Super validating for me as I get even more intentional than I've been about who is a good fit for me (and vice versa) and why. The sticking point is usually not money, it's whether they're truly willing to keep an open mind and do the work.
Thank you, Jennie for this very helpful post and for letting us know that you are human and also make mistakes sometimes when talking to prospective clients about your fees. Thanks also for always showing us how to overcome our mistakes as we talk to prospective clients about our fees and how to stay committed to the services and value we bring to them.
Needed to read this today. As someone who is certified through your Author Accelerator program (which I LOVED- BTW) it's enlightening to see that even you (who I would consider a guru-in the most positive sense!) have to remind yourself of the value you bring to a project. I have to admit I have struggled with this and thought it was a "newbie" thing-wondering, "How can I ask them to pay me that?" I'm still working to get my coaching business off the ground, -building my confidence and reassessing my value along the way. Seeing this today really helps! Thanks so much for sharing this, Jennie!
Ohhhhhh snap! Jennie, this resonates so much. When my business coach years ago told me, "If you charge what you're worth, you will actually attract clients who are easier to work with." I scoffed! WHAT?! Years later, her advice has proven to be sound, over and over. While in the short run, it might feel tempting to lower your price, but ultimately you damage your own value, and frequently end up with a PITA client. Thank you, Jennie, for sharing!
Every once in a while, despite my website setting expectations on consult costs and offerings, I still get the "can I pick your brain and I'll buy you coffee?" and I decline and cite my one-time, one-hour consult rate. Which is on the website. Recently, a man wrote back and said, "I've done dumber things. Let me think about it." Obviously he was willing to spend $5 for my advice, maybe even $6, but he considered it "dumb" to consider paying a professional editor and publisher her pro rate? It was such weirdly hilarious and offensive phrasing. And of course he never took me up on a meeting, which was fine and dandy.
I love all of this. Most of all, your commitment to always being out here on the street, working to undo decades’ worth of people’s assumptions around how things get done in the publishing world. It’s hard, because so many people in publishing and the literary space will indeed vastly undervalue their insight and expertise—quite often unknowingly. Prices are all over the map. History has woven a tangled web, and it demands your kind of conviction, along with many more of us, to persist in getting it untangled. This is a professional service leading to a market-ready end product in a very competitive and complex industry, and while no one questions the value of hiring a premier architect or contractor for a major build, misconceptions abound in what it takes to produce a quality book. Your pressure always moves the needle. 🔥
Super validating for me as I get even more intentional than I've been about who is a good fit for me (and vice versa) and why. The sticking point is usually not money, it's whether they're truly willing to keep an open mind and do the work.
Such a great and inspiring story!
Thank you, Jennie for this very helpful post and for letting us know that you are human and also make mistakes sometimes when talking to prospective clients about your fees. Thanks also for always showing us how to overcome our mistakes as we talk to prospective clients about our fees and how to stay committed to the services and value we bring to them.
Needed to read this today. As someone who is certified through your Author Accelerator program (which I LOVED- BTW) it's enlightening to see that even you (who I would consider a guru-in the most positive sense!) have to remind yourself of the value you bring to a project. I have to admit I have struggled with this and thought it was a "newbie" thing-wondering, "How can I ask them to pay me that?" I'm still working to get my coaching business off the ground, -building my confidence and reassessing my value along the way. Seeing this today really helps! Thanks so much for sharing this, Jennie!
You got this 💪 Keep taking small actions n the direction you want to go
Ohhhhhh snap! Jennie, this resonates so much. When my business coach years ago told me, "If you charge what you're worth, you will actually attract clients who are easier to work with." I scoffed! WHAT?! Years later, her advice has proven to be sound, over and over. While in the short run, it might feel tempting to lower your price, but ultimately you damage your own value, and frequently end up with a PITA client. Thank you, Jennie, for sharing!
Every once in a while, despite my website setting expectations on consult costs and offerings, I still get the "can I pick your brain and I'll buy you coffee?" and I decline and cite my one-time, one-hour consult rate. Which is on the website. Recently, a man wrote back and said, "I've done dumber things. Let me think about it." Obviously he was willing to spend $5 for my advice, maybe even $6, but he considered it "dumb" to consider paying a professional editor and publisher her pro rate? It was such weirdly hilarious and offensive phrasing. And of course he never took me up on a meeting, which was fine and dandy.
Sounds like you dodged a bullet!
I love all of this. Most of all, your commitment to always being out here on the street, working to undo decades’ worth of people’s assumptions around how things get done in the publishing world. It’s hard, because so many people in publishing and the literary space will indeed vastly undervalue their insight and expertise—quite often unknowingly. Prices are all over the map. History has woven a tangled web, and it demands your kind of conviction, along with many more of us, to persist in getting it untangled. This is a professional service leading to a market-ready end product in a very competitive and complex industry, and while no one questions the value of hiring a premier architect or contractor for a major build, misconceptions abound in what it takes to produce a quality book. Your pressure always moves the needle. 🔥
I love this story and was so gratified by the conclusion!
I love this too.
And I am so glad you aren’t working with that person!!
Instructional and inspirational (as always), Jennie. Thank you.