“What are you sayin’ to the clients?” I asked as I smoothed out a rough line on a partially destroyed building that I was drawing with my thumb, creating a smoky effect.
“A pretty standard but formal response,” he asked, not looking away from the monitors before him. “Not acceptin’ the offer to work with them, but not turnin’ it down either. I’m askin’ for more information on what you will be designin’, whether it’s a book cover, an illustration, or a piece of art to hang up in a sittin’ room, stuff like that. Oh, and dates they would like work to begin and to be completed so we can check if they’re available.” Morgan glanced over my shoulder. “Ye’know what? I’m gonna create a form askin’ for all of that information, and more, then update your contact tab on your website. Everyone will have to fill the form out and email it to you to receive a response.”
I raised my brows. “Where have you been all me life?”
Morgan laughed, then turned back to the monitor.
“I’m linkin’ your calendar and email up with me phone, that way I can work on the go to make sure I don’t come in to work and be swamped for the few hours I’m ’ere.”
I paused. “I don’t want you workin’ outside hours, though. That’s not fair since I’m payin’ you just for our agreed weekly hours.”
“Alannah.” Morgan snorted, looking over his shoulder at me. “I’m checkin’ emails; you’re hardly gonna be overworkin’ me.”
I made a face, but he grinned and turned back to the computer. He went on to change my entire website around, renaming it, and updating my social media accounts to reflect the changes, too.
“Your price list needs a revamp.”
“Too expensive?”
Morgan laughed. “More like inexpensive.”
I blinked.
“An example is your author design corner. You charge a hundred for a paperback book cover and sixty-five for an ebook cover.”
“Yeah—”I frowned—“but right now, only indie authors come to me, and they don’t have a whole lot of money.”
“I respect that,” Morgan said, “I do, but you aren’t puttin’ a cover together with stock photos and sendin’ it on to them. You draw it, and unless your clients specify otherwise, your work looks lifelike, like someone took a picture. You need to charge for the quality of work you provide.”
I hesitated. “I mean, if you think I should …”
“I do.”
“Okay.” I swallowed. “Change the prices to whatever you think, but don’t make them insanely expensive.”
Morgan nodded, then returned to work. We spoke back and forth every so often over the next three hours, him asking questions, and me answering them before asking him a question of my own. It was an interesting way for me to sketch. Normally, no one was around when I drew unless I was sketching on my travel pad, but I was pleased to find I could get lost in my craft and still hold a conversation with someone should I choose to do so.
By the time one o’clock rolled around, I had the dystopian ruined city in the background of the cover drawn with minor detail added, and the characters in the foreground outlined. I rolled my neck onto my shoulders, and when my bones cracked, I knew I was done for the day. I put my things away, then moved over behind Morgan to see what he was doing. When I saw how he had changed my entire system and organised everything, I was more than impressed.
“Okay,” he said when he felt my presence behind him. “I’ve colour tagged categories. All pendin’ projects are tagged blue, yellow is for projects you’ll be acceptin’, red is for projects you’re declinin’, green is for projects completed, and orange is for works in progress.”
I smiled. “Brilliant.”
“Also,” Morgan added, “I’ve changed your policy. Once you get an outline drawn and have submitted the mock image to the client for approval, changes can only be made to a sketch once before you scan it and get to work with your online designin’. Additional changes after they’ve approved the mock will be fifty Euros per edit since you’d have to erase and physically re-draw in the changes.”
I nodded. “Sounds good.”
“And,” he continued, “I’ve also amended your policy that payment for a project must be paid in full upfront. There will be no deposits or holdin’ fees of any kind. It’d be a nightmare tryin’ to get money from people after you’ve already committed to their project and spent time creatin’ it.”
“I wanted to originally do that, but a lot of people preferred the deposit first.”
“Well, if they really want your work, they’ll adhere to the new policy and have no problem.”
I nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.”
We spent another hour deciding which projects I would be accepting, and which ones I would be declining. I hated declining anyone who liked my work enough to email me, but some of the requests were so out there, I had no idea if I could create what they were asking for. By the time we were finished, Morgan had created formal email responses with an invoice attached. Each client was informed that until the invoice was paid, work would not commence, and their spot on my calendar was in jeopardy until the balance was settled.