Michael W. Dean Media Consultant So, after decades of doling out free advice to anyone who asks, I’m hanging up a shingle and starting to charge. I have to do this, I don’t have time to answer all the “help me with my project!” e-mails and still have a life and still make a living.

I've made a living making art for over 20 years. And as you probably know, I also have a really good knack for telling other people how to make a living at art, telling people what will make an incomplete project work, and how to guide their careers and lives. (Bio here. Longer CV here.)

I recieve about 75 actionable work e-mails in the course of my day. (I get a few spam too, but I'm not counting those here.) In addition, I get over 50 e-mails a day from readers of my books, viewers of my films, listeners of my bands and podcasts, etc.

I have spent years answering e-mailed questions ranging from "Why won't my printer print?" and "How do I get my digital camera to work?" to "I have this killer business plan, I'd like you to read my 30-page proposal and give me all the advice you can" to "I want to send you a rough cut of my feature-length movie and have you tell me what I should change in the final cut."

I usually spend a good bit of time answering these questions, and really give it my all. Unfortunately, it's become so time-intensive that it's cutting into my ability to make a living, and my ability to have a life. So I've decided to start charging for consulting. My experience and knowledge is worth it, it will be win / win for both of us.

My fees are reasonable, sliding scale based on ability to pay, and also based on the complexity of the question(s). I start at ten dollars for short e-mail advice, and go up from there. Hourly rate is 60 bucks. If we talk via Skype, it's a flat fee of 50 bucks per half-hour. If you want me to read or watch something feature length and give detalied feedback (for instance, watching a rough cut of a movie and giving editing / music / overall production suggestions, or reading a script or a book draft and giving feedback), we can talk.

I'll still answer one simple question free (as long as it's not already answered in one of my books), but it may take me a few weeks or a month to get around to it. But If you have something that requires a bit of time or thought, and/or you need a quick reply, I'll look at the question, and give you a quote about what I'd charge to promptly give you some quality feedback.

Fees are payable in advance but e-mail me first and see if I have time to help you at the present.

I prefer PayPal (button below). but if you don't have PayPal, you can pay by check or money order by mail. (If it's by check, the check has to clear before I can work on the issue.)

I look forward to helping you.

Respectfully,
Michael W. Dean. e-mail

Pay via PayPal or credit card:

TERMS:

--You must be of legal age (or have the permission of your parent or guardian) to utilize this service.

--E-mail consulting sessions are for your own use and cannot be disseminated to the public. It's OK to record our Skype conversations for your own reference, if you tell me you're recording me. It is not OK to disseminate the recording to the public.

--I am not a lawyer or tax consultant, and nothing I say is to be construed as legal or tax advice.

--While my track record has shown my advice to be valuable to many people, and I will help you as best I can, you accept advice under your own risk. I assume no responsibility for any actions taken on my advice. And no guarantees are made as to the results from taking my advice.