All posts with the ‘ practical advice ’ Tag

Questions are some of the easiest, cheapest, and most time-efficient tools you can use to get better results from your negotiations.

But people don’t use them.

When I ask freelancers why they avoid asking questions in their negotiations, I get one of two responses: they don’t know how to ask questions effectively, or they worry they’ll come off as rude if they ask too many … Read More

When I talk to freelancers and artists about why they’re afraid of negotiating I often hear

“What if I don’t know what to say? What if they say something outrageous and I don’t know what to say and end up blurting out ‘yes’?”

It’s a perfectly rational thing to worry about. And you wouldn’t be the first one to do it if it happened.

There … Read More

One of the things that makes conflict so darn difficult are all the Feelings.

Anger and fear and embarrassment are strong, visceral emotions. Once introduced, they can easily dominate a situation.

Two very different things happened in the world of Internetlandia this week that  highlight the best and worst ways these emotions can serve you in conflicts.

Let’s unpack each so we can understand the … Read More

This week I have two podcasts for your listening pleasure full of great advice from professional freelance cartoonists.… Read More

If you want to know how to write a better client email, an email that will be understood and appreciated, an email whose directions will be followed, scratch these words out in a bold color on fine paper and hang it right above your desk:

It’s not about what you want to say, it’s about what you want them to hear.… Read More

You’ve been working merrily along with a client or collaborator. Things are going well and you’ve had good results so far.

Now you’ve reached a crossroads and you need them to make a decision, sign off on the work, or pay an invoice.

You, being a good reader of this blog, tackle the issue head on and ask for the other person’s input, approval or … Read More

Sometimes you don’t need a long post about how to look deep inside yourself and find your inner negotiation ninja.

Sometimes you just need to know what to do to get what you want.

Here are my top three tips to make your negotiations better.… Read More

One of the many side benefits of writing this blog is that I get to hear about a lot of really cool projects that people are tackling.  A book idea they’re hashing out with a collaborator; an anthology contribution; a brand new webcomic.

But all too often when I hear about one of these projects, the creator will tell me, “But I can’t use any … Read More