Questions about money 1

WHEN it comes to budgeting I have certain advantages.

• I live in Edinburgh, so don't have to worry about rent (or no more than I do for the rest of the year). 
• As a freelance journalist, I can continue to earn money from other sources, assuming I have the time (see Questions about me and my stamina). 
• And, as I can buy copies of The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide at trade price, I should be able to make some money selling books, in the same way that many Fringe companies make ends meet by selling CDs.

But I am also at a disadvantage in the nature of the show I have in mind. The only person I interviewed in The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide who claimed to make money on the Fringe was Martyn Jacques of the Tiger Lillies, but his band a) sell out, b) charge £15 a ticket and c) have merchandise to sell.

For The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide – Live, I'm not at all certain I can get away with charging any money and if I can, it will have to be a modest amount. I looked at prices for similar shows in Questions about the audience 1.

The advice of the experts in my book is to budget for 30% attendance – a long way from the Tiger Lillies' 100% – and to aim to break even rather than make a profit. Any negotiation I have with venues will have to take this into account.