Freelance Writing Projects: Warnings Signs (& fixes)

A writer friend called me the other day about a project a contact had proposed. As I listened to my friend’s overview of the project, I got the same gut response she did —

This project is, and always will be, a nonstarter.

Not everything we writers deem to be a lousy business idea is a deal killer necessarily. We could be wrong. I remember someone at a trade show introducing me to this weird keyboard thing that I thought at the time was the next great business failure. It was a Blackberry.

Like I said, we can be wrong.

In this case, I’m not, but that doesn’t really matter. The project was presented along these lines (details altered  to hide identities):

The client, a couple, have created a course for newly graduated students. They have written 10 modules, which will teach these graduates how to get a good job. They are charging $200 per module. The courses are intended to be taken together for full benefit. The couple have a combined background of 8 years of work experience. They want to work for themselves now, hence the course. They need someone to help them edit.

[bctt tweet=”Some #freelancewriting projects are doomed from the start. Here’s how to know (and fix).” username=”LoriWidmer”]

There were warning signs that this was a project — and a client — I wanted no part of. Neither did my writer friend. The red flags included:

• Selling information for a pretty high price — and info that is free and abundant on the internet
• Targeting an audience that had little discretionary money to start with
• Selling info that neither of the collaborators had any background or experience in
• Working with a couple, who are the clients
• Coming in at the tail end of the project

Each of those red flags, in my opinion, is a deal breaker. Here’s why:

Selling what’s free.

Who wants to pay top dollar for something a Google search can return for free? No one, that’s who. I remember an individual not long ago starting a subscription site that, by all accounts of those who’d plunked down money, turned out to be “courses” made from old blog posts and pilfered info, e-books with readily available information, and various “benefits” that were no more than regurgitated info that a simple search would have uncovered.

That’s what this couple may have been proposing.

The fix: In a world in which Starbucks charges 3 times more than McDonald’s for coffee, this can be managed. This is when your writerly expertise is going to serve your clients. Some ideas include getting actual experts to contribute their insights, if not chapters, into this course. Or have a rethink of what the main product is, such as a book instead of a course, and what supporting products can be wrapped around the main product in order to give more value. And of course, having the client answer why the buyer should care.

Targeting the wrong audience with the wrong idea.

While the idea was not to sell to newly minted graduates, it was pretty close in nature. It’s a young audience, and an audience that most likely wouldn’t have time, extra cash, or inclination to pay for something like that. Who is this really benefitting?

The fix: Rethink the audience, tweak the topic. Using the example of new job seekers, perhaps try targeting people at mid-career level and helping them get promotions, or learn how to avoid job redundancy. Also, rethink the end result. Is it simply to work for yourself, or is it to offer actual value to someone else? If it’s the latter, then find a way to make that idea more user-friendly. If it’s the former, you’ll fail at the outset.

Selling info without street cred.

Right now, there are at least 10 actual experts giving away what this couple wants to charge money for. Real experts — people who do this stuff for a living. People with degrees in the topic area. It matters because your intended buyer must trust what you’re saying. I know one writer who put up a website and begged free info off other writers (who were actually experienced), making her reputation off the backs of those who put in the time and energy. (It ended when she tried getting the same writers to contribute content for free — for a book she was selling.)

Just because you think the idea is great doesn’t mean you’re the one to run with it.

The fix: Help that client build street cred. Find ways to work with them so that they become the experts on those topics. Contributed articles, an active blog, interviews with experts in the field that appear on the blog (rubbing shoulders with industry experts can lend its own credibility). In other words, you can help your clients invest in their own idea by showing them where their investment is best placed.

Working with a couple.

This is not necessarily a deal-breaker. I’ve worked with great spouse teams with much success. They’re the people who take their businesses seriously because it’s like another child to them. But there are warning signs you need to be aware of, and the biggest one is this:

The “yes” person. And the “no” person.

The “yes” person is the client who gives you a big thumb’s up on your first draft without checking with the actual client, who hates everything you did. This particular client couple had a “yes” person who loved ideas, but deferred to the “no” person who shot down every single one. That “no” person wouldn’t hear suggestions. She wanted what she wanted. And since he has to live with her, the “yes” person isn’t going to defer to the writer.

Why this really matters: You cannot be your client’s partner if they refuse to at least listen when you use your expertise to advise them. In this case, there was no telling them that as an idea, this one isn’t viable or differentiating in any way that would justify the price and the effort.

The fix: There isn’t one. Seriously. If you cannot get anyone to hear you at the outset, and if there is a dominant voice standing in the way of reason, walk away now. However, if there’s a couple in front of you who want the best for their customers, you can work with that. Make sure to assure them that the “no” person is where you expect final approval. Sometimes, that person just wants to know they are in control of the situation.

Coming in at the end.

Yes, sometimes we writers are clean-up hitters. We pick up where teams get stuck or other writers drop out. However, with a new client in particular, coming in as an editor means you’ve just signed on to be:

• Editor
• Writer
• Proofreader
• Fact checker

That last point — I’m not saying they plagiarized, but I see two people, neither of whom have the background to impart the knowledge they’re selling, and I’m wondering where that information is coming from. Does the client understand copyright laws? Fair use? Have they attributed every source? Did they miss one or two? That stuff matters, especially if you’re the one expected to clean it all up.

The fix: Manage expectations. Explain all of the above. You have to verify every sentence, which takes time and costs money. You need sources and links and if they can’t back up every fact or statement, you have to rewrite it with appropriate attribution. Explain it from a financial perspective: Every missing attribution, every lifted phrase or paragraph could cost them. And will cost them, because that shit can’t be hidden, nor should it be.

All of these points can be worked with except one: working with people who won’t listen. For example, my writer friend and I both thought that yes, they could approach it by turning the course into a book, then having a website that both promotes the book content and serves as a paid resource where readers can get even more info, share stories with fellow readers, and possibly access expert advice. However, this client revealed the difficult times ahead with this one-sentence response: No one reads books anymore. But they pay for overpriced, unnecessary courses?

Writers, have you been presented with impossible, sketchy, or slimy projects?
Have you had to give clients a reality check? How did it work out?