Negotiating
In this lesson, you will learn useful vocabulary and expressions that you can use in a job interview. The more you practice, the more comfortable you will feel on the big day! Interview skills will help you get a good job.
Part 1
Warm-Up and Vocabulary Preview A
Work with your teacher. Discuss the questions.
Does your current job involve negotiating (e.g., making deals with clients, agreeing on contract details, etc.)?
What do you find easy/difficult about negotiating, either at work or in your daily life?
What tips would you give someone who is negotiating a fee for their services?
Match the words on the left with the correct meanings on the right.
deliverable ___
to have a misunderstanding
royalties ___
a way to overcome a problem
brief (noun) ___
to offer something good (usually money) to reduce the bad effects of an action
contradict ___
a percentage of book sales paid to an author or illustrator
undertake ___
a person who works for themselves, not as an employee for a company
get (one’s) wires crossed ___
to come up with a decision that both sides will be happy with
get (one’s) wires crossed ___
to begin (e.g. a project)
get (one’s) wires crossed ___
a good or service to be provided as part of a contract
get (one’s) wires crossed ___
to say the opposite or disagree with someone or something
get (one’s) wires crossed ___
a set of instructions often for a writer or illustrator working on a book
Part 2
Vocabulary Preview B
Match each word or phrase in the box to one with a similar meaning.
• collaborate
• room for movement
• remuneration
work together ___________________________________________
payment ________________________________________________
flexibility ________________________________________________
Part 3
Reading 1, 2, 3
Read the first email in an exchange between Frank and Gina. Answer the questions.
What is Frank’s profession?
If the contract is finalized, what will Frank be responsible for doing?
What does Gina ask Frank to do?
Dear Frank,
Thank you for meeting with our publishing team last week. The meeting was really productive, and we are looking forward to collaborating with you on The Grumpy Gorilla book project.
We are currently finalizing the contract, which should be available tomorrow. I know you had some concerns about the payment for this project, which we discussed at length during the meeting. Just to confirm, here is the agreed remuneration based on the following deliverables:
| Deliverable | Deadline | Fee |
| 1. 16 hand-drawn illustrations (two-page spread) depicting scenes from the story | June 14 | $200 per two-page spread = $3,200 |
| 2. 3 book cover designs for The Grumpy Gorilla, each for a different target market (as outlined in the project brief) | July 15 | $300 per cover = $900 |
| Total: $4,100 |
In addition, we offer our children’s book illustrators royalties of 1% on all sales (worldwide) for first year of publication.
Before I send the final contract, can you confirm that these fees are acceptable?
Thanks again, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Gina
Commissioning Editor, Magic Pen Publications
Read Frank’s reply to Gina.
Which of the statements below is correct?
Frank agrees to the payment terms in Gina’s previous email. ____
Frank requests changes to the fee for both deliverables. ____
Frank requests changes to the fee for one of the deliverables only. ____
Frank informs Gina that he will not sign the contract as the payment is too low. ____
Dear Gina,
Thank you for your email. The meeting was very useful and the
guidance you provided in the brief was also very clear. I hope we
are able to work together on this project.
I still have some concerns regarding the payment. The information
in your email seems to contradict what we agreed on during the
meeting on Friday.
As stated, my daily rate for illustration is $250. We estimated that each two-page illustration would take around one day. As a result, the price per illustration would be $250. The total payment for Deliverable 1 would, therefore, be $4,000. The payment for Deliverable 2 listed in the previous email is correct.
I would be happy to undertake this work, provided that the final
contract states our agreed fees.
Thanks for your time. I hope to hear from you soon.
Frank
Read Gina’s reply to Frank.
Decide if each statement is true (T) or false (F).
Gina says that Magic Pen Publications can offer a higher fee for illustrations. ____
Gina offers to double Frank’s royalties. ____
Gina would like Frank to reply quickly. ____
Hi Frank,
Thank you for the fast response. It seems we have gotten our wires crossed. Hopefully, we can resolve this issue quickly and we can get the final contract to you ASAP.
From our point of view, it was clear that the fee for each illustration would be $200. You did mention your usual daily rate was $250, but I’m afraid that there’s little room for movement. We offer a fixed fee of $200 for this type of work, and we need to be fair and consistent.
However, there may be some flexibility regarding the royalties we can offer you. Would you consider accepting a higher percentage of royalties than previously stated? We could offer you 2% royalties on the book instead of 1%. This may go some way to meeting your expectations regarding payment.
Please let us know your thoughts. We do hope to send contracts out to all our freelancers soon, preferably by tomorrow at the latest. Hopefully, we can come to an agreement on the fee by today.
Kind regards,
Gina
Part 4
Reading 4, 5, 6
Read Frank’s reply to Gina. Make notes in the chart explaining Frank’s suggested changes to Gina’s offer.
| Gina’s offer | Frank’s changes |
| Deliverable 1: $200 per illustration | |
| Deliverable 2: $300 per cover | Frank accepts these terms. |
| Royalties: 2% for the first year of publication |
Hi Gina,
Thanks for following up on this. I am afraid that the fee you mention for these illustrations is just too low.
Thank you for suggesting a workaround in the form of increased
royalties. However, as there is no guarantee that the book will sell,
the increase in royalties may not compensate for the lower rate of pay.
In order for us to work together, would you consider one of these options?
A. Increasing the duration of 1% royalty payments from one year to
three years
B. Increasing the fixed fee for Deliverable 1 to $230 per illustration
Please let me know if either of these terms is acceptable.
Kind regards,
Frank
Read Gina’s reply to Frank. Discuss the question.
If you were Frank, would you accept Gina’s offer?
Hi Frank,
I’ve discussed this matter with the rest of the team. We could offer
you an increased fee of $220 per illustration, with no changes to the
percentage royalty payments.
How does that sound to you?
Gina
Read Frank’s final reply. Discuss the questions.
1. What does he decide to do?
2. Who do you think was better at negotiating, Frank or Gina? Why?
Hi Gina,
You mentioned that you usually offer a fixed fee for illustrations,
so I appreciate your willingness to compromise.
Thanks for meeting in the middle regarding payment. I would be happy to undertake this work provided that the payment for Deliverable 1 is amended to $220 per illustration, $3,520 in total.
Thanks again. I look forward to receiving the contract.
Have a great day!
Frank
Part 5
Language Functions
Each of these phrases appear in the email exchange between Frank and Gina. Match the phrases to their function.
Find where these phrases are used in the email exchanges. Check your understanding. If you need help, ask a classmate or your teacher.
Phrases:
• Would you consider…?
• I am afraid that…
• Thank you for suggesting…
• Thanks for meeting in the middle…
• I appreciate your willingness to compromise.
• We could offer you…
• I would be happy to undertake this work,
provided that…
| Making offers | Acknowledging compromise | Showing disagreement |
| • Would you consider… | ||
Review the emails again. Add useful phrases from the exchange to the chart.
| Acknowledging someone’s email | Closing an email |
Part 6
Writing
You are a freelance illustrator named Gloria Sanchez. You have been approached by Magic Pen Publications to illustrate a children’s book for a new series. After an initial meeting, the company has emailed you with an offer. You did not discuss fees during your meeting.
Draft an email reply to Gina at Magic Pen Publications.
• Thank Gina for her email.
• Try to negotiate better pay and conditions for the project.
• Close the email appropriately.
When you finish, share your email with a partner.
• Check your partner’s writing. Did they include any phrases from this lesson?
• How would you respond to your partner’s email?
Dear Gloria,
Thank you for meeting with us online yesterday. The meeting was
really productive, and we are looking forward to collaborating with
you on The Laughing Lion book project.
We are currently finalizing the contract, which should be available
tomorrow. For this project, we are offering the following fees:
| Deliverable | Deadline | Fee |
| 1. 16 hand-drawn illustrations (two-page spread) depicting scenes from the story | June 14 | $150 per two-page spread = $2,400 |
| 2. 3 book cover designs for The Laughing Lion, each for a different target market (as outlined in the project brief) | July 15 | $200 per cover = $600 |
| Total: $3,000 |
In addition, we offer our children’s book illustrators royalties of 1%
on all sales (worldwide) for the first six months of publication.
Before I send the final contract, can you confirm that these fees
are acceptable?
Thanks again, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Gina
Commissioning Editor, Magic Pen Publications