How To Ask To Be Paid: Part 3 In The "Is Working For _______ Ever Worth It" Series

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Getting paid for your work is a right. I don't think anyone actually believes otherwise, even the people who try to lure you in with promises of exposure and experience in lieu of money. But the quicker you learn to be up front about your financial needs, the more likely you'll be able to sustain art as your primary business for years and decades to come.

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Is Working For Free Ever Worth It?

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For years I’ve advocated to anyone who’d listen that unpaid work is tantamount to a slap in the face; that experience and exposure aren’t sufficient compensation for people whose livelihoods depend on their art. Three years ago I said: “[B]eing paid for your work is a statement about your worth to yourself and to the project.  Directors, producers, and publishers don't work for free; neither should you.” 

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You Should Consider Licensing Your Work To Your Infringers

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When you find out that someone is using your work without your permission, the urge to satisfy your vengeance upon the infringer will feel overwhelming. Sending a threatening letter can be a powerful salve because it indulges your righteous fury. But you should fight that urge because I think being nice can often reap you greater benefits.

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Why Asking Nicely Works Or How Coke Got A Bunch Of Free Publicity And Mad Men Got The Ending It Wanted

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It's been my experience that when you want something - a discount, a favor, a deal - all you need to do is ask nicely. Obviously this isn’t applicable to all situations. High level deals don’t happen just because someone asked nicely and I’ll admit a certain degree of optimism (naïveté?) about peoples’ willingness to help. But in life and in business I have found this to be true more often than not

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Trademark Registration Is Not Easy And You're Going To Hate It (But It'll Be Worth It)

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Unlike copyright registration, registering a trademark is supposed to be expensive and arduous because they don’t want just anyone doing it. A registered mark is a legitimate business asset, and the more profitable your business becomes, the more profitable your trademark becomes. You have to think of registration as a capital investment… not that dissimilar from buying equipment, inventory, or office space.

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