“Many talented creatives flop at freelancing because they don’t know how to bid on a project, negotiate a contract or manage client expectations. Kristen Fischer is on a mission to ensure you don’t become one of them. By the time you’re done reading this smart, comprehensive guide, you’ll be a lean, mean business machine.” —Michelle Goodman, author of The Anti 9-to-5 Guide and My So-Called Freelance Life When Talent Isn’t Enough Business Basics for the Creatively Inclined Kristen Fischer Copyright © 2013 by Kristen Fischer All rights reserved under the Pan- American and International Copyright Conventions. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher, The Career Press. WHEN TALENT ISN’T ENOUGH EDITED BY JODI BRANDON TYPESET BY GINA TALUCCI Cover design by Ian Shimkoviak/theBookDesigners Printed in the U.S.A. To order this title, please call toll-free 1-800-CAREER-1 (NJ and Canada: 201-8480310) to order using VISA or MasterCard, or for further information on books from Career Press. The Career Press, Inc. 220 West Parkway, Unit 12 Pompton Plains, NJ 07444 www.careerpress.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Fischer, Kristen. When talent isn’t enough : business basics for the creatively inclined : for creative professionals including artists, writers, designers, bloggers, Web developers, and anyone else looking to freelance or run their own business / by Kristen Fischer. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-1-60163250-0 -- ISBN 978-1-60163-543-3 (ebook) 1. Arts-- Vocational guidance. 2. Arts--Marketing. 3. Self-employed. 4. Small business. I. Title. NX163.F57 2013 658.02′2--dc23 2012039162 For Joe Fischer, my father-in-law, who always takes the time to ask me, “How’s business?” Your support for my professional endeavors—and this book—means the world to me. Acknowledgments Special thanks to my literary agent, Kathleen Rushall, for believing in this project and making it a reality. The team at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency was instrumental in providing both guidance and patience. Thank you to the team at Career Press for your publishing expertise. My gratitude goes out to Richard Streitfeld and Kiffanie Stahle for providing valuable wisdom and professional knowledge. All of the talented people that shared their stories so candidly have helped other creative professionals tremendously. Thank you to the New England Patriots, who motivate and inspire me. Norma, thank you so much for being amazing at what you do and being a true light. Danielle, Ken, Mom and Dad Fischer, and the rest of my family and friends: Your kind words, support, and enthusiasm have empowered me. I am beyond blessed to have each of you in my life—cats included. Charlotte, Quinnan, and Lyla: You each inspire me to reach higher. My loving gratitude goes out to my mother. You are the foundation, you are the support, you are my friend. To my wonderful husband, Tim: Thank you for listening to me, loving me, and making me laugh. You are my one and only. I wouldn’t be living happily ever after without you. And to my Lord, I really can do all things through You. “We must be careful not to exhaust ourselves ‘waiting for inspiration’ when we could have simply been working.” —Julia Cameron, author, The Artist’s Way Contents Author’s Note Foreword by Kari Chapin Introduction Chapter 1 • It Takes More Than Talent Chapter 2 • It Starts With Your Vision Chapter 3 • Lessons in Legalese Chapter 4 • Finances for Freelancers Chapter 5 • Will You Be My Client? Chapter 6 • Talking Up Your Talent Chapter 7 • Connecting With Clients Chapter 8 • Setting Boundaries Chapter 9 • The Well-Rounded Freelancer Chapter 10 • Long-Term Talent Chapter 11 • Business on the Side Afterword Resources Index About the Author Author’s Note All quotations from freelancers, in the text and in the Q&A sections, are the result of personal conversations, either in person or via e-mail, between the subjects and me throughout the course of the last year.