Creative Business Advice
for Creative People
Let’s be honest, sometimes dealing with people just sucks.
They can be needy and demanding, stubborn and impatient, frustrating and irrational.
But if you’re a freelancer, there’s no avoiding working with difficult people. There is no boss to run interference between you and Crazy Cathy and unless you defend your boundaries well, “Just One More Thing” Jonathan will drive you to drink.
Instead of throwing … Read More
Dear Person With a Great Idea/Product/Opportunity and Little and/or No Money,
Welcome to the blog! I understand that you’re in search of some high quality work from a freelancer but don’t have a lot of cash on hand.
You may have found this site by Googling “Getting freelancers to work for free” or someone you’ve approached for work may have sent you to this post … Read More
Oh but my goodness has there been a recent uptick in demands for artists to work for free!
Or maybe it’s just that Twitter makes these fools so much easier to find.
This week’s post is about how to avoid the psychological mind tricks people use when they ask you to work for free (or for booze or for the glory of [Fill in the … Read More
When you’re starting out freelancing it can be terribly difficult to turn down clients. Each possible new client doesn’t look like work, they look like groceries for the week or the gas bill or a car payment. You need money to pay for these things, and so you need this client.
But that’s not necessarily true.… Read More
I think I was 12 when I first learned the phrase “self-fulfilling prophecy.”
“So you like, wish things into being? Like you think about them and then they happen?”
I thought it was made up gobbelty gook that only crazy people would believe.
Turns out, I’m wrong.
Alright freelancers! Let’s kick some butt and take some names, shall we? The Ace Freelancer’s Guide to Asking Questions continues with questions that can help you win friends and influence people.… Read More
One of my favorite things to do every Fourth of July is listen to the Declaration of Independence being read.
I like being reminded of what this country committed itself to before it was a country and the ideals its citizens courageously held despite their inability to perfectly embody those ideals.
I was working as I listened to the Declaration this year and so I … Read More
I get a lot of questions about what a “good” contract looks like. It’s a tough question because “good” depends on what you need the contract to do. A contract that works really well in one instance might be a flaming pile of trash in another.
What I can do is show you what unhelpful contracts look like — contracts that everyone thought were going … Read More
5 Things to Know Before You Sign Your Publishing Contract
The following is the first of five emails from a free e-course about understanding publishing contracts. You can sign up for the rest of the course here. In any publishing deal, you're in charge. That's because a publishing contract is you giving the publisher permission to use your work. They need permission and
Read more...
Want Katie's tips via email?
Sign up here:
