Defining the Relationship

Heard from a writer friend recently about a client who hired him to do one thing, yet proceeded to expect quite another. He was hired to do editing on the client’s manuals, yet now the client is expecting full rewrites (on a project he had no hand in from the start). A bit brazen, no?

Perhaps it’s time we writers started using standard forms defining our services. I’ve recently adopted a “What to expect from our relationship” sheet so that clients can see exactly what they’re getting (and frankly, what they’re not getting). Maybe this should include a brief description of these terms – writing, editing, ghostwriting, proofreading. I don’t know about you, but it’s not uncommon that a client doesn’t quite get what the distinctions are, or even that there are distinctions.

My friend had to go back to his client and explain that he based his original fee on editing, and that revisions and rewrites would require a recalculation of his fee, or a separate agreement altogether (the wiser choice, I think). He’s in the process of straightening out his client, and I think he did a nice job in that he preserved the relationship and preserved his own sanity at the same time.

Having been in that position a few times, I applaud him. Too often we just take it because hey, it’s a job. The defining moment in a writer’s career is when he or she can go back to the client and tactfully enforce business boundaries.