I should’ve known when the computer had to be rebooted what I was in for. Then the note from the client – more revisions on something I’ve revised to death. Then the daughter at college with her hand out for money. Oh, then trying to help my spouse understand my stance on clients introducing posses into the editorial process. Add a doctor’s appointment, sinus infection, and prescription run (and my prescription card was expired, so we accept cash, thankyouverymuch) and it went from lousy to should’ve-stayed-in-bed very quickly.
My current third-party review/posse rule: I have a no-posse stance I strictly enforce. I’m happy to work with clients and any third party they designate at the beginning of our working relationship. I will not, however, entertain input from someone (or multiple someones) once the project terms have been discussed and the project is underway. My reasons are many and, in my opinion, are good reasons.
Let’s suppose you are being paid by your Uncle Ned to paint his house. After multiple trips to Home Depot with you in tow, Uncle Ned has finally decided on the color. You pick up supplies and you arrange with Ned to get the job done. After taping and preparing, you start painting.
As you finish the third side of the house and are up on the ladder starting the fourth side, you notice a neighbor of Ned’s standing on the sidewalk. You go about your business, but soon the neighbor is shouting, trying to get your attention. Soon you realize he’s not saying hello – he’s giving you advice. You’re holding the roller wrong! You’re using the wrong kind of roller! And that ladder – what are you thinking?! For the most part you ignore him because he’s down there and you’re up here doing what Ned wants you to do. But soon Ned comes out to find out what the commotion is. The neighbor pulls Ned aside and soon the two of them are deep in discussion, staring right at you. And pointing. Ned signals for you to come down.
With the neighbor interjecting with every other sentence, Ned tells you that the job you’re doing, according to Bernie here, is sub-par. Bernie thinks your roller size is much too small. And the nap? Too thin – not enough paint going on the walls. Let’s not mention that you have no clue how to hold it! And you’re using a generic ladder when everyone knows Craftsman is the ONLY ladder for painting jobs! Mind you, the color is okay, though Bernie thinks it’s going to look too harsh once the trim is finished. Not to mention he’s never been a fan of Home Depot paint. Uncle Ned looks worried. Did we choose the wrong color? Are you sure you can get this job done right? Now you’re no longer working for Ned – you’re working to please Bernie, who has never really liked Ned’s taste in paint, and who has never really painted anything other than a piece of trim for his bathroom. So Ned sends you back to Home Depot for the supplies Bernie has indicated, and he takes Bernie off to shop for paint with him, bringing back another color completely different than the one you first put on.
Up the ladder you go again (the Craftsman ladder this time – you stopped at Sears, too). Halfway around, Ned’s other neighbor John comes over. Hey, are you sure that’s not the ladder that’s been recalled for safety issues? And what was Ned thinking with that color? By the way, your roller is a bit thick. Oh, and if it were John, he’d be using brushes on that surface. Again, Ned comes out. Again, he listens to his neighbor. Again, you’re at Home Depot buying supplies and at Sears returning a ladder. John just finished painting his dog’s house, so he has a bit more experience than Bernie, and Ned, who has never been great at making decisions, changes his mind to impress John. John has a boat Ned wants to borrow.
You present Ned with a bill, only now it’s higher thanks to all the changes you’ve had to make and the extra supplies you’ve had to buy. Ned refuses to pay – you obviously don’t know the first thing about painting, according to Bernie and John, and Ned only budgeted for the original amount. Sorry, but you get nothing more. In fact, Ned’s not so sure he should pay you anything since these guys seem to know more than you do.
Posses in the writing and editing process are exactly like that. You don’t know the person making the suggestions and you have no idea what their skill levels are, let alone why your client is so eager to take their advice. And since these people aren’t coughing up any money, they have no qualms about wasting your time and your client’s time chasing their ideas. My experience shows that 98 percent of people who are asked to read something and tell you what they don’t like come back with changes to show their pseudo-expertise or to mark their territory somehow. I rarely take the advice of such “experts” seriously.
Not only that, now you’re working for someone you don’t know. You have to match the voice, taste, and desires of a person who wants a completely different product than your original client. You cannot please multiple people with multiple visions and directions on the same project at the same time. You just can’t.
I don’t enjoy being told how to run my business by someone who isn’t in the same field any more than a mechanic would enjoy me being under the car telling him to check the tie rod or the rocker arm because I think the noise in someone else’s car is completely unrelated to what he thinks it is. Clients cannot expect you to respond to a third party critique without it costing them extra. Frankly, even then I won’t do it. Too often I’ve seen client messages watered down and lost amid waves of friendly advice and editorial. You have to stay true to your client’s goal, even if they won’t. It’s a no-win situation. You end up out of the picture and the posse takes over. If a posse enters your client’s project unannounced, make sure you have a clause in the contract that voids it at any change in the process, including a new person on that project.
Have you ever worked with a third party after a project has begun and done so successfully?
Too many chefs def spoil the gumbo! I hope I’m not getting into that same situation (lots o’ voices and input) with a writing job now.
Their wife doesn’t like it. They ran it by their nephew, who minored in marketing 10 years ago. Well, fer cryin’ out loud, then, why didn’t they have their wife or nephew write it in the first place? I never thought to put a clause in my contracts about this, but it’s a great idea. Lori, would you be willing to share the language you use in your contract?
Aw, I’m sorry your had a bad day! Touch wood, I haven’t had to deal with anyone other than editors and PR people directly. But Dave, who has a theatre company and often directs, get this from people whose wives/mothers/mailman have seen a show, and they always have lots of “input” for him. I love how just anyone off the street can turn into a professional artist so quickly.
Happy to, Eileen. Drop me a note. :))
Hang tough, Lori. Sounds as if your day is like the one I had a couple of weeks ago. Some days, you just want to shout WTF and go back to bed. Unfortunately, most of us probably can’t do that since time is money. We just muddle through, hoping for a merciless end to the 24 hour torture session.
Hey, thanks for the link love! I’ll be sending some hugs your way too.
Thank God for bedtime, eh Joan? :))
My first posse encounter ended in similar fashion, Amie – we were both poised with attorneys. The second one ended amicably when the client brought in friends, but understood that I couldn’t do the job for him and for them. We parted ways, he paid me, and we’re still in occasional contact. The third and final time – I severed it completely. I had to. The client had promised no outside party, then boldly sent this other person’s suggestions to me as if nothing was ever discussed to the contrary. I still adore this client, but I can’t work with her any longer.
Lori, if you want t avoid the third party situation, how do you effectively work that into an agreement? I need to know because I’m quickly getting fed up with a certain situation.
Who knows where to download XRumer 5.0 Palladium?
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