Jenn, I've been in that situation, too. The posse gets involved in edits, and it's suddenly a different project. Worse, they'll take the advice of friends — hell, in one case, an employee — over the people they're paying good money. Makes no sense. I had a guy who insisted on changing everything I edited right back to the way he wanted it (argued it, too). Then he fired me when some employee said it was poorly edited. Sure, at that point it was. But that wasn't my doing.

I do know the person you speak of, and I agree. I'm a bit concerned the tactics being used have already branded this writer as someone less than serious. It's a shame — there's talent there.

Paula, she's long gone. Different issue, too. But I would dial the number, put the phone on speaker, and keep working. I'd hang up after five minutes. Not once did she remember, nor did she ever apologize. Instead, she fired me and called me unprofessional for not fixing a huge mistake she'd made (didn't clear an article topic with the expert's company) in under two hours (she was looking for me to donate my time, I suspect). The mistake meant ditching the article, interviewing three new people, and writing another article. For $250. HELL no.

An out is all anyone really needs. I've never been one who enjoys holding feet to the flames. It's stupid – someone needs to win, which means someone else needs to lose. And if you win, what exactly do you win?

AMEN, Melanie! So true. It's easier to keep things intact than to patch holes later on.

In my estimation (and with 62 years of life experience under my belt)…

I can predict,with 100% accuracy, reputation management is much easier than damage control.

Friends, family, and colleagues who genuinely give a hoot about you should never hesitate to stick their necks out and lend advice that saves YOUR neck! 🙂

Too bad about that writer who's digging a grave for herself. Probably hard for professionals like you to witness that sort of thing. With the info you've shared here, I say let her ship sink!

I'm a big proponent of letting people save fave by giving them an out, at least the first time they drop the ball. I also tend to be a fairly positive person and keep my message as positive as possible. I'd rather explain the pros of doing things differently than harp on the cons of what they're already doing.

Lori, you have some great tips here. When it comes to clients, I don't hesitate to point out problems. For the most part, clients are receptive. The one time I can remember a client not taking it well was in a similar situation to one you mentioned. They kept running my copy by a group of their friends. It was clear those friends were just making suggestions to feel like they had a hand in it. They didn't know what they were talking about. One change actually introduced errors. And some of the feedback contradicted other feedback he received (and he wanted me to incorporate all of it).

I put my foot down and reminded him about our strategy sessions and the plan we'd agreed to, the fact that he was hiring me as not only a writer but a consultant in this case, and made it clear that if he didn't trust me to do my job (and we'd been working together successfully for a while), I wasn't willing to work with him anymore beyond that project. He got upset. But he still came around and we worked together on several more projects (without his buddies' interference).

When it comes to other writers, what I'll say depends largely on how well I know the person. For example, there's a relatively new writer who's making a terrible name for herself among colleagues — abusing relationships, exploiting more experienced pros begging for free content while she says she's too busy when they ask for anything in return, ripping off branding of a well known experienced freelancer, publishing downright false and dangerous "advice" for other writers, etc. She's a prime candidate for some unsolicited advice.

Now, I know you know who that is because word's been getting around and I know you've been targeted. But this freelancer likely has no idea what a terrible reputation she's building for herself among colleagues (especially the more experienced ones she's trying to ride the coattails of). And I have no intention of telling her unless she comes to me directly again (I turned her down the last time she wanted something because of the completely unprofessional approach she took — nagging for more free content she could monetize just a couple of weeks after I'd already written a guest post for the site).

Like I said about Cathy's client, some people deserve to learn the hard way. She's one of them. On the other hand, if a writer I knew well was doing something that could impact their reputation in a negative way (like you or Cathy), I'd tell you in a heartbeat. Reputation management is a big part of PR, and that allows me to pick up on things you might not realize. And you'd know any advice, solicited or not, was coming from a good place (just as I'd know the same if the advice was coming from you). Ultimately it's about relationships and trust.

I shared links to reputable sites regarding copyright practices but (like I said), the client chose to ignore it. They were sure I was wrong (and apparently the copyright experts) and they were right.

I tried. 😉