Freelance Game Designer's Pay
- Thread starter Vanuslux
- Start date
Pay for writing? 2 or 3 cents a word, usually. A big company may pay as much as 5. Somoene like WotC probably pays more. But it's hard to say.
ENP pays 2 cents a word, usually. A little extra if you're a "name" author.
But not much. RPG writing is no way to make money!
ENP pays 2 cents a word, usually. A little extra if you're a "name" author.
But not much. RPG writing is no way to make money!
kenmarable
Hero
As the old saying goes - How do you make a small fortune in the RPG business? Start with a large fortune. 
Yeah, not to start the that debate again, but the industry isn't soaring like it once was and rates reflect that. From what I recall at GenCon seminars, Paizo starts at about 5 cents a word if I recall (could be 6, I forget), but goes up from there for people they can regularly rely on. WotC starts a little over 6 cents a word (technically $1500 for each 24,000 word "module unit" I think). They are big enough and successful enough, that their rates haven't dropped with the market dropping off (most likely because their sales haven't dropped off much anyway). Probably everyone else mid-tier is 2 cents. Smaller PDF publishers can go as low as 1/2 cent a word (or often royalties only which in some cases can be even less).
For some perspective - at my best, I can crank out 1000 words an hour, but that's not counting in outlining, prep time, working on stats, etc.. So to make the math easy, let's say I can average 500 words an hour (which is probably unreasonable considering how much time I spend "planning" - i.e. procrastinating - as well as if it is a collaborative project or not, but when I really buckle down on a solo project, that's probably close. I'll have to actually clock my next project). At 1/2 cent a word, I would be making $2.50/hour - less than half the current US minimum wage. So on the low end, those rates are "unreasonable" only in the sense that you can make FAR more money flipping burgers. But if you are working on a project you enjoy, then any money is nice. Plus it builds skills and your list of credits so that you can climb up that ladder.
Some people would argue that the 1/2 cent and lower crowd diminishes the whole freelance pool by dragging down the rates for everyone. *shrug* I can see that somewhat, but from my experience, publishers tend to get what they pay for, and those who pay more typically sell far better (and can therefore afford to pay more, etc.). WotC and Paizo make enough money to afford to pay those rates, but they also demand a level of quality and rework that few other publishers do. The mid-tier companies could afford 4 cents a word and up during the booming years of d20, but the reality of the market now, they can rarely afford that, and even then only for writers who can guarantee them a great product needing minimal rework, and whose name can help sell that product. Few of us can even close to that.
Sorry for the long winded message that's basically a "me too" to Morrus'.
Yeah, not to start the that debate again, but the industry isn't soaring like it once was and rates reflect that. From what I recall at GenCon seminars, Paizo starts at about 5 cents a word if I recall (could be 6, I forget), but goes up from there for people they can regularly rely on. WotC starts a little over 6 cents a word (technically $1500 for each 24,000 word "module unit" I think). They are big enough and successful enough, that their rates haven't dropped with the market dropping off (most likely because their sales haven't dropped off much anyway). Probably everyone else mid-tier is 2 cents. Smaller PDF publishers can go as low as 1/2 cent a word (or often royalties only which in some cases can be even less).
For some perspective - at my best, I can crank out 1000 words an hour, but that's not counting in outlining, prep time, working on stats, etc.. So to make the math easy, let's say I can average 500 words an hour (which is probably unreasonable considering how much time I spend "planning" - i.e. procrastinating - as well as if it is a collaborative project or not, but when I really buckle down on a solo project, that's probably close. I'll have to actually clock my next project). At 1/2 cent a word, I would be making $2.50/hour - less than half the current US minimum wage. So on the low end, those rates are "unreasonable" only in the sense that you can make FAR more money flipping burgers. But if you are working on a project you enjoy, then any money is nice. Plus it builds skills and your list of credits so that you can climb up that ladder.
Some people would argue that the 1/2 cent and lower crowd diminishes the whole freelance pool by dragging down the rates for everyone. *shrug* I can see that somewhat, but from my experience, publishers tend to get what they pay for, and those who pay more typically sell far better (and can therefore afford to pay more, etc.). WotC and Paizo make enough money to afford to pay those rates, but they also demand a level of quality and rework that few other publishers do. The mid-tier companies could afford 4 cents a word and up during the booming years of d20, but the reality of the market now, they can rarely afford that, and even then only for writers who can guarantee them a great product needing minimal rework, and whose name can help sell that product. Few of us can even close to that.
Sorry for the long winded message that's basically a "me too" to Morrus'.
Stormborn
Explorer
Most small pdf publishers dont pay by the word in my experiance. The best I have ever gotten was in the 4-5 cents a word range. More common is a percentage of profits. Usually 25-35%. Print pays better. Dragon was my first sale and I was very pleased with it, but after a second article and some editiorial changes I have had trouble getting even a response from submissions. If my pdf commitments slow down a little I am going to start pitching their again.
Vanuslux
Explorer
So guesstimating from the current responses we're looking at typical word rate being .5-1 cent at amateur level, 2-3 cents being the median level, and pros going for 4 cents or more.
From a writer's standpoint, is a per word rate preferable to a percentage or vice versa? What about both together (say 1-2 cent per word advanced against a 25% royalty with the writer keeping all the advance even if the royalty never meets or exceeds it)?
Pardon all the nosy questions.
From a writer's standpoint, is a per word rate preferable to a percentage or vice versa? What about both together (say 1-2 cent per word advanced against a 25% royalty with the writer keeping all the advance even if the royalty never meets or exceeds it)?
Pardon all the nosy questions.
JVisgaitis
Explorer
Per word is far preferable. Royalties suck for the company offering them as its a major pain, and for the designer.
Mouseferatu
Hero
Don't take royalties in this industry, if you can avoid it. Never. Ever.
Seriously. Never.
The industry just doesn't have the sales to make it worth your while.
Seriously. Never.
The industry just doesn't have the sales to make it worth your while.
Vanuslux said:
Less than 2 cents a word does not merit consideration from anyone when it comes to for-profit work. (If the publisher stands to make real money, why aren't *you* making real money?) I currently make 5 cents or more per word, depending on the project.
Administratively, it's not worth it to mix royalties and advances. I have advanced royalties when a product didn't do as well as I'd hoped.
As a writer, I've found royalties to be pretty profitable. Over time, my work for Adamant has netted me the equivalent of about 10 cents a word. But you have to be confident in your work. Keep in mind that if royalties aren't good for you, then the product is not performing well for the publisher, either.
I think a lot of companies get mileage from constantly emphasizing how small and poor the industry is and how it's all about the love. But this is a crutch for companies who don't want to pay what they should and writers who don't want to come to terms with their true level of success. .pdf companies that can't meet 2 cents a word are, IMO, better off offering royalties (I usually offer 50% myself) or scaling back releases. Now that .pdf accounts for about 10% of the market, the excuses for offering substandard rates (even for semipro work) are rapidly vanishing. With good royalties, you and the author assume equal risk, so that even if the product bombs, it's ethical.
It does take time and effort to make a decent amount of money as a writer/designer; this is only my second year where game work has become my primary source of income.
