Does being a starving graphic artist suck?
Published on Tuesday, October 6, 2009 – 3:35 pm | 44 brilliant comments »
Does being a starving artist suck? Even if you are not starving, you should get yourself familiar with the books & resources of Jeremy Tuber, a designer & author based in Arizona, USA.
Jeremy and myself have been in contact via email & twitter in a very on and off fashion, though over the conversations we have had, I’ve found Jeremy’s pragmatic & practical knowledge in business to be quite profound and this is clearly shown throughout his books & resources.
About four months ago, Jeremy kindly sent me two of his books (Verbal Kung Fu For Freelancers and Being A Starving Graphic Artist Sucks) and over these last four months have found them very handy - below are two short reviews of these two books.
Verbal Kung Fu For Freelancers
Although I am not overly fussed by the design of the book itself, the information inside is invaluable and I have referred to it many a time. This book tells you how to talk and deal with your clients needs, but done in a very to the point way. It’s basically a ‘questions and answers’ book.
For example, pretend you have a client asking you to lower the price of your original quote. How would you respond? If you refer to the pricing section of the Verbal Kung Fu book, it would tell you exactly what to write and in some cases, it gives you two options to choose from.
Verbal Kung Fu For Freelancers is essentially about “how to talk to clients” and if you’re like me and the vast majority of your communication is done via email, you have all the time in the world to refer to this book to find out how to appropriately & effectively deal with your clients needs, without jeopardising your income or dignity.
I haven’t come across a book like this before and I highly recommend it. Its 166 pages are well categorised for easy referencing and is a ‘keep in your top draw’ kind of book. You also read what Steve from LogoFactory had to say about Jeremy’s books.
Being A Starving Graphic Artist Sucks
Being A Starving Graphic Artist Sucks (500 pages) is the second book I received and is much larger than the Verbal Kung Fu book. It’s a “complete resource” on how to be a successful freelancer.
It deals with such things as how to find clients & how to run your design business including thorough expert advice in areas that designers struggle in: pricing, marketing, negotiations, customer service and sales.
Although I didn’t read this book from front to back (I’ve already read similar books) it is clear that Jeremy knows how to run a design business and is certainly a book worth checking out. It really is a “complete resource”.
Discounts & Freebies
Readers of this blog can get 25% off any of Jeremy’s digital products OR get a free ebook when you purchase a printed book from Amazon.
You can click through to view all products & discounts.
Jeremy also offers free email support to any and all questions that you may have! How many authors offer that?
Free Giveaway
Update: 13/10/09 - Competition Closed
Congratulations to Jaz who will be receiving the prize pack below. Thank you to everyone else who entered - there are many questions here that will provide good ideas for posts in the future.
Jeremy has also been kind enough to donate a grand prize to one lucky winner. This will include the digital copies of:
- Being A Starving Graphic Artist Sucks
- Verbal Kung Fu For Freelancers
- Work Smarter, NOT Harder: Contracts & More
To win: simply let us know what area you find most troublesome when freelancing and a question you would like answered relating to that area. The winner will be announced in this post on Tuesday 13th October.
Good luck!
More book recommendations:
44 comments thus far »
20% Off Unlimited Freelancer eBook
Published on Tuesday, February 17, 2009 – 2:47 pm | 1 lonely comment »
A few weeks back I let you guys know about an eBook that I was eagerly awaiting, that book was called the Unlimited Freelancer and soon after that I wrote a review of the book and got comments from the community about what they thought.
Well since then, due to it’s popularity and great feedback, the book has become a sponsor for Just Creative Design and now available to JCD readers only, you can get 20% off the book.
Click here to check out the book and use the code “JCDReaders” to claim your 20% discount. The discount is only avaialble to the first 30 buyers so Godspeed.
1 lonely comment thus far »
Becoming A Successful Freelancer: The Unlimited Freelancer eBook Review
Published on Thursday, January 15, 2009 – 1:05 am | 20 brilliant comments »
Last week I wrote up a small post letting you know about a new eBook release I was eagerly awaiting… that book was the The Unlimited Freelancer written by Mason Hipp and James Chartrand.
Well, I have been lucky enough to get an advance copy to review on here for you guys so listen in if you wanna know how to become a successful freelancer / designer.
Overview
The book starts off with a short question to see if you are the right person for their book…
Would you like a life that lets you grow, enjoy more free time, do what you love every day, make more money, and build a valuable business?
If you said yes, then this book is for you.
Well, that pretty much got me sucked in - who wouldn’t want that? And if you already do have some of that, why wouldn’t you want more?
But in saying this, I am also pretty sceptical of eBooks, they all claim to be the answer to end all answers, but as I have been following Mason & James’ blogs for a while, I knew that I wouldn’t be disappointed.
Mason & James write in their usual crisp and polished style that I have come to expect on their blogs. The 200 page book is easy to understand, to the point and genuinely helpful with many practical tips. You can read the full list of topics on their sales page (which is also quite short and to the point).
I would, however, have to say that the book is probably geared a bit more towards freelancers who have had some experience in their trade, and with some knowledge of business. Another criticism would be that it doesn’t provide enough visual examples… the book is rather text heavy which I suppose works for some, but personally I prefer visuals.
But other than that, I would have to congratulate Mason and James on this truly resourceful book… If you’re a freelancer of any sort - (designer, journalist, blogger, etc) then this is a book worth checking out.
*Affiliate
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