Time to ‘fess up – do you collect deposits/fees from every single client every single time on every single project? If so, you don’t write for magazines, do you?
There are times when you just can’t. Magazines pay on acceptance or on publication. If you think you’ll get them to change their payment schedule, good luck. Also, in cases with regular clients who have proven themselves trustworthy, it can be much more cumbersome to try collecting before starting a project/string of projects when the client’s deadline is quite short. I have one client right now who’s given me ten projects in the last two weeks. I’ve worked with them for four years. No way I’m going to continue asking for up-front payment when we’ve established a proper level of trust. There are maybe three clients I’d do this for because they’ve been good to me and I’ve proven myself to them, as well.
How about you? When you take that stance of “Upfront payments before any work is completed” who does that include? How often do you truly enforce that policy?
hi….this is jitendra i dont think that any work can ever be combersome….ok….even it was all about a nice one…
Namaskar, jitendra. Actually, I said it was cumbersome to try collecting an upfront fee when the client is a regular client and has a short deadline.
Work CAN be cumbersome sometimes. Just try writing an insurance law course! LOL
I am a sucker, and frequently back down from my “no deposit, no work” stance. I have one client who I never require a deposit from; he has proven himself to be very trustworthy. He usually pays within an hour of me sending his completed work, and never more than a few hours later. I also don’t do large projects for him; my biggest project for him so far has been $360. If it were $1,000 or $2,000, I would be getting money up front.
Another client of mine has been asking me to do work for his clients. I said ok, but you need to pay me up front, and got a very offended-sounding, “what, you think I won’t pay you?” It’s not that I don’t think HE’LL pay me, but I don’t know his clients and their payment habits. If I do the work and then they don’t pay, then he’s going to end up paying me out of his own pocket, and I don’t want him to get resentful.
Business clients, web clients, newsletters, copy editing, new clients, individuals for coaching, critique, or editing — upfront strictly enforced.
Magazines and other publishers — you know the guidelines going on, you’re expected to bend to them, not the other way around. Like you said, Lori, they won’t change their guidelines to suit you; there are 1000 other qualified writers lined up behind you.
I do sometimes define the payment terms — I recently broke with a publication who “paid on publication” but held my articles for up to two years.
So now I put a time limit on it.
Scripts, plays, some book projects — you can often work out staggered payments depending on projects and timeline — it’s case-by-case, and you have to know the end plan before you know what to ask for upfront.
Devon, great point. I’m in the habit of giving them 6 months to publish. If there’s no word and no promise, I withdraw the article and submit elsewhere. Luckily, that’s only had to happen once. You don’t need to mention the policy – just enforce it if the time comes. They cannot hold on to it indefinitely, and it’s typical industry practice for writers to write and withdraw if the publication takes too long.
Leigh, tough nuts if he resents! It’s up to him as the hiring contractor to ensure payment to you, the subcontractor. His feelings be damned, frankly.
Always 50% upfront payments for new clients, and I’m starting to move toward 100% upfront payments for small projects (under $500). So far I haven’t had any pushback.
For a select few trusted regulars I do monthly payments under a contractual agreement. I’ve never had trouble with it but it did take a little while to build up that level of trust.
Magazines and newspapers are what they are; ditto what Devon said.
I’ve been lucky for the most part in the last 2.5 years except for with two clients. New clients I take 50% up front or 100% up front if it’s a single article or very small order.
I’ve not dabbled with magazines yet but that’s a 2009 goal. But six months? I’m not sure I have the patience. (LOL)
For clients who’ve proven trustworthy I invoice on completion. I work for a few SEO companies and a writing agency that has weekly billing policies which are fine because I’ve worked with them for a long time and never had a problem.
I have been bitten in the past as well so I have a client with up front only due to previously breaching my trust more than once.
They’ve tried to worm their way out of pre-paid orders several times but I know better and am willing to let them go rather than fight to get paid for months on end so they stick around.
Dana