NUJ Rate for the Job: Words, per 1000 / books

Rates archived as at 2025-07-09

These rates have been reported by members of the National Union of Journalists and others, and printed in the Freelance, newsletter of London Freelance Branch. They are sorted by publisher/publication, then by date (most recent first). TIP: Use the "Find in page" command under your browser's "Edit" or "Search" menu to be sure of finding all occurrences of a publication/publisher. AND do note the year in which the rate was reported! See also the Freelance Fees Guide, which gives general recommendations. And read the disclaimer and the key to exactly what the entries mean.

Words, per 1000 / books Work paid by the thousand words, whose primary use was in a book. Only do this if the rate is good and you expect sales to be minimal. Otherwise, go for royalties. Percent of gross, my child, always remember percent of gross sales. These are archived rates. The current rates are here.
Tell us what you've been paid for Words, per 1000 / books		Freelance Fees Guide
Publication / Programme - details & terms	Group	Year		Total paid	GR	XXXX
AA History & Mystery city guide series - create entire guidebook from scratch, substantial assistance with mapping all rights		2008		165.00		XX
Guinness Book of the News		1998		190.00
Time Out Guides	_TOut	2005		125.00		XX
Time Out offered for book chapter - declined! all rights demanded	_TOut	2008		83.00		XXXX
Book published by Haynes interview full use ( I know I know)		2003		120.00		X
Brown partworks		1998		100.00		X
Carlton Books (synopses)	_Carlton	1997		100.00		??
Channel 4 writing booklet licence unclear	_C4	2002		275.00
Dorking Kindersley history book had to negotiate hard! all rights	_DK	2007		222.00
Dorling Kindersley guidebook detailed outline of work (to DK specifications) then actual writing guide No extra for preparatory work; £400 expenses. Very tight time schedule and no royalties (member did try)	_DK	2001		150.00		X
Franklin Watts (books?)	_Hach	2010		170.00		X
Games books (White Wolf Games Studio)		2006		40.00	GR	X
Guidebook to Paris $20,000 plus $1250 exes for 90,000 word guidebook - exchange rate not good - but negotiated up from $16k with the help of the Rate for the Job all rights		2006		128.00		X
Hachette Children's Books 7000 words @ £1300 all rights	_Hach	2013		186.00		XXX
Insight Guides researching and writing all rights; expenses paid up to agreed limit.		2006		200.00	GR
Michelin tourist guides tourist info		2012		490.00
Non-Fiction book research and writing 50,000 words: extra paid for edits and layout , terms: all rights		2008		200.00	GR
Non-fiction book 40,000 words @ £4500 =		2008		112.50
Reader's Digest Association articles for new medical encyclopedia - was £350 in the past	_RD	2001		200.00		XX
Thomas Cook guidebook		2006		76.00		XXX
Topical Books		1992		0.00		XXX!
Key to the rates, by column:
1 Publication / Programme, any details of work and licence
2 Owner at the time the rate was reported, where known	Group
3 The year in which the rate was reported		Year
4 Currency: either or or (US)
5 Amount paid (total of basic licence and extra licences for web use, database resale...)				Amount
7 "Going Rate" according to experienced NUJ members - do try to better it:					GR
or Minimum rate set out in NUJ House Agreement:					HA
8 Underpaid, in the fallible opinion of the Freelance editor:				50.00		X
or Just sometimes we're pleasantly surprised:				1500.00		O

Other rates:

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