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Topic: How do you negotiate higher fees?
| Author | Message |
| ubitiq | Posted – 12/12/2007 6:45:50 PM | show profile | email poster I am sure this topic has been covered before, but my research on mediabistro forums has not turned up anything. I have been writing professionally for about two years now, and feel the days of writing long, labor-intensive articles for peanuts need to be over. How do you approach this topic with your editors? |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 12/13/2007 2:09:07 AM | show profile In corporate writing, the way to get higher fees is more straightforward: You ask for more. Many clients will simply pay it. Here's what I start with corporate writing. In this world, companies generally ask what your fee is. In magazine writing, it often works the opposite. The magazine tells you their rate, and you take it or leave it. So, to be paid more, first you have to sell your services to magazines who value good writing and will pay for it. If you are currently working for magazines that pay 10 cents a word, it's unlikely they will jump up to two bucks a word, no matter what your quality of work. That may mean abandoning some clients, and taking a short term hit while you seek out better clients. With your current clients, you have to determine your walkaway point. You have to decide how much you need for the work you're doing. If that's a buck a word, and the editor will only pay you 50 cents a word, you need to walk away. If you unable to set a floor for your rates, and if you're not willing to walk away if you don't get, it's pretty hard to negotiate. |
| Metro Writer | Posted – 12/13/2007 7:26:05 PM | show profile One thing you need to do is figure out in advance how labor-intensive and time consuming the article will be. If you know you're going to do a lot of research rather than repurpose what you've written before, tell your editor that it is a project that will take more time than many other pieces and that you require a fee that reflects that. If you will need to make a lot of long distance calls and incur other expenses, see if you will be compensated for that. If the editor wants an exclusive, ask for more money. Otherwise, make sure your contract doesn't give them all rights or first rights for a long time period. |
