Free Money Book

Free Money is a pricing and money mindset guide for freelance creatives. If you’re unsure about your freelance pricing, this is the book for you.

You will figure out sensible rates based on your needs and goals.
You will create juicy offers your dream clients really want.
You will gain the confidence you need to charge more.
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Our prices obviously have a big impact on our income and lifestyle, and as you may have noticed, freelance pricing can be hard.

There’s a huge variance in what people charge. Does a logo cost $10, $10,000, or $100,000? Does a blog post cost $50, $500, $5,000? The correct answer is all of the above.
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That answer doesn’t help much, whether you’re just getting started or you’ve been at it for a while and pulling out your hair.
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The first part of Free Money provides a step-by-step process for setting sensible, sustainable rates that align with both your immediate needs and long-term financial goals.

I will give clear explanations of the rationale and math behind each step.

That way, you’ll be able to connect the dots for yourself and avoid making the four most common pricing mistakes:

  1. Multiply the hourly rate from your last 9-to-5 job.
  2. Spend hours searching online for trustworthy advice.
  3. Copy freelance friends or competitors and hope for the best.
  4. Use a free freelance rate calculator.

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My freelance journey started with Mistake #1 back in April 2009.

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I had just gotten laid off from a marketing agency. While on salary, my hourly rate came to around $15 an hour, so doing the same type of work for $40 felt like a win—at least at first.

One early invoice stands out in my memory. It was for $400, and I really needed that money.

Yet, when I took inventory of everything I had written in 10 hours—3 print ads, 1 print advertorial, 1 press release, and 4 e-newsletter articles—I had a sickening realization. Charging hourly actually penalized me for my skill and speed.

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The faster I worked, the less I made. Uh… No bueno.

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Twelve years of trial and error followed. Though I have consistently earned six figures as a freelancer, my ignorance still caused me to leave money on the table.

That’s why I’m so passionate about helping my people, freelancers like you, avoid costly mistakes, headaches, and heartaches.

The more caring you are, the more likely you are to undercharge. So my mission with this book is to multiply my own positive impact by helping freelancers earn more so that they can be more generous and do more good in the world.

What’s in the book?

Throughout the book I’ll be pointing you to other resources. They will help you implement or go deeper with what you’re learning. I’ve got exercises, templates, and checklists galore, and I’m excited to share them with you.

Intro

Introduction

That time I found a $100 in a burned-down house
Earning what you’re worth will turn more of your dreams into reality.
Part 1

Pricing

Why freelance pricing is confusing
4 big mistakes freelancers make
Steps for calculating your new rates
Benefits of charging more
Part 2

Offers

The problem with selling time
How do you know if your offer is good?
7 parts of a juicy offer
Ways to charge more
Ways to diversify your income
The importance of packaging
How to tie outcomes more closely to value
Pricing models help you reduce risk
Other Pitfalls & Trying Situations
Part 3

Mindset

The “Horrible Mysticism of Money”
“Success” is deeply personal
We cannot outperform our beliefs
Why is money so complicated?
Limiting Beliefs, Thought Defects, and Half-Truths: “Money isn’t that important to me.”, “If I become good at making money, I run the risk of becoming greedy.”, “Competitive prices will help me grow my business.”, etc.
Common Excuses for Undercharging
Let’s upgrade our beliefs.

Want to get involved?

The manuscript is nearly complete, and I need to think about publishing the thing.

Rob Fitzpatrick’s Write Useful Books gave me the idea to invite you into the process. You can pre-order the book for $24, and I’ll send you all the details when it’s finished.

Get the book

Or, you can pay $49 to help me make Free Money better than it will be without you.

  1. Read the book before I publish it, and give me honest feedback. Which parts excite or confuse you? Which parts feel like detours or fluff? Which parts need more meat or examples?
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  2. Join me for a live Zoom workshop where I guide you through the process of setting the rates that will reel in your goals.
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  3. Get a shout-out in the book’s Acknowledgements. It takes a village to raise a book, and I’ll publicly thank you for your help.
Austin L Church portrait photo.

About the Author, Austin L. Church

Founder of Freelance Cake, Brand Strategist at Balernum, Author, Speaker, Pro Dad

I finished my M.A. in Literature in 2008 and got a job at a marketing agency. Six months later, thanks to the Recession, I was pushed out of the cozy 9-to-5 nest. I’ve been freelancing ever since.

Freelancing has given me the freedom and flexibility to pursue other ventures—everything from iOS apps and a tech startup to a children’s book and entrepreneur retreats. These days, I split my time between strategy projects for clients and business coaching for freelancers.

I believe that our work can and should be joyful, so the focus of Business Bootcamp for Freelancers (BBFF) is scaling up your most joyful, profitable work.