The Royal(ty) Pain

I am not really a hard ass. Honest.

I was approached recently by a potential client wanting me to write a book manuscript, only with my payout being some sort of royalty arrangement. I had to turn him down. Writing for royalties works in only a few cases – when you’ve hooked up with a can’t-lose author, such as Bill Clinton or Pamela Anderson (and if it’s the two of them together, you’ll never have to work again!). It will never – repeat – never work for the average Joe with a great idea. Just refer to my article on royalties back in March for why it’s a sucky arrangement.

But here’s the thing – the clients are still going to ask. Some of them are going to push it, make it a contingency of your arrangement. There might even be some emotional hardball thrown in there just for kicks. Again, refer to yesterday’s post on Kathy Kerhli’s client who wanted to determine her invoicing system for her. Bottom line: as my good friend Anne Wayman pointed out, her response is “I can’t afford not to get paid as I write.” Heed her advice. Who cares if the client is crying about his lack of cash, or if he’s making it sound as though you just graduated from preschool and aren’t smart enough to write his book for him – if he didn’t want you, he’d have stopped talking to you ages ago. And it may sound harsh, but you can’t care about the emotional hardball. You have to do what’s right for your business. Be nice, but be firm. Your own best interests come first in these negotiations, and if it feels wrong, don’t go there.