‘One shit-hot negotiator’

A Paris-based freelance - assisted by the Freelance Fees Guide - has upped thier rate for a guidebook.

Though the publisher in question swore that they never paid more than $16,000 flat fee for 90,000 words, the freelance negotiated using the NUJ guide, quoting the British rates it included for guidebooks. The first round of negotiations ended with a fee of $18,000 secured for a guidebook, plus a bonus of $2000 for meeting the deadline. In subsequent commissions for guidebooks for the same publisher, the publisher kept adding bits and each time the writer negotiated, bringing it up to $24,400 plus $1400 expenses.

The editor also complemented the guidebook writer on their negotiating skills when they pointed out to the editor that a proposed $50 a week fee for keeping their website upated wouldn't keep a student in cigarettes, and upped the rate for the website update as well. They described the freelance as "one shithot negotiator".