We’re not born negotiators, are we? I found it easier once I set my minimum rate — the lowest I’ll go even if conditions are perfect.

It becomes a dance, Mary. You get to know your own movements after a few negotiations, and you get a better sense of project depth and scope as you learn to read between the lines of what’s being said, and as you learn to flesh out the details that you might have once overlooked.

That was brave, Paula. And absolutely necessary.

I agree — I’d never work for that no matter how “easy” the profess it to be. And you’re right about the “you’ll regret it!” comments. I’ve never looked back at those and thought “Golly, I messed up!” LOL

I’m a tad more polite in my freelance life too, Devon. Funny how the BS meter just pegs once I clock out. 😉

Agreed — New York clients understand you get what you pay for. You’ll never get that same respect in a small town. Never.

In business, I’ve told this story before, but it’s a classic. It happened 15-20 years ago. I’d contributed regularly to a business newsletter that paid 50-cents/word, which was really good for a beginning writer back then. The former editor was really laid back and let me choose my sources and angles. He trusted me. The new editor called and asked me to write a 600-word article and gave me a list of about a dozen “must have” sources and started detailing what she wanted the article to be. She concluded by saying the new pay rate was the “industry standard” —10-cents/word. I laughed. She said it was such an “easy” project they couldn’t pay more. I told that after listing all of those names, their job titles, and their companies (and you had to note the city and state, too!) there would barely be space for a single sentence quote from each source—leaving no room for paraphrasing, transitions, or a lead. Then I added something like, “Since it’s so easy, you can do it.” And then I hung up.

I should add that this happened just after one of my best clients folded and I’d “fired” a long time client because the new editorial team had no respect for contributors. While my client base was the smallest it had ever been, I still couldn’t accept that impossible assignment from the micro manager with the micro budget.

It’s worth noting: Any time someone reacts with “You’ll regret it!” you probably won’t regret it. They will.

In my personal life, I starting working in the 70s, and have fought the sexism in the workplace during the years when I was a temp. I’m sure as heck not going to put up with it decades later, now that the culture, in general, is backsliding.