This is a great question!
There are SO MANY different aspects to Voice Over work, that having to post only one rate is quite a predicament. I wish that there was a special option so that we could list mulitple rates for different jobs (i.e. $X amount for a commercial, or $Y amount for an audiobook). I have recently joined UpWork to expand my clientele also, so all I put on here would be situational and merely suggestions. I am certainly not one to tell you the value of your work - only you can do that. You seem to have already landed a job (congrats by the way!), so I'm not sure if you even need advice.
I would say keep in mind what aspects of Voice Overs you want to focus on - do you enjoy making commercials, or doing audiobooks for example? Those rates will be different than someone who does voices for animations or video games, and clients looking for work in those areas should be expecting similar rates.
For example, if you are doing a radio commercial for a company that is really trying to get their name out there, and you advertise that you do editing and cleaning of your audio as well. You might only spend a few hours working with the client on how your voice sounds for a 30 second script (or much less depending on how quickly they get back to you for feedback), but then you might spend a few more ADDITIONAL hours cleaning up the pops and clicks, getting the pause lengths right, etc... Now let's say you're very meticulous and want to do a very good job, and the whole project takes you 4 hours to complete. If you advertise that you are working for only $20/hour, you would have made $80. That's definitely better than making $0, but don't you think you'd be selling yourself short?
According to Voice Over Resource Guide, that same job would have been $298.10 for a 13 week license! That means that if the client went through the union, and wanted that commercial to air for an entire year, you would have made $1,192.40... and even more if it was a national commercial!
Granted, most freelancers aren't with the union, so we don't have the union fees to pay. And unless you somehow work out a contract with the client to pay you a renewal subscription, once you finish the job, they own the audio file outright.
Does that seem fair that you would be handing over a product with full rights for only $80? Maybe if you're doing charity work, or helping a kid out with a YouTube channel (which even then I'm skeptical, especially if it becomes popular), but otherwise I think not.
There are plenty of other voice over artists that advertise cheaper rates. I argue that not only are they hurting themselves, but they are hurting the entire community as well. If they are genuinely talented and going for less than $100/hour for edited, cleaned commercials... then that client got a bargain of a lifetime. Then, not only will that client expect those cheaper rates to continue from the artist, but from the entire community as well!
Also, if you are a fast worker, would you want to punish yourself for being so efficient? If you can do a 4 hour recording job in a fraction of the time, would you really want to make less? That just doesn't make any sense. If anything, you should be making more since you are better capable of making tighter deadlines!
I know this is a lot of information, and that if you've done any research, you would have come across many people saying the same thing...
A much shorter answer/suggestion: Choose what area of voice overs you want to focus on, compare the rates to union rates (and give a discount if you aren't with a union), and don't sell yourself short.
Also, your displayed rate per hour won't apply towards milestone bids... for those, you can give a more accurate amount based on what you feel is appropriate.
I hope this helps!
