1. Flat rate

2. By the hour

I recommend that you do a flat rate. This prevents anyone from second guessing how long a project will take. If you do decide to charge by the hour then you must decide what your hourly rate will be. The range for copywriters varies from $50 an hour all the way up to $125 an hour. I wouldn't recommend that a beginning copywriter charge $125 an hour, but it's entirely up to you. Some businesses may not flinch if you charge a high amount. Some may head for the hills. I recommend that you get a feeling for how much they are willing to spend. You can also ask what the budget is on that particular project and this will give you an idea of how much they can afford. Also, when you are beginning, I recommend that you keep your rates negotiable. You may have to take a fee cut, but when you are first starting out any work you can get will benefit you with experience and give you a great sample to enter into your portfolio.

Flat rates are much simpler. It's a standard fee that you charge for any particular service. If you write a brochure you can charge a flat rate fee based on the length and complexity of the brochure. If it's a simple 3 page brochure you can charge anywhere from $100 to $400 dollars. If it's a more complicated 7 to 10 page brochure then you can charge anywhere from $500 to $1000 dollars. And again this is based on how much you think they are willing to pay and what their budget can afford. You can always negotiate if they are unwilling to pay a higher fee. Once you get more established and have steady work coming in you can pass on projects altogether if the prospect can't meet your fee. Just a side note here: When you do land a project and complete it, ask them if it would be ok if you could have a sample of the work when it is fully completed. That way you can use it in your portfolio (include a stipulation in your copy contract that allows you to use any work you do for a client in your portfolio).

Also ask your client for a testimonial. This is where the client writes a short sentence or two about the job you did for them and how it helped meet their communication needs. Most people will oblige you and write something complimentary about you and your work. Put it on your website and let it work for you because nothing sells quite as well as a customer testimonial. It shows others who are looking to hire a freelancer that you can fulfill a client's requests.

Receiving Payment

To keep track of your clients and payments owed I suggest you use a simple computer program. I use QuickBooks to handle all of my invoices and balances due, overdue, and paid. It even has a feature that allows me to send an email invoice directly to my client's email address.

There are many other options available to you if you decide against a software program. If you have a really tight budget and don't want to spend money on a computer program you can simply use paper and manila folders or a program like Excel. But just make sure you use a program. You want to be able to keep track of who owes you and when it.s due.

Also, I advise that you develop some sort of system to keep track of your projects. I recommend you use a folder/file based method. You can use simple, labeled manila folders filed in a filing cabinet or in a cardboard box or anything else that allows you to keep your work organized when handling multiple projects. This is a great way to prevent any deadlines from being missed.