Inspired by @divanificent's post on fees and payment as a freelancer, I just wanted to offer some hints and tips. This is hard earned knowledge over eleven years of freelance work. If this helps at least one person then I’m happy. Grab a pen and paper, let's do this!
@divanificent This is based on a career in performance poetry which has bled into theatre, festivals, corporate gigs, journalism, workshop facilitation and more. The union guidelines for diff. types of writers vary, so none of this is strict gospel.
@divanificent This goes for people who are at a semi professional or professional level. Hard to define, but let’s say you’ve been paid for your work for over three years and gain at least a third of your income from it as a rough benchmark.
@divanificent 1. Adopt a polite but no-nonsense communication style. Get to the point. State your fees and other requirements clearly. You aren't obligated to respond to emails that are clearly out of your remit, pay grade or general interest if you are swamped.
@divanificent This is esp applicable to women - we are more likely to be overly deferential because we don’t want to come off rude or ungracious. Certainly be courteous, but you don’t owe anyone friendliness or familiarity. You’re organising business, not a playdate.
@divanificent Example: You’ve been asked to speak at an event. They have offered you something well below your standard fee. You might be tempted to just accept, or to be overly apologetic TO THEM that they are insulting you with such a measly fee! Nuh-uh, not on my watch!
@divanificent It’s perfectly okay to say: ’Thanks for your email. Unfortunately your proposed fee is too low - my standard rate is £X for an engagement of this nature. Should your budget allow for this in future I’d be happy to discuss my involvement at a later date’.
@divanificent This may seem cold, but this is professional, clear & still leaves the door open to work with them if they can match your conditions. Trust me, people will respect you more if they see you handling yourself like this. They’ll know to come correct if they approach you in future!
@divanificent 2. Establish your flat fee by considering what the average fee is you tend to be offered. Review this every couple of years, it should steadily rise as you establish yourself. You can even have a ready made paragraph with your fees to copy and paste into emails.
@divanificent But don’t cheat yourself out of a fat cheque by jumping the gun! Don’t state that fee til you know what the people approaching you are working with. Some engagements are randomly, crazily well paid. Keep your cards close to your chest and let them state a figure first.
@divanificent 3. Talk to your peers and see what they charge. It’s so important that we don’t buy into the falsehood that we are in competition. If you know you are being paid more/less than your equally qualified peers, speak up to the organisers. Let them know we take care of eachother!
@divanificent 4. Have a different fee range for corporate work (this can be anything from conferences sponsored by big companies to advertising). If you feel comfortable doing this sort of work, there is BIG money to be made, so please don’t mug yourself by coming in with a three figure fee!
@divanificent 5. Commissioned work warrants bigger fees than standard performances. We’re talking anything from £500 to tens of thousands, depending on the project and the organisation. Don’t accept any less. You should NOT be being paid the same as you would to perform pre-written work.
@divanificent 6. The pay to write something and the pay to deliver it are separate. If you’ve been asked to write and also film/record a piece, charge for time to write AND a day fee for the recording. Generally, half day = £150, full day = £300.
@divanificent 7. Establish whether a fee is inclusive or exclusive of travel. A fee may seem super generous, but if a £120 train ticket is gonna eat into that then it may not be worth your while!
@divanificent 8. Sadly, it’s often the big organisations that are the stingiest. Nevertheless, it sometimes works to call their bluff. They, like anyone, will try and get things as cheaply as they can. This doesn’t mean they haven’t got money to play with.
@divanificent If they want you, there’s a good chance they’ll reach deeper into their money pot to follow through on their vision for the project. Let’s say your rate is £250 for a speaking engagement. A national newspaper have offered you £100.
@divanificent Instead of saying no straight away, or agreeing to that small fee, hold your nerve. Say what your standard fee is and ask if they have budget to pay it. You may well get your full fee, or something much closer to it.
@divanificent 8. Saying no to low paid things may seem like sabotage in these precarious times. But you must set a precedent around your name. You would rather do one enjoyable, reputable gig at £300 than 5 at £50. People then know you’re not just out in these streets doing any old thing.
@divanificent Contrary to popular belief, exposure is not that that covetable a currency. Indeed, you can very easily be over-exposed and over worked which is unsustainable and will actually decrease the quality of your work. If someone is approaching you, you are already sufficiently exposed.
@divanificent In this era of viral videos and tweets, getting immediate traction isn’t that hard and frankly doesn’t hold a strong correlation with value or talent. Focusing too much on your social media persona is a short term approach. The influencer bubble is already on its way to bursting.
@divanificent I know plenty of successful people who don’t have social media at all - the undeniable brilliance of their work precedes their ‘personal brand’. Focus on your craft first and your followers/SEO second.
@divanificent Be on time, make good work, keep developing and be someone that’s a pleasure to work with. This is how you get establish long term, lucrative relationships with organisations and a reputation that warrants the fees you demand. LONGEVITY is the goal, not IMMEDIACY.
@divanificent Of course, there are times when your passion for a cause will compel you to say yes to a lower paid gig, or you may choose to give your time for free. This is fine, but this must be subsidised by well paid work. It should ideally be 80/20 or 70/30.
@divanificent Talking about money is gross, esp if you have entered into your work out of genuine passion. Unfortunately, it is this very thing that people often exploit. They think us freelancers are hobbyists on steroids who should be grateful for an invite to the table.
@divanificent This is why to retain your value you must STICK TO YOUR FLAT FEE and only say yes to work tha aligns with your purpose as an artist. No one else will do this for you. You have no company, no (official) trade union. You can and will be screwed over if you don't assert yourself.
@divanificent Finally, you are entitled to swift payment. I'm not the best with money, but freelancing forces you to be on top of this stuff! Here's a crucial tip about your rights:
@divanificent Get your invoices sent in a timely fashion. At the bottom, paste this statement: I understand and will exercise my statutory right to interest and compensation for debt recovery costs under the late payment legislation if I am not paid according to agreed credit terms.
@divanificent Chasing folk for money is one of the most exasperating parts of the job. But after 30 days you can start charging interest. You can read more about the legalities and how much interest you can charge here: cpa.co.uk/late-payment-c….
@divanificent I haven’t stated my fees here cos again, I’M NOT TRYING TO MUG MYSELF OFF, but DM me if you are interested and I can give you some specific figure breakdowns. For more standardised fees/rates check out Royal Society of Authors or Apples and Snakes (for poetry/spoken word).
@divanificent 10. I know its hard out here, esp if you’ve no financial safety net under you. I have regular spikes of panic, entire weeks where I think I should quit. This is why community and transparency is so important. You’re not alone, there are resources out there to guide you.
@divanificent 11. It is a joy and privilege to do what you love and get paid for it. Big up yourself for being brave, for bucking the trend, for living with integrity, as precarious and scary as that is. YOU’RE DOING GREAT, SWEETIE.
