The good news – payment arrived from the client of two posts ago. The bad news – it’s partial payment that includes just the first invoice I sent. The remainder is still AWOL. I suspect I’ll get it in two weeks per the agreement. In other news, I’m sick of the project. Why? Because I…
Discounts R Not Us
It’s strange – there are actually clients out there who believe that their actions, or lack thereof, have a direct bearing on what you’re to be paid. For a better explanation, go over to the Irreverent Freelancer blog and read her experience. I’m quoting Kathy a lot these days because her experiences are learning ones…
Clients and Other Animals
With a nod to Gerald Durrell Yesterday’s payment issue has yet to resolve itself. Funny how much time clients will attempt to buy with questions and proclamations of “I’ll check into it and get back to you.” What should have been an instant “Ooops. Yes, we’ll take care of it” is starting to stretch into…
Oh Nooo, Mister Bill!
You do the job, you send the invoice and … nothing happens. You contact the client again. Some excuse or reason is given, or you resend what apparently hasn’t arrived and …. again, nada. It’s a song-and-dance you’re forced to shuffle along to, and you don’t like it one bit. I’m tapping out this particular…
When to Say When
For every writer who’s proclaimed “Writing is my life!” there are slews of overworked writers aiming a finger of their choice at them. Over on Tess Gerritsen’s blog there’s a discussion about writers who are pushed by publishing houses to crank out more and more work in less and less time. The discussion revolves around…
The Cycle of Madness
Recently, a writer friend and I were talking about the cyclical nature of our business. We may be in the pink today and in the soup tomorrow, for projects come and go like buses and men who are no good for us. She and I were discussing the times we nearly tossed it in. Yet…
Spotting Stupidity
Fantastic post of the week – Jennifer over at Catalyst Blogger has a great post showing you the free offers out there and why you shouldn’t take them. Read this. It’s all you’ll need to know when cruising the job boards. Thanks, Jennifer!
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?…
Second Skin
A little off-topic today: Did you see the story about the Abercrombie and Fitch store in Virginia Beach being cited for violating the town’s obscenity laws? It’s here. Seems the posters showed a bit too much skin for some passersby, and the police agreed. A&F has a tainted history of showing us more than we…
Recession Proof
Fellow writer and consummate blogger Devon Ellington posted about the need for writers to buck up in their expectations of what they should earn. As she put it, “Yes, we ARE in a recession. Sometimes you need to take a job you don’t really want to make some quick cash. But don’t settle. Always strive…