Need Help with a price quote for a book deal
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@christine-garner Thanks so much, those links are incredibly helpful! I will have to go through them later today. And yeah, I definitely messed up with the first piece I did for her, I am proud of it but I can't make revenue from it and who knows if she will ever even use it.
But perhaps the contract can still be negotiated. -
I feel ya! I recently had a past client ask me to do a cover for his second (self-published) novel. My original price for the first novel was ridiculously low (my fault, not his... he even paid me extra when I was done!) I'm trying to decide what to do since my original price was so absurd.
But in your case, I think you're right to ask for more money, especially if you're essentially forfeiting your rights to the artwork.
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@missmarck Hindsight is so very sadly 20/20. I knew I didn't want her to have full rights to the work but I didn't know how to ask for anything else.
I am thinking of asking to work under a new contract that allows me to sell prints of the work I do. 30 pieces is a lot of time and effort to never get to use again.I wonder if it would be weird to give her two options: 1) Pay me more and keep the rights or 2) I'll work for less if you give me rights to sell prints of what I draw. Is that strange, I wonder?
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@kasey-snow sorry if this is a stupid question, but have you already agreed to do work for a contract that gives her all the rights or is this still to be negotiated or discussed as a future job?
The options thing- might be a good idea to see what she wants, but you still have to make sure you don't punish yourself on the price aspect, especially for all that work, only offer something you are comfortable with doing.
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I worked under a contract with the piece I already showed here--so that one is off the table as far as me being able to do anything with it other than sharing it online as an example of my work. The original contract had an addendum section where we could adjust the stipulations of each batch of work I do for her, so I will see if that can be something we add to the contract moving forward. Not sure about how all of that works though.
She is asking me for a quote for this batch order of 29 pieces and I am probably going to tell her that if we do it under the same contract it will be more expensive. If we can write up a new contract (essentially the same one as before except a clause stating I can sell prints of the work I make for her book) then I will give her a cheaper (though still fair) quote for the order.
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I think that sounds fair to her and you
I hope it goes well for you, all the best. -
@kasey-snow I think offering the two options is a clear but non-aggressive way to explain how this kind of project really affects an artist: either a decent sum upfront, or guaranteed income over time. Also, if you're still worried about how little you charged originally, what I have told clients (IF they argue or question my increase) is "My freelance time is at a higher premium now, due to shifts in workload and availability." Most people are understanding... if they aren't, it's a red flag that they might be more trouble than they're worth
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@kasey-snow That is exactly how I would have approached this! Hope it works out
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I appreciate the input and confirmation about what I plan to ask. She has not responded yet, but hopefully I'll hear back soon. Thanks everyone!
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Just wanted to post an update to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who responded and gave input to this thread. Because of your advice I was able to successfully negotiate a new contract in which I have rights to my artwork, and adjust the payment for the project to $6000, double what she originally offered me. I would not have had the direction to achieve that without your help, I am most grateful to you all.
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@kasey-snow That is fantastic news! Congrats!
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That sounds much better ,I hope it is very successful for you Congrats!
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Fantastic, congratulations!!!!!
