Work Made For Hire Blog - by Katie Lane

No FoMO

The fear of missing out leads a lot of creators to sign bad contracts.

I know, because I’ve talked to a lot of smart, curious, professional creators who’ve signed bad contracts. And I know that signing those contracts had very little to do with how smart the creators were and just about everything to do with the fear of missing out.… Read More

What’s This “Orphan Works” Business About?

A couple days ago my Twitter stream blew up with angry declarations about orphan works and pleas for artists to write their representatives demanding that they protect artists’ rights.

I was more than a little surprised. Flabbergasted would be a more accurate description.… Read More

The Stories We Tell Ourselves

Last week at HOW Design Live I was lucky enough to see Dr.Brené Brown speak.

This was A Big Deal for me.

I’ve been fangirling over Dr. Brown’s work since I discovered it about a year and a half ago. I was so excited to see her speak I forgot to tell friends I was going to the conference because I was speaking.

I … Read More

The Difference Between Copyright & Trademark

I get questions from folks on a fairly regular basis that are along the lines of:

“I started a brand new business and have a great name picked out! Can you help me copyright it?”

“I’ve finished my first novel and I’m pretty sure it’ll be on Oprah’s book list by the end of the year; will you trademark the title for me?”

“I just … Read More

Let Your Contract Be the Boss of You

Have you ever felt like a jerk because a client asked for something you hadn’t originally agreed on and you said no? Even though you were totally in the right?

Or because a client, who was over a month late in paying you, got upset about the late fee you charged them?

If you have, or if you feel intimidated when you have to enforce … Read More

That’s My Policy

Most freelancers don’t start working for themselves because they want the opportunity to be constrained in their work. They aren’t looking for limits or extra hurdles to jump.

As a result many freelancers don’t have policies for their business. They don’t have rules about what their business will and won’t do, what they’ll accept from their clients and what they won’t.

But what they don’t … Read More

Is Your Invoice Helping You Get Paid?

If I’ve learned one thing in the last year it’s how much freelancers love administrative tasks.

The joy and satisfaction they get from organizing meetings, filing paperwork, and dealing with contracts! Watching their faces light up at the opportunity to pay quarterly taxes, again, can just about break your heart.

And if there is one task that stands out from all the rest as the … Read More