Negotiating for Writers

Negotiating for Writers Spelling and proper grammar are essential skills for a writer. Negotiating and business sense are too, but those are the ones many people overlook. Here’s how to get higher rates, better jobs and walk out on top when it’s time to negotiate a deal. Spotting Room for Negotiation Some jobs offer terrible pay – and no amount of negotiating will get you more than $10 for 1,000 words. Other times a client states a set budget for the job and that’s it. But sometimes a client asks to discuss your rates for one or several articles. Right there’s your negotiation room. Diff’rent Strokes Your negotiation technique with a corporate blogger is going to differ from that with a self-published fiction author.   Each have different needs, and when negotiating, you’re speaking to those needs directly. There are five main negotiation styles – see Negotiations.com. Ask your client about their proposed budget and see how close it falls to what you would have normally quoted them. Don’t Agree Too Soon When you spot negotiation room, don’t agree to the first deal. Propose a counter-offer – one which offers a better deal for both of you. This can be quicker delivery at a higher rate for rush jobs, an extra blog post, a higher per-word rate when you have other projects in-between.   You have experience, and people will pay more for it. Higher Rates You can tell a new client, â€Å"I’m not okay with this rate. How about this?† You will lose some jobs, and that’s okay – you gain more in the long run. Higher rates can also be negotiated when jobs have a tight deadline or need very specialized research done. Work out the charge hourly and per word too: Which is better? (AllFreelanceWriting.com). Fatal Negotiating Mistakes Going in too high can scare potential clients off to a â€Å"no,† and so can going in too low – industry standard rates exist to minimize this (See: SAFREA, the EFA and the WGGB). Seeming desperate in negotiation will either scare clients off or teach them that you are to be taken advantage of: Never show outright desperation Swinging the Deal When several hopeful writers are negotiating, offer something others don’t in order to swing it your way. Often, this comes down to sending strong, relevant writing clips that tells the client, â€Å"This is the writer I want.† You can also swing the deal with the right counter-offer that says, â€Å"If you agree to my terms, here’s what I can do for you in return.† For one regular ghostwriting job, I offered the client two posts per week instead of one, and my rate was accepted. Compromising The whole point of negotiating is reaching the point where both parties walk away satisfied. This can also mean meeting in the middle – compromising. Always be willing to consider compromising. It can be summed up with a short, imaginary dialogue: â€Å"$500?† â€Å"$350?† â€Å"$480.† â€Å"Deal.†