All posts with the ‘ Negotiation ’ Tag

Hopefully, by now you know that working for “exposure” is fool’s work. People die from exposure! You should only work for free if it involves your mother or a debt that is the result of a life saving organ donation (see Jessica Hische’s awesome flow chart for specifics).

But just because you know you shouldn’t work for free doesn’t mean that people will stop asking … Read More

There’s been a lot of talk recently about how freelancing and independent art “should” work. From discussions about intellectual property rights, to ethical business practices, to dealing with clients who don’t pay their bills, it seems that everyone has an opinion on how it “should” be and there’s not a lot of agreement on how to get there.

These conversations are important because they have … Read More

For Emerald City Comic Con this year, George Rohac (Director of Operations at Oni Press, Freelance Guru, Wizard) and I got the band back together.

We put together a panel about the things we think you need to be a successful freelancer. And because we want to spread the news far and wide, I’m publishing all of the tips, tricks and secrets as this … Read More

There comes a time in every freelancer’s career when one has to write a very particular type of letter.  A Cease & Desist letter; an Eff You letter; a Pay Me Now letter; a Stop Selling My Art on the Internet You Lousy Bum letter.

A nasty letter.

Here’s how.… Read More

This week’s question is a tough one.  Dealing with bullies is frustrating, emotionally draining, and when you work for yourself, sadly common.  But that doesn’t mean you have to put up with it.… Read More

You’re negotiating.

You’ve prepared, thought about your interests, studied up on the other side, and asked open ended questions to elicit helpful information.

And it is sucking. Hard.

The other side is being jerkish, and every time you try to steer the conversation to problem solving, they drive right back to arguing over details.

You are now trapped in a back and forth about shaving … Read More

Not all negotiation work happens in the midst of fleshing out the details of a job, with the sweat of contract terms glistening on your brow and the fire of fee arrangements in your belly.

Some of the most helpful negotiation work you can do is when you aren’t negotiating.  And one of the best opportunities you have is when you bill your clients.  You … Read More

This week’s Good Advice question comes from that murky period of time before you start hashing out details of a job — the “Are you available?” time period. Your availability, or lack thereof, is just as valuable as the cash you can make from the job, but is often a lot harder to negotiate.… Read More