Going into the freelance market unprepared is like washing up on a desert island and scrambling to find out what is edible. Freelancers end up dealing with all kinds of private clients. It is exciting, and great relationships can and hopefully will be formed. It’s also a situation filled with potential booby traps, most of which can be prevented from the contractor’s end—our end. I wouldn’t be writing about this if I didn’t have a lot of experience with falling on my face.
1. State your terms and your schedule. No idea what the job should cost? Then don’t suggest a flat fee. Afraid of scope creep? Either don’t suggest a flat fee or state explicitly in your contract the work that will be covered by the fee. Not experienced enough to give your client an estimate of hours for a longer project? Tell him/her your hourly rate, and then suggest a financial cap, at which point you together evaluate progress versus money spent, with an option to re-negotiate. Give your client frequent updates of hours spent and steps achieved. If it’s a learning experience for both of you then the more clearly you communicate the better for everyone. Actually, that’s always a good idea.
2. In the case of a series or a book containing many pages, it can be helpful to ask for smaller payments spaced out over the delivery of each final piece. This prevents resentment from building as a project lingers and the bulk payment hovers somewhere beyond the horizon.
3. Are there facets of the project that are outside your skill set? Consider outsourcing that work to friends/peers whom you trust to get it done. That way you control the job and continue to do what you do best. Spreading yourself too thin for the sake of ego isn’t actually a great idea.
4. Is the client showing signs of schizophrenia, memory loss, a bent for revisionist history? Stick to email communication whenever possible in order to have an easily accessible trail of his/her descent into pure evil. Email also provides proof of things asked and things delivered, along with corresponding dates.
5. If a difficult client is pushing you to recommend a contractor for a different job, chances are the outcome is going to be lousy for someone, and you’ll be mediating. Rather than providing a direct recommendation, you can refer your client to a website (not Craigslist) stocked with creatives looking for work, from which a decision can be made without your input.
6. Stick to facts. Be friendly, be complimentary, and enjoy a pleasant back-and-forth, but if you cross the line and fall into the pattern of a familial relationship then you begin to lose ground, and the client may feel that making extra demands of your time is appropriate.
Book recommendations:
Business and Legal Forms for Illustrators (comes with all forms on CD)
Graphic Artist’s Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines
Ask your friends what they charge for similar jobs! Don’t try to exist in a vacuum. It’s too hard.Lastly, as you go along, learn from what has been worth it and not worth it, and learn to say no. It’s a gift to yourself and to the client, who will go on to find at least one person excited about the job out of the gajillion artists and designers out there.
(Above: me working during vacation, a prime example of poor planning.)
