Freelance Writing Contract Template
This template is provided for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Review with a licensed attorney before use.
What is a freelance writing contract?
A freelance writing contract locks in the terms of a paid writing assignment between a writer and a client — a company, publication or agency — before a single word gets drafted. Freelance writing has quirks that a generic services contract doesn’t cover well: scope is usually measured in word count rather than hours, drafts go through review cycles before anything gets approved, and a piece can be commissioned, written and then never published at all. This template is built specifically around those realities, so you’re not stretching a one-size-fits-all agreement to cover content marketing, copywriting or journalism work.
You need one whenever you’re taking on paid writing outside a staff role: blog posts, website copy, feature articles, email sequences, white papers or ghostwritten pieces all benefit from the same structure. A short written agreement protects the writer from doing unpaid revisions forever or losing a fee when a client quietly drops a commissioned piece, and it protects the client by locking in a clear word count, deadline and set of deliverables up front.
The download is a complete, ready-to-sign agreement — a Key Terms table followed by fifteen numbered clauses written out in full legal prose with editable defaults — not a fill-in-the-blank outline you’d still need to turn into a real contract yourself.
What’s included
Page one is a Key Terms table (parties, content type, word count, deadlines, rate, kill fee, notice period). The clauses that follow are already written out:
- Services and Editorial Scope, tied to the written brief, plus a change-order procedure for assignment changes
- Compensation and Payment — payment is triggered by delivery and acceptance, never by publication, with a late fee
- Revisions — included rounds, turnaround times, and the line between on-brief edits and new work
- Kill Fee and Termination (50% default kill fee for spiked pieces)
- Independent Contractor Status
- Warranty of Originality and Indemnification — no plagiarism, no infringement, mutual indemnities
- Byline and Attribution — ready-made Option A (byline) and Option B (ghostwriting) texts; delete the one that doesn’t apply
- Ownership and Reprint Rights — assignment on full payment, portfolio use after publication
- Confidentiality, Limitation of Liability, Force Majeure, Governing Law, Entire Agreement and Severability boilerplate, plus signature blocks
Key sections specific to writing work
Word count & deadlines. Freelance writing scope lives or dies on word count, not vague deliverable descriptions. State the target length per piece, how many pieces are included, and separate dates for the first draft and the final, approved version — a single “delivery date” hides the fact that drafts almost always need at least one editorial pass.
Revisions policy. Decide upfront how many rounds of edits are included in the fee and how fast the writer will turn them around. Without a stated limit, “just a few small tweaks” can quietly become a full rewrite; naming the included rounds and pricing anything beyond them keeps both sides aligned on what “done” means.
Kill fee. Assignments occasionally get spiked after the work is done — an editor changes direction, a campaign gets cancelled, a story loses its news hook. A kill fee guarantees the writer is paid a percentage of the agreed rate for a completed, on-brief draft that never runs, instead of walking away with nothing after turning down other paying work to write it.
Byline & attribution. Some writing carries a public byline and author bio; a lot of commercial and ghostwritten content doesn’t. State explicitly whether the writer is credited by name, and if not, that they’re waiving attribution — this avoids an awkward conversation after the piece publishes under someone else’s name.
How to fill in this template
Work top to bottom: enter both parties, describe the content type and topic, set the word count and deadlines, state your rate and payment schedule, define the included revision rounds, set your cancellation notice and kill fee percentage, decide the byline arrangement, and settle ownership of the finished piece before signing. Swap each bracketed field for the actual numbers and dates you’ve agreed to, then read through the finished draft once — a contract only protects the writer if its wording lines up with the real assignment, not a rough approximation of it.
Word count, kill fee percentages and revision limits are all negotiable — what matters is that both sides agree to specific numbers before the writer starts drafting, not after a disagreement over scope or payment already exists. See the disclaimer above before relying on this agreement for a real assignment.
FAQ
What is a kill fee?
A kill fee is a partial payment a client owes a writer when a commissioned piece is cancelled or rejected after the writer has already delivered a completed, on-brief draft. It typically runs 25-50% of the full fee and exists because the writer turned down other paid work to research and draft the piece — the client doesn't get to walk away owing nothing just because the article never runs.
How many revision rounds is standard for freelance writing?
One to two rounds of revisions built into the base fee is typical for most content marketing and copywriting work — enough for a client to request changes to structure, tone or emphasis without the writer redoing the piece from scratch indefinitely. Anything beyond the included rounds, or requests that amount to a new angle entirely, should trigger an additional revision fee spelled out in the contract.
Who owns the copyright to a freelance article?
By default, under US copyright law, the freelance writer owns the copyright to what they write unless the contract explicitly transfers it — usually through a "work made for hire" clause or an assignment of rights upon final payment. Content marketing and corporate clients almost always require full rights transfer, so don't assume ownership moves automatically just because an invoice got paid.
Do I get a byline on sponsored or ghostwritten content?
Only if the contract says so. Bylined journalism and guest posts usually credit the writer by name, sometimes with a short bio and link. Ghostwritten content, white papers and most corporate copy are typically published under the client's name or a company byline, with the writer waiving attribution entirely — spell out which arrangement applies before you start writing, not after the piece is live.
Does this contract cover cancelled assignments?
Yes, in two ways. If a commissioned piece is spiked — cancelled or rejected after you've delivered an on-brief draft — the kill fee clause guarantees a 50% payment (editable) and you keep the rights to the killed material. Separately, either party can terminate the whole agreement with written notice, with all delivered pieces paid in full and the kill fee applied to anything in progress.
What does the warranty of originality actually promise?
The writer warrants the work is original, unpublished, free of plagiarism, and doesn't infringe copyright, privacy or publicity rights or defame anyone — with factual claims researched with professional care. If that warranty is breached, the writer indemnifies the client against resulting third-party claims; the client gives a mirror indemnity for material they supplied or changes they made after delivery. Publications increasingly require this clause, so it's already written in.
Is this freelance writing contract template free to download?
Yes. Download the Word or PDF version instantly with no signup, no email address and no watermark. Edit it in Microsoft Word, Google Docs or any PDF editor and reuse it for every writing client or publication you work with.