by James Chartrand

This is the first post in a series on increasing your rates and how to get more money writing for a living. Feel free to ask your questions in the comment section, and we may cover the answer in an upcoming post.

We all want more in life. More freedom, more fun, more money… It’s perfectly fine to want these advancements and a better life, and it’s perfectly acceptable to ask for these “mores” from others.

We could ask a partner for help to lessen our workload. We could find a friend and ask if that person wants to join some activity. We could ask clients for a wage increase on the work we do. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, after all.

But I believe there are times when you shouldn’t ask for more – especially when it comes to money.

Accepting a pay rate for any gig creates a standard of expectation for value delivered. If you provide a particular level of quality and a certain set of services for a determined dollar amount, then that’s it. That’s what you do, and that’s what you deliver, and that’s what you get paid for it. You agreed to it, after all.

Let’s say that in a year’s time, you’re still doing the exact same thing for the exact same pay rate. Should you ask for a raise? I don’t think so.

Remember the movie Flatliners from 1990? I do. The green line on the medical monitor’s screen was completely flat, the hum a dull monotone. The group of med students stood there watching nothing happen.

That’s the case with pay raises: They flatline. Unless something happens to change the situation, unless someone grabs initiative and puts life into the issue, the green line drones on without a blip. [Read more…]