How much do you pay/have you been paid per word?

[Morrus]

I'd like to put together some information on RPG industry pay rates. For now, just writing/word; I might do art later.

If you pay by the word, or have been paid by the word, please post how much, who by, and for what. It'll be interesting to see what the industry average actually is.

Also, if you're aware of any RPG freelance ads or open calls with a per-word rate in them, note it down here. The more data the better!

Obviously, don't break any confidentiality agreements if you've signed them.

I'll start:

EN Publishing
As of the launch of EN5IDER and TRAILseeker, generally $0.03/word, with more for veteran writers.

WotC Dragon/Dungeon/DDI
Typically $0.06 per word.

 

[Zadmar]

Savage Insider lists their submission rates here, they vary depending on the size and type of article, but are quite low (typically under 1 cent per word). However their contract places no restrictions on the copyright holder, so the author can still do whatever they wish with their work.

It's my understanding (please correct me if I'm wrong) that the EN Publishing contract is similar, except with a 1 year wait before the author can use their work elsewhere. I think that's more than fair, particularly for the rate it pays.

I know that Dungeon/Dragon used to require the author to sign away their rights. I don't know if that is still the case, but if so I can imagine it making a huge difference to many writers (particularly in this day and age, when it's relatively easy to self-publish).

 

[Nellisir]

I'm not sure if I can still dig up the price per word, but I got paid $110 for my (half-) article in Dragon 262 in 1998 (it was published August 1999, but I was paid in 1998 or early 1999).

Edit: I just dug up a review of the article. The reviewer makes a few quasi-snide asides about TSR sneaking in "previews" of the upcoming edition (3e) into the magic item mechanics. Uh, no. That was all me, and I didn't know anything about 3e. I just didn't like some of the conventional mechanics and tried to make them more useful.