The team at Freelance Publishing Professionals run a suite of sector-specific detailed surveys which are designed to gather, analyse and share data with the wider ELT and Educational community, both amongst freelancers and within publishing houses and other related organisations. Each survey runs on a staggered tri-annual cycle and the most recent report can be accessed at the bottom of this page. It is particularly useful to look at the trends and insights that emerge from comparing and contrasting surveys over a long period.
Please note: The information gathered in our surveys is simply a snapshot taken at a defined point in time. Our analysis and summaries of the rates/methods of remuneration and ways of working are in no way recommendations; they are merely a reflection of current tendencies. All survey responses are submitted anonymously.
Download the survey reports
Freelance Publishing Professionals members have full access to the suite of historical reports for all three surveys in the Members' area of the directory website. If you are not a member, you can download the most recent survey report via the button at the bottom of this page. We will add you to our mailing list to ensure that you are notified of upcoming surveys and the resulting reports. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Note: the next survey report (2024 Survey of Freelancers' Experience of Working with OSPs) will be available to download using the button below from Friday 13th June.
The Survey of Freelancers' Experience of Working with Packagers / Outsourced Service Providers (OSPs)
We conducted the first Survey of Freelancers’ Experience of Working with Packagers / Outsourced Service Providers (OSPs) in 2024 and it will be repeated every three years. The 2024 results were first presented at the 2024 Freelancers’ Awayday ahead of a panel session where representatives from OSPs and Publishers discussed some commonly asked questions. The survey results and the panel discussion are summarised in the survey report, which also includes key comments from contributors and some recommendations. It is by no means a scientific survey, but is a broad sample of the actual experiences that freelances have had working with Packagers/Outsourced Service Providers (OSPs).
You can download the report using the button below. The next survey will take place in 2027.
The Freelance ELT and Education Editorial Rates and Fees Survey
This detailed editorial rates survey gathers data on fees and hourly rates across the ELT and Educational publishing sectors for such tasks as proofreading, copy editing, content editing, writing, project management, consulting and training others. It also looks at emerging trends in negotiations, preferences for payment by set fees or hourly rates, issues surrounding increasing your rates in line with inflation, receiving payments, and so on.
The Survey of Freelance Editorial Rates and Fees is run every three years, and the fifth survey will take place during the summer of 2025 and will be the first iteration to include Educational as well as ELT freelance editors.
The Freelance ELT and Education Author Rates and Fees Survey
This author rates survey takes place every three years and gathers data on hourly rates, fees and royalties across the ELT and Educational publishing sectors for the authoring of various types of content. It also looks at emerging trends in negotiations, methods of remuneration, and so on.
The first Survey of Freelance ELT Author Rates and Fees took place in 2023. You may download the report from that survey using the button below. The next survey will take place in 2026 and will, for the first time, include authors who work in Educational publishing.