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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mouseferatu" data-source="post: 7659221" data-attributes="member: 1288">There's a big element here that's being missed. (Or maybe I missed it, in my read-through, in which case I apologize.) I'm speaking as a US citizen and freelancer here; it's likely different in other countries.You think these numbers are bad? They're even worse. This is gross take-home.Freelancing doesn't get you benefits. You're paying out of pocket for medical insurance.Freelancers don't have employers paying portions of social security or other taxes. Freelancers and contractors pay a far larger percentage of their income in US taxes than people with "normal" employment.So if someone's freelance writing rate comes out to $12 an hour? They're still making less than other people earning an actual $12/hour from an employer.I feel for the publishers who can only afford to pay one or two cents a word. I know most of you guys are trying your best. But I have to agree with Erik Mona; whether you mean it to be or not, it's exploitive. AFAIAC, if you can't afford to pay your writers a reasonable rate, you can't afford to run a publishing business. Full stop.</blockquote>