What I’m reading: The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough
Day after surgery. I guarantee you I won’t be around today. I’ll be concentrating on getting up and moving and healing. Not sure what shape I’m in as I’m writing this on Wednesday (my cursed punctuality gene is wedged on high), but I’d say blogging won’t be top of mind.
I connected with another writer this week, and in my note to him, I mentioned that my goal during Writers Worth is to help you as a writer assert your price and own it. The first part is easy with practice.
It’s that second part. Oh, that’s tough.
One of the harder things you’ll encounter as you build a writing business is the idea that your price isn’t right. You’ll hear it from some clients, but the person you’ll hear it from most is….you.
You don’t deserve to earn, or you can’t possibly ask that kind of money, or a client would never pay that….that’s you talking, not a client. In fact, you’ll pretty much talk yourself out of earning a decent living if you don’t recognize the behavior and put a halt to it.
Acceptance; it’s a tough pill for writers to swallow, but we can. Here are some ways to teach yourself to accept your worth:
Partner in spirit with peers. Befriend those writers who have found their confidence and their business stride. These are the people who will serve as your unofficial mentors. When you’re tempted to take that job that pays $20 an hour if you bust your hump, just look at your peers for real-life examples of what it’s like to say no to lousy offers.
Use psychological inspiration. When I started, I had to remind myself every morning that I can write and I should be paid for it. Mine was a quote for a while, a psyche-out pep talk after that, and reminders that I’m already satisfying clients when those methods stopped being necessary. Tape that inspiration to your monitor or repeat it in the mirror — I have skills and I’m worth what I charge.
Do a little research. Nothing brings reality to you faster than seeing people in your profession who are charging fees that are head-and-shoulders above yours. Check out what those around you are charging per hour. Sometimes a little wake-up call is all you need to accept your own personal worth.
Visualize your earnings as loved ones. Hear me out — pretend your earnings aren’t going to you, but toward feeding your children or pets or taking care of your spouse or favorite relative. Imagine someone saying “No, I can’t pay your mother $100 an hour. I can pay only $25.” Would you let your mother earn 75 percent less? Protect your earnings for yourself as though you were protecting them for someone you love.
Develop a bottom line. It’s okay to negotiate your rate, if you want to (no client should assume your rate is theirs to negotiate — that’s completely your decision). So what is your bottom-line rate? What is the bare minimum you can or will work for? If you make $100 an hour, is your minimum then $70/hr? What if an offer for $50 comes in? Deciding is easier when you already know what you’ll accept for certain kinds of work.
How do you accept your own worth? What was/is the hardest thing about acceptance for you?
One response to “Writers Worth: Accepting Your Writing Value”
I'm still working on it. The bulk of my work is for print and web publications, which tend to set rates – either you agree to their terms or don't write for them. But on those occasions when I'm asked for my hourly rates, 90% of the time they quibble and push for a much lower rate.
That taught me to start by quoting a slightly higher rate than I expect to get, because everyone likes to think they're getting a bargain.
I'm trying to view it like I'm negotiating prices at a flea market: both sides go in asking more / offering less than they know is realistic, then wind up meeting somewhere in the middle.
Get well soon, Lori!