How Not to Negotiate with a Writer

Writers are Worth What they Cost — Don’t Cheat Them

Need a good writer? Don’t do what this guy did

Years ago, I discussed the possibility of ghostwriting a book for someone who might have been (but will not be) a new client.

The story illustrates everything you should not do when you’re looking for a writer for any project, but especially for one as important and comprehensive as a book.

I was introduced to this man by someone who used to work for a former client of mine. The book he wanted to write was in the motivational/wealth-building genre, and I thought he had an interesting angle that would have been fun to do.

As best I know, that book was never written — and based on how he attempted to negotiate with me, it’s obvious why.

Very early in our first conversation (we never met face-to-face; all of our interactions were via phone or email), the potential client wanted to know how much I charge and how long it would take to write his book.

I explained that I couldn’t calculate the fee or accurately estimate the time until I had a better sense of what the project would be.

He continued to pressure me for numbers and I finally gave him an estimate that covered a broad range and stressed that I couldn’t finalize the amount, work schedule, or terms until we had the project defined.

He skipped past that and said that he expected me to allow him to use my industry connections to help him get his book published by one of the major traditional publishers. When I explained that I am a writer, not a literary agent, he didn’t want to hear it.

Finally, he told me he was going on a short vacation, would work on outlining the project, and we’d get started when he returned.

We didn’t talk again for four months. I never saw an outline.

Our second — and final — conversation took place over a lousy cell phone connection while he was driving.

I was having a hard time understanding him, but we did manage to set up a tentative meeting. I followed up with a detailed email explaining everything we needed to address in that meeting.

This would be his first book, and it was clear that he knew very little about the writing and publishing process, so I was trying to educate him.

In his reply to that email, he wrote that he had bids for lower fees from seven other writers.

Lower? I hadn’t quoted him a fee yet.

Seven other writers? When he contacted me, he didn’t know any other writers. It was highly unlikely that he’d gotten firm quotes from even one other writer.

He said that I was the best writer he was considering, he wanted to work with me, and then asked if I could do “better” on my price.

I pointed out that I had not yet quoted him a specific fee or work schedule. I also explained that I don’t negotiate on fees because I’m a professional and I don’t build negotiation room into my rates.

I quote a fair fee for the work involved. I provide high quality work, but more than that, I become a part of the team; I develop long-term relationships with my clients and help them achieve their goals for their business as well as for their books.

Apparently, that’s not what he wanted.

I told him to go to the second-best writer on his list.

This man is not only cheap, he’s ethically challenged. I’m told he treats all of his suppliers this way. Thankfully, it’s not my problem.

If you’re looking for a good writer or ghostwriter, try a few negotiating techniques that this guy didn’t use:

• Treat the writer with courtesy and respect.
• Be prepared to tell the writer what you want to accomplish so the conversation can proceed with your goals in mind.
• Follow up and do what you say you will do on schedule.
• Be willing to pay a fair and reasonable price to get a quality product.
• Recognize that if you want top talent, you need to pay top dollar.
• Understand that talented writers are in demand and may not be available to start your project immediately.
• Don’t ask a writer to do things that fall under the purview of literary agents, publicists and/or publishers.
• Treat the writer with courtesy and respect. (No, it’s not a mistake that I repeated that.)

Thanks for reading. A version of this article was originally published on my site at CreateTeachInspire.com. I was reminded of this incident by Sherry McGuinn’s recent article.

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