. 

The dream of a slave is to actually have ones you can call your own, contract out the work, so to speak... While I knew I was underpaid I also knew they could always ask volunteers to do it - not as well as I could do it, but it had the saving grace of being free.  My motto is some money is better than no money, so I did the work and was happy for it.  Wouldn't mind that work again now.  Miaskovsky, btw,  is my current rage!  What a fantastic composer (this, based solely on the three symphonies I've heard : 8, 12, 17).  What should I listen to next, oh, wise one?

[vandermolen]

What should I listen to next, oh, wise one?

Hehehe. Well, No.6 and 21 are especially good. The 6th is an epic work but very moving in places (the flute passage in the trio of the scherzo is one of my all time favourite pieces of music). No.21 is paradoxically concise; a single movement work of about 17 minutes - it is poetic and eloquent. The valedictory No.27 won the composer a posthumous Stalin prize after his music had been condemned in 1948. No.3 and 15 are great too. There is a Kondrashin version of No.15 which can usually be found very inexpensively online.

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

Thank you very much! Am in pursuit of those, one way or another.  As a mentor to Prokofiev, he's just got to be good, I figure.  His is a voice that speaks to me, that's for sure.  And please stay away from radioactive Russians. 

[Sergeant Rock]

What should I listen to next, oh, wise one?

Don't miss the F minor 24th, dedicated to the memory of a close friend.

"...darkly elegiac...Myaskovsky saves his grief for the Rachmaninoff-like Molto sostenuto central movement, which rises twice to a searing climax."

Sarge

[vandermolen]

Don't miss the F minor 24th, dedicated to the memory of a close friend.

"...darkly elegiac...Myaskovsky saves his grief for the Rachmaninoff-like Molto sostenuto central movement, which rises twice to a searing climax."

Sarge

I agree; 23,24 and 25 are all fine. No.23 based on Caucasian folk tunes is one of the most approachable. No.16, commemorating an air disaster has a wonderfully funereal slow movement.

[vandermolen]

Thank you very much! Am in pursuit of those, one way or another.  As a mentor to Prokofiev, he's just got to be good, I figure.  His is a voice that speaks to me, that's for sure.  And please stay away from radioactive Russians.

Yes, Prokofiev, who was quite an acerbic individual, remained very loyal to his friend Miaskovsky. I shall try to keep on the Lapsang Souchong tea rather than that laced with polonium.

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

Don't miss the F minor 24th, dedicated to the memory of a close friend.

"...darkly elegiac...Myaskovsky saves his grief for the Rachmaninoff-like Molto sostenuto central movement, which rises twice to a searing climax."

Sarge

Thank you, too, Sarge! 

[vandermolen]

Thank you, too, Sarge!

There is a Naxos CD with 24 and 25 on.

[Monsieur Croche]

A. The value of your applied skill and its value relative to solving a practical problem in a business context has no relation whatsoever to the value of a written article in any publication -- unless in that article you contribute exclusive and valuable information that can lead to the professional furtherance or any of the readers' monetary gain.

B. You have to evaluate what a published article is worth to you in what it might bring or add to your professional repute [prestige] and if that will bring you any real business or open doors to advantageous employment positions, the likelihood of a grant, etc. [N.B. This has nearly everything to do with the general and real repute and prestige the publisher has.]

C. On doing things on spec, in general now rife in the publishing community, especially online publications, and also rife in the business sectors, practical, scientific and the arts.... Here is two and a half minutes well worth the time of anyone who has been offered spec work and is at all considering doing it.

CONSIDER THIS.
https://www.youtube.com/v/essNmNOrQto


Best regards.