Chapter 30 #2
“Would it also be possible to get some Christmas-themed designs for merchandise?” Koa questioned.
“I’d like to drop some new items — ornaments, stockings, and Christmas sweaters — during Black Friday and sell them for a limited time.
I’ll probably need some for Valentine’s Day too.
With my little cousin graduating and the part-time person I’m hoping to hire, I’ll have someone who can run the storefront without putting extra work on myself and taking away from my animations.
So I can sell year-round and do special edition drops now. ”
Eri nodded. “I can tweak any of these to make them festive, but still keep in alignment with your everyday merchandise, or I can do something completely new. Maybe something of one of the characters from the animation, if you do one for specific occasions.”
“I like that idea. We can tweak, say, two general designs to fit the premise of the limited release, and then have one that’s only available for that duration.”
Eri nodded as she made a note of it.
“Would it be possible for us to sign a two-year contract?”
Her pen stopped mid-stroke as she looked at Koa. “I’m sorry?”
“For designs. I’m going to do at least two limited drops this year, and probably three to four next year.
I’d love for all the designs to have the same cohesiveness.
So it only makes sense that we continue working together.
On top of that, I really love what you’ve created so far, and I want to keep working together if you’re up for it. ”
Eri bit her tongue to keep from squealing at the prospect. “Yes, we can do that. I can draw one up for us to sign. I’ll do it this evening and email it to you with the clean version of the designs.”
“Clean version?” Koa asked, tilting her head in curiosity.
“Without the watermark at the bottom of each design.”
“Nah, leave it. It fits fine, and that way, when someone sees any of it, they know who to contact if they want something created for them. I’ll also list your social handles or email in the description on the website once it’s up and running.”
Eri paused for a moment. At the bottom of each design, where it overlapped slightly but didn’t take away from the work, she’d tagged it created by Eri H.
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. Be sure to send over a revised agreement for this batch of work since I contracted you for three, but I’m getting eight.”
“Don’t worry about it. Think of it as my gratitude for the continued business.”
“That’s sweet,” Koa started. “But I won’t do that.
You put the work in, they came out amazing, and I’m going to compensate you for them.
You’re also undervaluing yourself. For my first merch drop, I only got two designs.
His work wasn’t as good or concise as yours, and he charged me almost four times what you charge.
I didn’t realize at first that the deposit I paid was half the total cost. I thought it was a quarter of it until I went back and read the agreement. ”
“I’m just starting out, so I priced it based on entry-level salary.”
“I get that, and I would agree if this were entry-level work, or if you were working for a big company and not freelancing. Don’t underestimate yourself. People who want quality will pay for it,” Koa pointed out. “It was a lesson I had to learn myself.”
Eri thought about it for a moment before nodding. “You’re right, but I wouldn’t feel right changing the pricing we’ve already agreed on.”
“Okay, then don’t change the pricing for these. Charge me for the extra ones, and what I’ll do is pay you fifteen percent of whatever profits are made on the limited drop in October. In the new contract, price at what you’re worth and add in the fifteen percent bit for all limited drops.”
“What? No, you don’t—”
“It’s only fair,” Koa cut her off. “I can be indecisive sometimes, and I know myself well enough to know there will be times where I decide I want to do a limited drop or a special edition something or other a week before it happens. Paying you a commission on the products only seems fair for the stress it’ll put you through, especially if you have other clients too. ”
Eri thought about it for a moment. It was a great opportunity.
Not only would her name be on every piece of merchandise as the design creator, but it would be on the website, and she would make a passive fifteen percent income a few times a year, which was an added bonus.
Koa’s channel had over four hundred million subscribers.
Those were people Eri wouldn’t have been able to reach otherwise.
“Okay. I’ll get the agreement revised and the contract together.”
“Perfect. Send those over to me when they’re done. I’ll sign and send the rest of the payment, and then you can send me the designs.”
Eri nodded. “When are you launching your merch store?”
“The new season of Love, Honey starts posting in the second week of August, and I want to place advertisements at the end for them to shop.”
“That’s less than six weeks,” Eri pointed out.
Koa laughed, likely catching her skeptical tone. “Don’t worry. I’ve already chosen the company to produce everything for me, and once I send them the designs, I can get a couple of hundred of each item within a few weeks. But that just shows you how last minute I can be.”
“Alright, then I’ll get them over to you tonight. That way, you can have the designs as soon as possible, and I’ll start on Christmas designs next week.”
“Thanks, Eri.”
“No problem.”
They stayed long enough to finish the drinks they ordered before going their separate ways. Eri was so giddy about the outcome of the meeting that she couldn’t wait to tell her dad, Elias, and Avian.