It Ain't About The Money... But You Gotta Eat!
“Show me the money!” -Rod Tidwell, as played by Cuba Gooding Jr., Jerry Maguire
Let’s talk about getting paid. It’s a topic that in my day job that I generally avoid. Many companies will tell their employees that they are forbidden to talk about their salary with their coworkers and while the legality of that is debatable, it is a rule that many people follow.
My first foray into talking about how much I was getting paid wasn’t until I was offered a contract on my first board game design. When I received the offer, the first thing I did was call a couple of publisher friends and ask if the offer was fair. Despite years of programming by corporate jobs to not talk about money, I still felt comfortable reaching out when it came to game design.
It’s a double standard that didn’t occur to me at the time. Why was it so easy to talk about how much money I was being offered for a game but not for my day job? Looking at it now, I think it’s simple. My work as a game designer was just for fun. If earning money for my game designs ended up covering some or all of my board game hobby’s expenses, it would be a bonus. But I didn’t need that money to live.
Fast forward to several years later where I am self employed as a coach, consultant, and board game designer. Now, I need that money earned, even what comes from game design, to pay the bills. In my role as game designer, I still work with publishers. Of course, now I know what a fair contract looks like when selling my work and I have no problem negotiating that. What makes that so easy is many of the publishers don’t ask how much you want for your game. Instead, they make an offer, and if it’s fair and you want to work with them, you take it. Otherwise, you attempt to negotiate a better rate or move on.
Then there’s that whole coaching and consulting piece. In those roles, I have literally never had a client say, “I want to pay you X for this work.” Instead, they ask me what my rate is for the work they need done. I tell them my rate and then have an internal struggle and try not to immediately offer them a discount out of fear that they will believe I am not worth the price I am asking. This ties back to my previous post about imposter syndrome. I know this because despite the fact that not a single client has ever scoffed at my rates, I still have fear surrounding the whole conversation.
I have come to realize what I think is the root of the whole issue, and I am willing to bet that some of you reading this feel the same way. When I sell a game, I am selling a tangible product that I have already created. It’s up to the publisher to kick the tires on my creation and see if they really want to buy it. With coaching and consulting, you are selling a set of skills. If the client hasn’t worked with you before, then you are selling just the idea that you have that set of skills that you claim you do.
It’s that intangible piece that can be so hard to wrap our brains around. I think the reasoning behind it is that we are putting a price on our skills. We are saying, I am worth that price. It’s no different than an artist who paints a portrait for you. Sure they have some cost in supplies but the majority of the price you are paying is for their skill as a painter. I can tell you from working with artists on several different games, there isn’t a specific going rate for artwork. Instead, each artist charges what they believe is a fair price for their time and skills. That’s no different than a person being paid to write content for a website, give a speech, coach a client, or consult on an area where they have skills.
If you are still feeling unsure about what price to put on your skills… I suggest that you start doing some research. Find out what others with similar offerings are charging. That can give you a good basis for what the market rates look like in your industry. A word of warning when doing that research. If you suffer from imposter syndrome, you will likely find yourself inflating the experience of others while discounting your own experience. Don’t do that. In all likelihood, your skills are worth more than you think they are worth.
One final thought, and this is the “you gotta eat” part of this article mentioned in the title. There will be people out there who want your services for free. Who want that free consulting advice, that free piece of artwork, the free website content. Do not deal with those people. Yes, sometimes you will do friendly favors with your work. Sometimes you may volunteer your skills for charity. These are reasonable things to do and I encourage them.
Just remember that any work you do for free is up to you and no one should ever be pressuring you to give your skills away for free. Your time and skills have value. Do not let yourself forget that!
-Jason