Tuesday Take: Writers With Borders

It happened again.

Another would-be client restated the parameters of what would have been our working relationship. Not a little restatement, either. It was more of a major WTF involving the actual definition of freelance. 

What would have been a decent gig was suddenly a no-go from my perspective.

It’s also not an uncommon occurrence, either. I’ve had it happen a few times, and luckily, I was ready for it.

Ready with a contract.

Also, I was ready with a No when it was too ridiculous to warrant even bringing up a contract.

To be fair, not all clients who sneak in different parameters are doing it to be cagey. Sometimes they think X and their employer reminds them it’s Y. Or the project is new and they’re still thinking out loud when they talk to you.

This kind of conversation, in my opinion, is one of the more dangerous scenarios for us freelancers. It’s the time when we stand the most risk of getting burned out of sheer confusion and misunderstanding.

So what happened when I was once again facing the shifting needs of a would-be client? The same thing I hope you’ll do when you’re in this situation. And you will be. It’s inevitable that a would-be client will reach out before they’re ready or reach out with the intent of hooking you, then moving the target.

But you can do quite a bit to stop the madness without ruining any potential relationship:

Suspend your excitement. How did I know you were excited about this offer? Because that would-be client is excellent at wrapping a questionable offer in an appealing package. Big-name client, steady pay, cool perks are just part of the shell game. Strip all that away and look at the offer. Would you take it without all that? If not, walk away.

Push back. No one will stand up for your freelance writing business but you. If it sounds wrong or your gut is telling you something is amiss, step back. Examine the situation, talk it over with your writing community, and let the client know what doesn’t work for you. For example, if your client wants you to be present at your desk four days a week for eight hours a day, you’re no longer freelance. Are you okay with that? Are you okay with working under arrangements that don’t include the perks an employee would get? I’m not, so my answer would be hell no. That client (sorry — employer) is trying to get away with employing freelancers and keeping them just under full-time hours so as not to pay benefits.

Restate terms in email. Amen for email — a written account of what you heard and what you’re agreeing to is so much easier than trying to explain it over the phone. Besides, phones don’t give you verifiable proof should you need it. Emails do. I typically send an email saying “Here’s what I understand to be your needs and the project terms…” And even if they insist, don’t move forward until that client confirms the terms in email. If that doesn’t happen or they insist on a phone confirmation….

Insist on a contract. There are few absolutes in freelance writing, in my opinion. But one absolute is this: never work without a contract that you fully understand and in which your terms are clearly stated. And never sign one unless it states exactly what your potential client is telling you. Don’t trust anyone’s word, for without written proof, it was never said.

Say no cordially and move on. I turned down the offer because the parameters just weren’t for me. Likewise, I’ve turned down a few offers of “collaboration” in the past that would have amounted to nothing more than me adding one more editor to the mix and compromising my ethics. I didn’t have to shout at them and tell them they were insane for thinking I would work for them and not be paid by them. I simply said “Thank you, but I’m going to have to decline” and moved on. Not worth any more energy than that.

Writers, how do you restate your boundaries when a client changes things midstream?