Do you want to know how to negotiate for intellectual properties? This post on negotiating for intellectual properties has you covered.
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Negotiate for intellectual properties: a price tag on knowledge
Knowledge is something that is not easily measured. Except one produces something tangible it might be difficult to put a price tag on a person’s knowledge.
So what is the easiest way for people to appreciate you and for one to have the confidence to ask for what is due to him? You must do what others will see and believe in.
Write a book to show your expertise
It will be difficult for anybody to just declare he is a bestselling author when there is no book to show for it. I can’t take you seriously if you stay at the mountain tops and shout that you can write without even an article to your name.
So one of the best ways to negotiate is to show people what you can do. You should write a book.
How to negotiate for intellectual properties: 2 areas
Let us examine two important areas a writer can negotiate on:
Articles
Articles are one sure way people can earn income. But the truth is that in Nigeria, one cannot rely on publishing houses paying for articles.
The majority of them don’t pay. So writing articles with the hope to make money directly from publishers becomes wishful thinking. But one will be curious, if they don’t pay, how come most people still spend their precious time and resources to research and write?
The answer is simply, the writer is negotiating directly with the public. And this is done in two ways. First, it’s a medium for you to sell yourself. It’s an avenue for one to showcase his talents, skills, and capability. It’s an easy way for anybody to get free publicity.
Secondly, you can through your writings sell your services and products to the general public.
Furthermore, the writer can also make it from invitations for seminar presentations and consultations.
Books
Getting publishers to publish your book in Nigeria is not an easy task, especially when you are not a celebrity. And that accounts for why many writers self publish. So when you are your own publisher, you have the bookshops and other marketing agencies to contend with.
But how about when you are ghostwriting? In Nigeria, most books don’t go beyond the first print. So when negotiating for a job in this area, place more emphasis on the launching, it’s a major factor. This is where the real negotiation takes place.
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