Introduction
Negotiation: Modern business wouldn't exist without it. We negotiate all the time without realizing it. We negotiate our salaries when we take a job. We negotiate our hours every day, even if it's only to get an extra hour at lunch to take our kid to ball practice.
Some people are gifted negotiators. Some aren't.
Yet everyone can learn the basics of negotiation—and everyone can become good at it, maybe even brilliant. And the key is not, as some will tell you, to be fearless. The key is to know what you want.
This Freelancer's Survival Guide short book will teach you everything you need to know about negotiation. It will help you in small situations—like that hour off—and in big ones such as negotiating a contract.
The sections of this short book were originally written for The Freelancer's Survival Guide, which originated on my blog, kristinekathrynrusch.com. The Guide has morphed into a series of short books. The full Guide will be published in the fall of 2010 in both electronic and paperback editions.
The short books exist for people who don't want all 130,000 words of the Guide. Those people don't need help with all aspects of their freelance business, only with a few aspects. If all you need is to learn how to negotiate, then this short book is for you.
The segments in this short book were written on a weekly basis, and I've tried to maintain that conversational flavor. Enjoy the book. I hope it helps you in all of your important negotiations.
—Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Lincoln City, Oregon
August 28, 2010