Table of Contents
Fees for writing, illustrating and publishing-related services
I am an author. How should I negotiate a fee?
Below are some key points to consider when calculating a flat fee for writing, illustrating and other services, such as editing, indexing, manuscript assessment and mentoring.
Please be aware that competition law does not allow us to recommend rates and remuneration is a matter for negotiation between you and the party that commissions you. The points listed below are tools to help you calculate the right fee for you and your project. Members are always welcome to seek bespoke advice about negotiations if required.
The budget
The organisation or individual commissioning you should make the first offer. If they don’t, you should not be afraid to ask what payment terms they are proposing.
Rights
What rights the commissioner is seeking in your materials are central to evaluating a fee. The greater the range of rights being sought, the larger the fee should be.
AI
If it is not clear, ask the commissioner to clarify their policy on artificial intelligence (AI) technology as soon as is feasible. We expect your consent to be sought before AI could access your materials. If a commissioner intends to use AI in relation to any of the materials that you provide, consider carefully whether you are comfortable with this, whether your consent would be sought in advance and whether such uses are reflected in the fee. Members are welcome to contact the SoA’s advisory team to obtain bespoke guidance.
Assessing the commission
If the commission involves a mix of roles – for example, writing, picture sourcing and editing – consider each of them separately to establish a fair fee.
Turnaround time and expertise
Is there a shortage or people with the necessary skills? Such things should command a premium when it comes to fees. If there is a short turnaround time, consider adding a “rush fee”.
Expenses
You should be reimbursed for any pre-agreed expenses you incur as part of a commission – for example cookery materials if supplying images for a cookbook or expenses for research projects which involve travel. For information about claiming mileage costs, the HMRC website
Inflation
If the fee being offered is the same as that which you were paid for the same work a few years ago, inflation should be factored in. Inflation affects you as much as it affects the commissioner.
VAT and tax
Remember and make clear to a commissioner that if you are VAT-registered, you are legally obliged to charge VAT on top of the fee and expenses.
If you and the commissioner pay tax in different countries from one another, that payment will incur double-tax formalities that can be time-consuming to handle, and the payment will generally attract bank charges – some small commissions may not be worth it when you have factored this in.
Is it worth your time?
As a freelancer, you will not receive the benefits of a salaried worker, such as sick pay and pensions, and the costs for materials, premises and heating that an employer often provides. Do confirm that it is feasible for you to accept the commission and that you feel the commission will be of benefit to you. Consider using The Creators’ Rights Alliance Freelance Day Rate Guide to work out how much you hope to earn per day and how this compares to the time and labour involved in the commission.
Royalties
If you are seeking royalties as part of a project, you may need bespoke advice. We can advise members on an individual basis as part of our advisory services.
Further Guidance
The SoA has a member-only Guide to Fee-Based Commissions and members are always welcome to consult the SoA about the specific terms they are offered by anyone engaging their services.
I want to commission an author. What is a fair fee?
Here are some essential factors to consider:
Rights
What rights you are seeking are central to evaluating a fee. The greater the range of rights, the larger the fee should be.
Fair Pay
Creators should be fairly paid so that creative careers can be sustainable, accessible and inclusive.
Expenses
Creators should be reimbursed for any pre-agreed expenses they incur as part of the commission – for example, cookery materials if supplying images for a cookbook or transport and accommodation expenses for a research project that involves travel and overnight stays. For information about claiming mileage costs, see the HMRC website.
VAT
Creators who are VAT-registered are legally obliged to charge VAT on top of the fee and expenses.
Artificial Intelligence
If you are considering using AI as a cheap alternative to engaging a genuine creator, think very carefully indeed. Information about authors’ rights, livelihoods and AI, is available on our website.
Working ‘for free’
Authors may sometimes wish to donate their work or time but those engaging them should not pressure them to do so, especially where the product will be monetised, or where other contributors are receiving a fee.
Useful observed rates
Fees are a matter for individuals to negotiate and competition law prevents us from recommending rates. However, we provide the following observed rates and links to useful resources as a guideline.
These rates should be treated as negotiating tools. What is a fair fee will need to factor in at least some of the considerations listed above.
The Creators’ Rights Alliance Freelance Day Rate Guide equates freelance rates with salaries. For instance, a day rate of £349 equates to an annual salary of £26,000.
The NUJ’s London Freelance Branch collects rates as reported by freelances (both experienced and less-experienced).
Journo Resources freelance rates.
Editing, from copy-editing to project management and including authenticity and gender sensitivity reads: Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading’s suggested minimum rates.
Indexing: Society of Indexers recommended fees.
The Association of Illustrators rates.
The Association of Photographers usage rates.
Creative Scotland’s fair rates of pay.
Scottish Artists’ Union rates.
Artists’ Union England Rates of Pay.
Outside the UK:
The EU: EU countries are bound by the Copyright Directive which amongst other things requires that authors who are paid a one-off fee are entitled to further payments if their work proves more commercially successful than was anticipated when the fee was negotiated.
Eire:
Fees for speaking engagements and appearances
I am an author. How should I negotiate a fee?
Below are some key considerations for calculating and negotiating a fair fee.
Budget
The commissioning party should make the first offer. If they don’t make an offer, you should not be afraid to ask what payment terms they are proposing.
Rights
What rights the commissioner is seeking is central to evaluating a fee. The greater the range of rights being sought, the larger the fee should be. For instance if the event wants to record your presentation and make it available in the long term, you might negotiate a larger fee.
AI
We would expect a host to give assurances that your name, performance and/or materials will not be accessed by artificial intelligence technology. Failing that, do not hesitate to clarify what their policy on AI is. If the hosting organisation intends to use artificial intelligence technology during the event or in relation to any of the materials that you provide, consider carefully whether you are comfortable with this, whether your consent would be sought in advance and whether such uses are compensated. Members are welcome to seek bespoke advice.
Preparation time and expenses
Fees should take into account travel, preparation and administration time as well as performance time.
Vat and Tax
Remember and make clear to a commissioner that if you are VAT-registered, you are legally obliged to charge VAT on top of the fee and expenses.
If you and the commissioner pay tax in different countries from one another, that payment will incur double-tax formalities that can be time-consuming to handle, and the payment will generally attract bank charges – some small commissions may not be worth it when you have factored this in.
Inflation
If the fee being offered is the same as that which you were paid for the same commission a few years ago, inflation needs to be factored in. Inflation affects you as much as it affects the commissioner.
Is it worth your time?
If you did not accept this commission, what would you be earning otherwise? Is this on balance a good use of your time?
Working ‘for free’
If you agree to attend an event for free, is there some other way you might benefit, for example a festival listing you as one of its sponsors, or linking to your books and website?
If you decide to waive a fee, consider asking for it to be donated to a specific cause, such as the local school library.
Even if you are willing to accept no fee, your reasonable travel and subsistence expenses should be paid. And for unpaid small events, some authors charge a small administration fee.
For more information, members can consult the SoA’s guide for authors speaking at events.
I want to engage an author for an event. What is a fair fee?
We have created a guide for companies and individuals who want to invite authors to take part in events and appearances. You can also use the observed rates below to provide a steer on an appropriate fee but remember that a fair fee depends on the particulars of the project and on the author’s expertise and experience.
Useful observed rates
Fees are a matter for individuals to negotiate and competition law prevents us from recommending rates. However, we provide the following observed rates and links to useful resources as a guideline.
These rates should be treated as negotiating tools. What is a fair fee will need to factor in at least some of the considerations listed above.
UK-wide:
How does the fee compare in real terms with someone on a salary? The Creators’ Rights Alliance Freelance Day Rate Guide equates freelance rates with salaries. For instance, a day rate of £349 equates to an annual salary of £26,000.
Nicola Morgan’s ‘How much should writers charge for events?’.
Scotland:
Creative Scotland’s fair rates of pay.
Scottish Book Trust’s Live Literature fees
Mileage:
HMRC’s recommended mileage rate is £0.55 as of May 2026. See UK HMRC business milage rates.
The SoA’s in-house speaker rates:
These rates are for freelance speakers and workshop leaders at SoA events – most of which are free-to-member events, and the majority are online-only. They are based on the speaker’s role, and the length of presentation, and are quoted exclusive of VAT.
See the rates that the SoA pay event speaker and our expenses policy below:
Our figures were agreed Dec 2024 and will be reviewed again in Dec 2026.
Fees for translating
I am a translator. How should I negotiate a fee?
See our guide to Negotiating Payment for Translations for more information.
Competition law does not allow us to recommend a rate and remuneration is a matter for negotiation between you and the publisher.
In our experience translators and UK trade publishers currently negotiate fees and advances for translations in the range of £100-£150 per thousand words based on the word count in either source or target language. These are not minimum or maximum rates, recommended rates or standard rates. This range reflects our observation of trade publishing contracts and correspondence from the members of the SoA’s Translators Association. The agreed sum may come as a flat fee, an advance against royalties, or a fee plus royalties from the first copy sold. Payment for your translation isn’t limited to the rate you receive for translating the text. Your contract should give you the opportunity to earn income from royalties and rights.
For some genres the word length won’t accurately reflect the time involved and different factors apply when calculating a rate.
Children’s picture books
In our experience negotiations with trade publishers start in the range of £300-£600 rising to £1000 or more. Again, specific factors can influence the fee. Picture books tend to require intricate editorial collaboration so factor in additional time for word play, rhyming etc.
Graphic novels
Payment is usually calculated on a flat rate per page basis. The rates we have observed from UK, US and European publishers are usually in the range £10-£15 per page or equivalent.
Poetry
Poetry can be paid per line but with a minimum fee per poem. Most poetry contracts we see are for anthologies and again and these can vary widely. A tiny operation which is able to pay little or no fee to the original poet will have even less left in the budget for a translator whereas a more established publisher in receipt of external funding may pay more.
Projects
Sometimes your commission may requite different elements – translation, editing , research. In such cases it is usually better to charge a project fee calculated on a daily rate. Factor in editorial time and the rights you are granting. Check the SoA Rates and Fees page for more information on calculating rates.
Dramatisation rights
If you retain dramatisation rights in your translation then you will be able to negotiate directly if your work is used as the basis for an audio, film or tv production. Contact the SoA Advisory Team directly for individual advice.
BBC Audio
Translations of plays, prose and verse are payable at 2/3 of the rates due to the original author/publisher and the rights holder of the translation. BBC Scriptwriting/BBC Rates
Relay Rights
Rates can be low but they can be cumulatively worthwhile particularly if you translated genre fiction for a less widely translated language. See Guidance on Relay Translations.
Readers Reports
Rates for providing a reader’s report for a publisher can be very low and you may be expected to provide the report by an inappropriately tight deadline. See our Best Practice guide to Readers Reports for further guidance.
Fees for scriptwriting and broadcasting
For a range of other broadcasting rates, see the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain rates page.
For advice on terms for scriptwriters, and about adaptations of works for radio, film or TV, members should contact the SoA’s advisory team.
Fees for permission to reproduce in-copyright material: quotations, images, photographs
Quotations: The SoA’s Literary Estates department applies a set scale of permission charges and guidelines for internal purposes. You might find this useful when setting your own rates for such purposes. See our rates here [updated January 2024].