PAY RATE / PAGE RATE

A publisher's set rate by which they pay authors for their accepted submissions. Some publications pay by the page—which usually refers to the printed page—not the manuscript page. However, most paying publications pay by the word. The amount per word varies a great deal from ½ cent/word up to $1 or more a word. Often a publication will indicate a range of possible payment, such as five to ten cents per word. What that usually means is that if the piece needs a lot of editorial help, the author will get the lower rate. If the piece is well edited and ready to go, the writer will get the higher rate. If a writer is published regularly by a particular publication, the editor may begin to raise that amount per word. When submitting to a periodical, never ask what they pay. This information will almost always be found in their writers' guidelines or market guide listing. Realize, too, that there are small publications that do not pay for submissions. Instead, they may offer free copies of the issue where your work appears, or even a subscription to their magazine. For more on how magazines pay writers, go to: http://sellyournonfiction.wordpress.com/2010/11/15/q-%E2%80%9Chow-do-magazines-pay-writers-for-articles-and-stories.