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In 2021, there were approximately 142,000 writers and authors working in the United States. As a writer or author, it’s crucial to invest in an insurance policy tailored to the unique risks of your industry. For instance, a broadcasting company might sue you for financial losses if an article you wrote offends a particular group, or you could face media liability claims for misleading information. To protect yourself, consider getting writer insurance. Read on to learn about the policies included, the cost of premiums, and the best companies offering this coverage.
| CoverWallet | NEXT (Best) | Thimble | Hiscox | The Hartford | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per occurrence limit | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $300,000/$1,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 |
| Aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $300,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 |
| Products and completed operations aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Advertising injury coverage aggregate limit | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Tenant’s legal liability coverage limit | $100,000 | $100,000 | $5,000 | $100,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Waiver of subrogation included? | Yes | No | Included | Can be included | No |
| Hired/non-owned auto liability coverage included? | Yes | No | Excluded | Can be included | Can be included |
| Equipment breakdown floater included? | No | Yes | Yes | Can be included | Can be included |
| Can you get a certificate of insurance online? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Name additional insureds? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Deductible | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
General liability insurance is a fundamental policy that protects your business from third-party injury and property damage claims. While most insurance companies offer general liability as a long-term policy, it’s possible to get short-term coverage that lasts for hours, days, or weeks.
| CoverWallet | NEXT | Thimble (Best) | Hiscox | The Hartford | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per occurrence limit | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $2,000,000 |
| Name additional insureds? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Waiver of subrogation included? | Yes | No | Yes | Can be included | No |
Professional liability insurance, also known as errors and omissions insurance, covers claims for negligence, breach of contract, inaccurate advice, or failure to deliver a service. This insurance covers legal costs, settlements, and judgments.
Product liability insurance covers injuries resulting from selling faulty products. For writers, this can include situations like:
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| CoverWallet | NEXT (Best) | Thimble | Hiscox | The Hartford | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building coverage limit (minimum) | $50,000 | $260,000 | $25,000/$500,000 | $25,000 | $60,000 |
| Contents coverage limit (minimum) | $50,000 | $22,000 | $25,000/$500,000 | $25,000 | $60,000 |
| Outdoor signs | Excluded | $2,500 | Excluded | Excluded | Excluded |
| Accounts receivable | Excluded | Excluded | $5,000/10,000 | Included | Excluded |
| Money and securities | Excluded | $2,500 | $1,000 | Included | Excluded |
| Lock and keys | Excluded | $2,500 | Excluded | Excluded | Excluded |
| Business interruption floater | Excluded | Included | Included | Included | Excluded |
| Equipment breakdown floater | Excluded | Included | Excluded | Excluded | Excluded |
| Inland marine insurance floater | Excluded | Excluded | $10,000 | Excluded | Excluded |
| Employee dishonesty floater | Excluded | $5,000 | $2,500 | Included | Excluded |
Commercial property insurance is a good companion policy to liability insurance for writers. It protects your business property from damage, such as:
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| CoverWallet | Thimble (Best) | NEXT | Hiscox | The Hartford | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General liability aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $300,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 |
| Commercial property coverage limit | $50,000 | $500,000 | $260,000 | $25,000 | $75,000 |
| Optional policies can be added? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Name additional insureds for free? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| BOP discount? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
A business owner’s policy (BOP) combines commercial property insurance with general liability insurance into one convenient package. It provides third-party liability protection and protection for your business property.
| NEXT | Thimble | Hiscox | The Hartford | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aggregate limit | $3,000/$10,000 | $2,500/$5,000 | $15,000/$25,000 | $5,000-$10,000 |
| Covers hired and borrowed equipment? | $3,000/$10,000 | $2,500/$5,000 | No | Yes |
| Miscellaneous equipment also covered? | $5,000/$10,000 | No | Yes | Yes |
| Offered as an endorsement to general liability insurance? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Deductible | $500 | $500 | $0 | $0 |
Tools and equipment insurance covers the cost of repairing or replacing writing tools when damaged, lost, or stolen. It also covers tools even when they are off your business premises.
Commercial auto insurance protects vehicles used for business purposes. It typically includes:
Excess liability insurance provides additional financial protection by increasing the policy limits of an underlying liability policy.
Workers’ compensation insurance provides benefits to employees who are injured or become ill while working. It also includes employer’s liability coverage to help cover damages if an employee sues for a work injury.
| Cost per Month | Cost per Year | Deductible | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General liability insurance | $34 | $408 | $0-$500 |
| Professional liability insurance | $40 | $480 | $500-$1,000 |
| Excess liability insurance | $39.00 | $468 | $500-$1,000 |
| Commercial property insurance | $50 | $600 | $1,000-$2,000 |
| Business owner’s policy | $80 | $960 | $1,500 |
| Tools and equipment insurance | $37 | $444 | $500-$1,000 |
| Commercial auto insurance | $60 | $720 | $500-$1,000 |
| Workers compensation insurance | $93 | $1,116 | $2,500-$5,000 |
The average writer insurance cost is $34 per month or $408 per year for a $1 million general liability policy. Several factors influence the cost, including claims history, business history, policy limits, deductibles, location, annual revenues, and the number of employees.
Get all the best quotes from leading providers in a click of a button!
Here’s a review of the best insurance companies for writers, including their pros, cons, and average rates for a $1 million general liability policy.
| Cost per Month | Cost per Year | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEXT | $14 | $168 | Best overall; Fastest general liability insurance for writers |
| The Hartford | $17 | $204 | Workers compensation insurance for writers |
| CoverWallet | $19 | $228 | Comparing writer insurance quotes online |
| Tivly | $23 | $276 | Comparing writer insurance quotes over the phone |
| Thimble | $26 | $312 | On-demand coverage for freelance writers |
| Hiscox | $29 | $348 | Writer insurance with worldwide coverage |
| Authors Guild | $39 | $468 | Media liability insurance for authors |
| Writers Guild of America | $50 | $600 | Life insurance for writers |
NEXT has customized insurance offerings for writers. This insurer offers insurance options like workers’ compensation, general liability, and commercial auto insurance. NEXT boasts an A- minus financial score with AM Best and a B+ with the Better Business Bureau.
Best for: 1. Best overall; 2. Fastest general liability insurance for writers; 3. Best value for money
Average cost: $14 per month
Our rating: 10/10
The Hartford offers business insurance for writers and authors tailored to fit your needs. The company has many important policies, one of which is general liability. Their default coverage offers protection for injury and property damage, reputational harm, advertising injuries, and damage to rented premises. The company has an A+ BBB rating and a 4.8 satisfaction rating in its customer reviews.
Best for: Workers compensation insurance for writers
Average cost: $17 per month
Our rating: 10/10
CoverWallet offers a digital space to compare rates from their top providers like Hiscox, Progressive, and Markel. This company offers phone consultations to help writers get policies like business interruption, general liability, and commercial property insurance. Coverwallet has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
Best for: Comparing writer insurance quotes online
Average cost: $19 per month
Our rating: 10/10
At Tivly, you can experience an insurance marketplace with over 200 providers all vying for your attention. Tivly will help connect you to insurers that can provide writers insurance policies like product liability, workers comp, and general liability. Tivly enjoys an impressive A rating from the Better Business Bureau for customer satisfaction. Call now to compare quotes over the phone.
Best for: Comparing writer insurance quotes over the phone
Average cost: $23 per month
Our rating: 10/10
Thimble is a quick way to get your writer’s insurance. You can get quotes and policy purchases done quickly to get peace of mind. This company has writer and author insurance and an A-rated general liability policy designed for freelance writers. Thimble has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
Best for: On-demand coverage for freelance writers
Average cost: $26 per month
Our rating: 10/10
Hiscox has personalized policies in mind as their insurance strategy, which it excels at. The company offers you a chance to get the most efficient coverage. This means you can be sure you are paying for what you need. The company offers general liability, workers comp, cyber security, business owner’s policy, and more. Hiscox has an A+ financial rating from Fitch and an A rating from AM Best.
Best for: Writer insurance with worldwide coverage
Average cost: $29 per month
Our rating: 10/10
Writers Guild of America insurance offers writer insurance policies that covers things like vision, dental, and medical costs. You also get a life insurance policy that pays out benefits to participants of the Writers Guild as well as eligible dependents. Writers guild insurance offers a health fund that kicks in when you work for a signatory employer and meets an annual earning requirement of $41,000.
Best for: Life insurance for writers
Average cost: $50 per month
Our rating: 8/10
Authors guild insurance offers media liability insurance that protects you from liability costs from your job as a writer. A specialized lawyer reads your book and reviews any marketing materials you produce to ensure you are legally safe. You enjoy the benefits of being an Authors Guild member, including car rentals, essential magazine subscriptions, and electronics discounts.
Best for: Media liability insurance for authors
Average cost: $39 per month
Our rating: 8/10
10 / 10
For me this company has proven to be the best to do business with and worth my hard earned money. Contractors this is your company look no further.
7.7 / 10
Decent experience with Hiscox business insurance
10 / 10
Best insurance ever
10 / 10
Coolest concept, I wish this was applied to other insurance products too.
10 / 10
Good company. Good and knowledgable customer service. If they don't know something they will pass you on to a more experienced rep that is more knowledgable. So far so good.
10 / 10
Simple online quoting and purchase. excellent mobile app. claims filing via phone, website or app. Combines competitive rates with excellent customer experience. Progressive provides all of the coverage a small business needs. not to mention its financial strength
10 / 10
Excellent business insurance coverage tailored to your business needs in good rates, professional customer service, pays claims fast and fairly. Recommended!
0 / 10
Not recommended, worst company I've dealt with. Denying claims regularly.
9.4 / 10
Fastest ever online insurance quote and purchase! Also, great rates and professional customer reps that helps with whatever you need, if you need. Nice company!
Paul Burns Insuranker
Policy Type: Business Insurance
Company name: Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies
0 / 10
It has been 70 days since I made a claim on the roof of my building. No one from the company will return calls. We are in hurricane season and located in Louisiana. My building is tarped to secure it.
2.8 / 10
Embroker sells a product that it doesn't honor. We purchased a combination D&O and EPLI policy. However, when it came to renewal, it told us that we only had D&O coverage even through our ACCORD certificate clearly mentions we have both. Basically they refused to honor the EPLI coverage and will leave you hanging with the bag. At time of renewal, they more than doubled our quote to get similar coverage. Basically BAIT & SWITCH. Unacceptable tactics. Easy to buy and pay but you may not be... Read More
Felicia Broadus Insuranker
Policy Type: Business Insurance
Company name: Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies
0 / 10
They are the worst, my truck was hit in January 23 and the claim adjuster has not been out to this very day! They have every excuse in the book as to why. They have not been to the collision shop. PLEASE AVOID THESE SCAM ARTIST!
Felicia Broadus Insuranker
Policy Type: Business Insurance
Company name: Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies
0 / 10
Avoid these SCAM ARTISTS! They don’t pay claims!!! Save yourself the trouble and money!
Kasey Arey Insuranker
Policy Type: Business Insurance
Company name: Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies
0 / 10
This company gives you a price that was in place for a year and when you have to use it there is fine print were they can go back and charge you more. Would not recommend them to any one. Crooks
John Murphy Insuranker
Policy Type: Business Insurance
Company name: Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies
0 / 10
Worst insurance comapny I have ever dealt with. A commercial vehicle represented by GUARD t boned my wife and daughters family vehicle in the middle of the day. Driver was cited and insurance claim insued. Fast forward 4 months and refusal of full amount of claim is still happening. Driver was found guilty, repairs started on my vehicle and when it comes to the final bill and diminished value we cannot get any help. I am out a family car, have an injured and traumatized wife and children,... Read More
Harshadray Patel Insuranker
Policy Type: Business Insurance
Company name: Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies
0 / 10
Extremely bad service, when you call , will make you wait on the phone for ever (over an Hour) and still no one to answer , so you end up hanging up. To cancel the policy, bounce you from one department to the other. They are supposed to refund from the date other insurance started and after sending the proof of other insurance policy, still they did not refund based on that actual date instead they use the date i managed to get hold of them. They charged me $7000.00 for a year's insurance on... Read More
Aaron Wensel Insuranker
Policy Type: Business Insurance
Company name: Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies
0 / 10
Guard Insurance is terrible. They were so bad I cancelled them because them couldn't figure out why I would never get a paper copy of the bill . Verified my address with them and still intermittent billing. I cancelled them in March through my local broker. Today 6/27 I get a letter in the mail from a collections company saying I owe 87.97. This was the first myself or my broker heard of owing this money. Here is some advice for this failure of a company send me a god damn bill and I will pay.... Read More
Michael Swink Insuranker
Policy Type: Business Insurance
Company name: Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies
0 / 10
My employer had to have workers compensation by law. He obtained a policy through this Berkshire Hathaway GUARD and they failed me. I fell from a ladder and fractured my spine in 7 different places, my clavicle in 4 places, and the base of my skull. Going to my Dr visits I was prescribed medication for pain and the insurance company placed a pre-authorization hold on me picking up the medication from Walgreens. The hold lasted 5 days! My weekly benefits have never been on time, right now... Read More
2 / 10
I never purchased the policy. The person I spoke with "Bruce" was condescending and argumentative. He kept repeating himself and talking in circles telling me what I HAVE TO DO, basically trying to bully me into purchasing commercial insurance. I wouldn't use this company if they were paying me!
2.8 / 10
Great platform. Terrible policy. There is no teeth behind it. No coverage. It's a fake policy that they sell. Sold us an EPLI policy that later we came to find out had no EPLI coverage. Amazing that they can get away with outright fraud. Check the positive reviews. They are all 'Anonymous' posted by Emroker staff. Stay away and find a real policy that will actually provide you coverage. We've been bitten by them and hope to find restitution via a lawsuit.
10 / 10
Liberty Mutual is one of the more simple companies to deal with. I had to file a claim for my business owner policy after I caught one of my employees stealing a large amount of products from my business. Liberty mutual paid the claim fast and with no efforts. I wish the legal process was as easy…
10 / 10
Highest level of plan and customer service
10 / 10
For me this company has proven to be the best to do business with and worth my hard earned money. Contractors this is your company look no further.
7.7 / 10
Decent experience with Hiscox business insurance
10 / 10
Best insurance ever
10 / 10
Coolest concept, I wish this was applied to other insurance products too.
9.4 / 10
Very pleased with Hiscox - their small business insurance rates are very good and they specialize in small business which gives me a peace of mind as a small business owner. So far so good!
10 / 10
Their customer service is absolutely fantastic. Very patient, knowledgable and provided excellent explanation of the purchased policy. I would highly recommend this insurance company to anyone that's looking to protect their business from unexpected expense. Thank you Hiscox for doing a great job for my business!
0.6 / 10
STAY AWAY! I wouldn't recommend hiscox small business liability insurance to anyone. Better not waste both your money and your time. Hiscox customer service is extremely unpleasant, not organized and not professional. It is the worst company we have dealt with in almost 25 years in business!
10 / 10
Good company. Good and knowledgable customer service. If they don't know something they will pass you on to a more experienced rep that is more knowledgable. So far so good.
10 / 10
Extremely fast and simple. Wasted a lot of time and money until I found these guys! I feel like my business is in good hands now.
10 / 10
My experience with AAA's business insurance was fairly good. Customer service is excellent, coverage is broad, claims process was efficient. I do recommend them.
10 / 10
Simple online quoting and purchase. excellent mobile app. claims filing via phone, website or app. Combines competitive rates with excellent customer experience. Progressive provides all of the coverage a small business needs. not to mention its financial strength
0 / 10
State Farm's business insurance was such a bad choice for us. Worst communication, very unprofessional. Been insured for over 12 years through a local statefarm agent who we were having insurance for our own home, our personal cars, our own health insurance, workers compensation, all of our commercial autos that serve our business - our agent didn't inform us of raising our premium rates, of certain inspections, and send us very rude emails upon our policy cancellations that were caused by his... Read More
10 / 10
Extremely helpful, kind and knowledgable customer service team! I received a business insurance package that was tailored and personalized to my exact business needs! Excellent liability insurance. Their pricing for business insurance is not the most affordable you'll find, however it's better to pay more and know that you are covered well. We got coverage for $1M. In regards to claims, I haven't had any experience so cannot attest, but the rest was excellent so I'm sure claims will be great as... Read More
10 / 10
Customer service is fast and efficient. They were very caring about issues that we faced, checked them all and resolved our claims fast. State Farm is an excellent company. They gave us excellent business insurance coverage that was customized to our precise needs. We worked together to build the most suitable coverage to our needs, nothing more or less, while making sure the rate is good enough. State Farm's business insurance cost was very good compared to other companies, while maintaining a... Read More
10 / 10
Excellent business insurance coverage tailored to your business needs in good rates, professional customer service, pays claims fast and fairly. Recommended!
10 / 10
highly recommended!
9.8 / 10
Chubb provides business insurance coverage for all size of businesses, from small local ones to huge multinational corporates, they are very fast to respond to your claims, their business insurance coverage is very advanced while being tailored to your needs, aka covering you from all sides without over-covering you to make you pay more like some companies do. I'm a very satisfied customer.
9.7 / 10
Very annoyed in 2020 they do not offer online quotes, however they are great at everything else. The coverage is amazing, customer service is world class, value of money is great (even when their rates are not the cheapest), fast and excellent handling of claims, very dedicated and business focused. The only other issue is since they cover all types and sizes of businesses, they do not seem to specialize in any of them specifically.
Not all those who wander are lost.
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