Having established that you shouldn't/needn't ever work for free, the next business issue you'll likely have to tackle is this: When writing for a publication where the payment rate is negotiable, how much should you ask for?
Whenever I'm contacted by someone who wants me to do some writing for them, I never commit or refuse until I've ascertained the following:
The deadline. If the editor wants the finished piece within a few days, I demand top dollar. Of course, if you think you can build a long-term relationship with the publication, you may be willing to accept less. Most editors are grateful when writers pull them out of a hole
How much work is involved. Word count isn't very important. Doing the research usually takes more time than actual writing, so a decent 1,000-word article isn't much more work than a thorough 700-word item. Quote a price for the entire article, not per word, just in case the editor decides later to go for something shorter. (That's happened to me).
Resale potential. If you're being offered less-than-fabulous money to write a piece that requires considerable research, but you're pretty sure you can repackage the information and sell it elsewhere later, I'd advise taking the job. The first time I wrote about sustainable architecture in Taiwan, I had to do a great deal of work - but that effort paid off in the long run as I've since written several articles about green buildings (like this one). However, if you can't see any way to leverage the work into additional income, politely say no.
Part Two of this post will follow in a few days.
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