“Is asking for a raise in PFH from a client you've worked with for a number of years and then being ghosted by said-client something that's usual?”
I received this question some time ago and I’ve spent a while thinking about it.
Payment for freelance work is always tricky. You want to ask for what you’re worth, be competitive, not ask for too much and price yourself out of a job, be affordable but make enough to honor your work, and get hired again for your next gig. The trouble is, most of the time with rate adjustments, you won’t get direct feedback. You’ll either get hired, or never hear from your client again.
I had a colleague who asked for $10 more per finished hour from a big publisher, to match the rate of their co-narrator. They canceled their contract, and recast the book with another narrator. No feedback. No warning. They just replaced them. For $10!
I have colleagues who charge double what I do, and publishers have no problem paying it.
(I’m afraid if I asked for double, I’d never get hired again, even though I have a lot of experience, and awards, and whatnot, so I haven’t asked.)
So how do you know when you’re safe to raise your rates?
The honest answer is: You don’t.
There’s a high possibility that your client won’t work with you again. Or they might pay the adjusted rate knowing you’re worth it and valuing your work. They might agree to the rate increase for the title you’re recording but replace you on future titles. Some publishers and casting agents will submit your new rate happily, but your jobs might drop as they cast people who are within the project’s budget.
It’s so scary, isn’t it?
I’ve been terrified of asking for more because of the loss of work, industry changes, and while I’m established, I know there are hundreds of other narrators desperate for the same work, who have as much (or more) talent than I do and are willing to work for lower rates.
So. Is there any way to know if it’s safe to adjust your rates and you won’t lose clients?
No.
But there are some clues.
CLUES YOU CAN RAISE YOUR RATES:
Is your schedule full and you have a waiting list of projects and clients? It is probably safe to start raising your rates with new projects but complete the ones you’ve already agreed to at the rate you originally set.
Ask yourself if you lose the job based on your new rate, are you okay with that? If you’re comfortable with that risk, if the rate needs to increase for you to have time and space to do the project, then you definitely should raise your rate.
Are you changing your rate based on what others are charging? If so, do some more research. Do the narrators who charge more than you do (charge more than Union scale), offer something you don’t? Are they part of a group that’s underrepresented and gives them an edge? Do they have a strong social media following that makes them more in demand? You can’t really base your rate on others. There’s a lot of variables to it. Be cautious when listening to advice, because it might be the perfect advice for the one who is offering it, but it may not be the perfect advice for you.
Are you in demand? Are you popular with authors and fans? Do you have devoted series that you’re narrating? If so, you’ll have more power.
Are there any clues that tell you it’s not the time to raise your rates?
Yes.
CLUES TO WAIT ON ADJUSTING YOUR RATES:
Does your schedule have a lot of empty space in it? Are you hustling really hard to fill your calendar? Do you have a social media presence, but not a large following? Do you have random books but not real series you narrate regularly? If you lose gigs with your new price, will it put your finances in crisis price?
If you’ve answered yes to any of those questions, it may be better to wait on adjusting your rates, or raise your rates for a single client and see how it’s received.
WILL I BE GHOSTED IF I RAISE MY RATES ABOVE SCALE?
The answer is: maybe. It feels like ghosting, but what’s really happening is that either the client has a really strict budget and there’s not wiggle room, or they’ve submitted you to the rights holder for approval with your rate, and they just don’t want to pay it. It would be nice if our clients would let us know clearly “We submitted you for the job but because your rate is $20 PFH too high, they wouldn’t cast you,” but you won’t ever get that feedback. For one, when casting, many times casting has to submit multiple people and the client doesn’t tell you why they don’t want a certain person. They just don’t cast them.
I’d love it if the relationships we’ve built with clients that feel like friendships, would communicate the way our friends do. But the truth is, even though our clients feel like friends, it’s ultimately a business, and they’re going to respond in business like ways. If they want you, they’ll pay what you ask. If they sort of want you, but are okay with losing you, they’ll go with someone new.
There’s just no way to know.
What I would suggest with this—and many other things in this career—is to trust your gut. Even if everyone is saying Raise Your Rate!, only you can decide if you feel like you’re in a strong enough position to do so. Don’t give in to what everyone else is doing. If you need to raise your rates, and you feel confident asking for more, that’s amazing. Do it! But if you feel like you can’t justify it, or the fear of losing work is too great, then wait a little longer. See how your schedule fills. See how things change. Work on building and strengthening your relationships.
WARNING
One thing you should avoid doing is changing your rate after you’ve been cast.
I’ve had a number of narrators who will audition for a book at a certain rate, get the gig, and then ask for more. They may get that initial rate increase, but the producer will be hesitant to submit them for future projects. (There may be more wiggle room with a publisher, but production companies have strict budgets they’re working with.)
It puts the producer in a really bad position with their client. “But you told me they were at this rate, and now they want more?”
It’s a powerful position for a narrator to be in, but long-term, it’s not a position I’d recommend. Do the work at the price you’ve accepted in your audition. If you need more money, the time to ask for it is when you turn in your audition so the team is aware of the budget they need for the project.
SUMMARY
This career is different for everyone, for different reasons. Take a look at your workflow, your energy levels, your quality of life, your bills, and figure out what you want to do.
For some, that’s making aggressive changes. For others, it’s taking a tiered approach and slowly asking for more incrementally. For some, it means being grateful for the work you receive at your current rate.
If you need guidance, I’d suggest talking it over with a narration coach or your narrating buddy (if you have one). Be careful with rate discussions. There are some legal issues about it, that I’m not really 100% sure about, but be cautious. Know it is possible to raise your rates and be just fine. Just make sure you feel ready for it and know there could be a loss of some clients who are budget conscious. But if your other clients are on board with your new rate, losing a few clients might be exactly what you need to make your schedule a little more livable.
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TANYA EBY is a narrator, casting director, and writer. She’s recorded more than 1100 titles over her narration career and has worked on the publishing side as well as in production. Have a question for her? Let her know. And as always, please like, comment, share her posts and become a subscriber. Paid subscribers help underwrite this Substack so Tanya can offer most of the material for free, and receive access to all archived and occasional subscriber-only posts.
100%.
Well said! Thanks for these guidelines!
It is so tricky to ask for what you're worth... I try to get them to show their cards first by asking what their budget is and letting them know that I'm willing to work with them to find a rate we're both happy with.