Contracts & Negotiation

Dealing with Difficult Clients

Presented by Michelle Goodman at Beyond the Red Pencil, March 28, 2009

Contract/Negotiation Resources for Freelance Editors

Web

KeepYourCopyrights.org. A bunch of legal profs at  Columbia Law School put together this site so we mere mortals could better decipher our contracts. Great examples of sample contracts, as well as good, bad, and downright worse-than-unfair clauses.

Library of Congress: Copyright FAQ. An excellent resource for quick information on copyright issues. If you want to register your work with the Library of Congress, you can download the forms from this site.

Nolo.com.  Free online legal advice for those who don’t speak legalese, from negotiating contracts to protecting your copyrights. Oodles of contract and copyright books and downloadable forms you can buy. Don’t miss the podcasts and the copyrights blog.

Print

Consultant & Independent Contractor Agreements, Fifth Edition, Stephen Fishman, Nolo, 2005. A legal eagle and champion of indie business owners breaks down all you need to know about the contracts you sign with clients and those you sign when you hire other freelancers (subcontractors). As a bonus, the companion CD contains contract templates you can use.

What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants, by Laurie Lewis, Aletheia Publications, 2000. If you want to ensure you’re charging enough for your work and negotiating as effectively as you can, pick up a copy of this book. Great examples of price structures and negotiations that worked for some freelancers, as well as those that backfired.

In person

Washington Lawyers for the Arts.  Offers a nominally priced legal clinic in Seattle twice a month for independent professionals and artists. For a $20 donation, you get 30 minutes of contract advice. The WLA also features brown bag talks on copyrights and other legal aspects of freelancing.