I saw that - brilliant!

I like them, but they don't translate well for social media shares. What I did this time was added a different photo for the social share, and then just kept the GIF at the top of the post.

I think you should! The money side of this business for us is something NO ONE ever seems to want to talk about! I bow to your wisdom, sir. I am making some changes to fee structure going forward FOR SURE.

It's a game changer Ericka. It is about knowing your value AND...you are running a business- you are not just the hired help. Businesses have rules and policies. It takes the focus off of you being a solopreneur and being JUST a freelancer. People's mindset when you are a business is very different- and they respect that more. Think of it this way- If you had a small cart in which you fixed Iphones on the street, would people stop by compared to having a VAN with a logo of your apple repair business (GEEK SQUAD did this very thing). Same skills, same person, same service different response. People have no problem stiffing the hired help- but they have a harder time trying to screw a business over. I am all for negotiating and making clients happy- but at the end of the day I am running a business. That begins with the contract which says that there is a late charge added to late payments. If a client is late the first time- I send an invoice with the late fee- and then at the bottom I take that late fee off with a note that I am giving them a first time late fee forgiveness. Trust me- they are not late twice because now, they feel I gave them a break and they would be embarrassed to do it twice. Here is a little secret- when I tell clients that they must pay the entire amount for jobs under $1500, I am able to up sell them because they want the payments split up. Jeez- maybe I should write a blog just about this....

You know John I never even thought of doing it that way! I have gotten my estimates down to a science now (years ago starting out I didn't!), so it seems reasonable I could ask for more up front. I may try it going forward and see!

It is sometimes hard to explain that editing is an investment- many writers move with the assumption that their work is perfect or that editing should be cheap and often unnecessary. I sometimes give a client a one or two page edit (my treat) to show them how their book could read. That usually sells them on the idea they need it.

It is an endless process- but it is what makes your books good Eldred! You care about your readers- which really is the point of editing.

I have had a few not to pay- So explain to my clients this way- they are paying ahead- not behind- kind of like an attorney. When they want more work they pay more- if they don't- we stop. It's an out for me and them. Shit happens like Covid and I don't like holding clients hostage. It is a mindset- that if they don't like I am doing- we stop. I am already paid for the work I produce whether they like it or not, but it does reduce the risk of moving forward if they are not happy. It works best with larger projects such as ghostwriting. For editing- anything under $1500 they just pay up front because that is not worth arguing or going to court over for either side. I can't think of a time a client said no way. When I explain that is the way I do business, they tend to respect that. I like to get all the contracts and money out of the way first- keeps things clean and we can just concentrate on the work.

I do 50/50 arrangement. It works most of the time!