There’s a mind-bending science fiction series from the 1970s that starts with Nine Princes in Amber. A part of the plot involves a physically demanding pattern that only family members with royal blood can walk. The pattern is marked out by different points of difficulty called the three veils. Pushing through each one is like walking in extra gravity, wearing lead boots.
That’s what comes to mind when I think of pricing in freelance writing, particularly B2B writing.
It’d be really, really nice if there was a set of prices you could adopt that would be 100% true for every project and situation you find yourself in. But in reality, there are three parts of a pattern you have to walk through:
- What you need (often based on a preconceived notion of “minimum”)
- What the client needs (often based on another minimum of “what other writers have charged”)
- What the work is worth (a calculation of your work experience, the product or project, and the drive a client has to get the work done and achieve the result)
It’s possible to move through these levels faster than others. It’s also possible to get stuck on one and wonder why your freelance writing business isn’t generating enough income for you to feel secure. But I don’t think anyone can skip these levels. You have to do the reps to build the muscle by working through each veil within your own mind and body.