Negotiating Pricing Members  

Fees for illustration commissions are usually be negotiated between the illustrator and the client - this is completely normal. For any negotiation, adopting the right frame of mind and approach will stand you in good stead. It'll also help to have a few practical techniques and knowledge of different sectors of the market at your fingertips.

It is important that you get in the right frame of mind...

Your client needs you

It can be easy for freelancers to feel overly grateful that someone is prepared to pay them to create an image. But it's actually important to remember that, although you may need the work, the client also needs you. They have chosen you because they like your work and believe that you're the right person to do the job. The client is not doing you a favour by commissioning you ? you are offering a service that has value.

?It?s a win-win scenario?

The objective of a good negotiation is to arrive at a point that is acceptable to both parties. To achieve this you'll need to know what the client requires, as well as what you need, to make this successful.

For example, when faced with a copyright assignment (i.e. handing over (assigning) all rights in the work), simply saying ?No I won?t assign you the copyright? might end any further discussion. A more productive approach is to find out why the client thinks that they need the copyright and, where possible