The Passionless Pursuit of Profit

I'm going to mention a few situations that writers often find themselves in. See if you notice what is common - or if you can see yourself in any of these situations:

• I'm so mad! I've sent yet another email to that editor and haven't gotten a response. If they want queries, why don't they have the courtesy to reply?


• The pay is really low, but I really like the editor and I want to keep the relationship.


• I really need this assignment, so I can't try to get changes in the contract, because I can't afford to have them decide not to use me.


• I'm so excited! I'm in the running for a big project. Oh, I really, really hope I get it!

The common thread is unrestrained emotion: anger, desire for friendship, fear, and excitement. Obviously there is nothing wrong with emotion, per se - it's a human characteristic. But when you go into business dealings from an emotional framework, you are toast facing a world of sharp knives and orange marmalade at 8 in the morning.

When your emotions run like a roller coaster through your working days, you will end up battered (if not buttered). Here are the possible outcomes:

1. Everything moves towards being a high or low, yanking you this way and that and making work much more difficult.


2. You create a sense of neediness in yourself and broadcast it to all around you. When that happens, you will come out on the losing side of any negotiation, which means any conversation with a client. If you cannot even consider walking away from the deal - the very definition of neediness - then you cannot improve it because the other party doesn't need to change a thing.


3. The emotional reaction causes you to take everything personally. That clouds your vision. Instead of seeing business relationships, you see personal relationships that really don't exist (no matter how much you like most of your clients). That puts a burden on your clients, who really aren't your best friends and shouldn't have to be. It also keeps you from treating them in a way that is appropriate and respectful.


4. When you react from emotion, you start making assumptions that may or may not be valid. That can lead you to expecting revenue from assignments that won't end up happening or not taking the extra step that might actually result in work that you've presumed is lost.

We all need to learn to take the emotion out of our dealings, and this is a day-at-a-time process. Start with reserving judgment. When you find yourself ready to jump for joy or sink into despair, tell yourself that you don't really know what it going on outside of yourself ... because you don't. It may be that something good will come of a conversation, or perhaps not. Eventually you'll see.

Also, very few of us are in the position of being in life-and-death situations. There will be other clients and other assignments. If you work hard at marketing, you'll get enough possibilities that some of them are bound to fall into place. Make it a matter of numbers, not a matter of how you feel that day.

Finally, for today at least, keep your work and home lives separate. Be cordial with clients while remembering that you aren't looking for friends and don't expect them to serve that function. When you need to make a hard decision, then it really is just a matter of business. Save your passion for your writing; use your head in your business dealings.