Notes from a TTRPG Freelancer
I am raising my freelance rates soon. Primarily because of inflation and the cost of living crisis. Reading about rates in the industry is so depressing. Per word rates that work out at LESS than minimum wage per hour being considered "above average."
To give some transparency:
I'm setting my guideline price to 12.5ppw (pence per word). At an average of 1200 words/day, that's £18.75/hour. I have almost a decade of experience writing and designing TTRPGs. Much of that time I spent being paid 4ppw.
On the flip side, I've been paid more than 20ppw by an indie publisher after a successful Kickstarter. I think entry-level writers should be getting far more than 4ppw, but I certainly didn't feel I had the option of raising my prices (and still finding work) until recently.
I am now in the fortunate position that I have just enough income from my own books that if a company refuses my new freelance rates, and I lose the work, I can deal with that.
I definitely feel there is a pervasive attitude that being a professional writer is a "dream" job, And so writers should expect low pay because the work is it's own reward - exploiting people's passion, and spreading this idea that creative professions are worth less, despite the fact that they're inherently essential to the end product.
Tabletop RPG production compounds these issues by being a small industry full of scattered freelance professionals, with little common knowledge available about standard rates, and few ways of raising those rates without losing all your work.
In nearly 10 years, I have either fully written or contributed to almost two dozen rpg books. Most of them all-ages/young audience focused - a niche within a niche. Highly praised in reviews/with awards/direct from players. I have to believe that puts me among the most experienced all-ages rpg writers around. My work has been very well received, and has been in frequent demand. Why has so much of it been valued below a living wage? Because its creative? Because no-one makes a living doing it?
I'm afraid I don't have the answers or solutions, other than to suggest those in similar situations share their own experiences - others have already done so. I hope more continue to do so.
This thread comes as I look back at my career so far, a career I dreamt of as a child, a career I was led to believe was impossible, that it could only be a hobby, that I was lucky to have made even a little doing it.
I look back and wonder if I ever would have made it this far without working for less than I was worth for years.
Now that I have the experience and the privilege of (relative) security, I can only hope my perspective is of some use to folks in the industry. I also hope the base of information and support network for rpg freelancers continues to grow.
Zak B
