Words on the Page

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Job Listings – June 12, 2007Two Really Good Years It’s been a really good two years. The best, in fact. Today is the anniversary of the day I was smart enough to marry the man whose car is parked in the other garage bay. 🙂 It’s been ten years since we first met (last week…

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Ask and You Shall ReceiveIn a recent conversation with a writer friend, he was a bit taken aback by the contract terms sent to him by his latest client, which we’ll call Big Name Publication. He spelled out a few, which had to do with kill fees and reprint rights. He was concerned and didn’t…

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Your Financial Picture Terrific blog post by Kristen King – it’s a must-read for every freelancer. Inkthinker: What Is Your Freelance Financial Picture?

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Job Listings – June 4, 2007When the Customer is WrongI had a conversation with a writer friend this past week regarding one of her current clients. Her “editor” had made some friendly criticisms of her work – and from this chair, incorrect criticisms. That was disconcerting enough, but when he took her well-crafted sentences and…

I’m Pretty Sure I’m Right This Time

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In a really strange conversation with an interview subject yesterday, the man I was talking to was dead wrong and I could prove it. But I chose not to. His pronunciation of my last name was waaaaay off the spelling of it, and when I corrected him, he said, “No, it says right here in…

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Job Listings – May 29, 2007Newbies – One Key to Financial SuccessI’m busy – maybe as busy as I was last year at this time. But last year, as some of you may remember, was the year Lori nearly took (gasp!)a “real” job. Why? Because as busy as I was, I was busy on big,…

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Playing Emotional Hardball Expanding on this week’s theme – difficulties with bad clients – I think it’s time we touched on what I think is the toughest speed bump to ignore – emotional hardball. That’s when you, the professional writer, follow your invoicing procedure up to and possibly including the threat of litigation only to…

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Did I Just Step in Something? I love creative people, except when they think they’re being creative when in fact they’re being skanks. Just experienced an incident with one particular creative who owes me money. In fact, the check’s been absent since somewhere around January. I sent yet another invoice, this time with a late…

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Job Listings – May 22, 2007Writer Bill of RightsI’m very glad to see this week’s topic has generated so many responses! I’m somewhat sad to see that I was getting lots of agreement – that we’ve all been victims of Clients Behaving Badly. For the most part, we have great relationships with our clients (I…

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Client Gaffes and No-Nos I’ve preached plenty about what we as writers should or should not do. Professional etiquette must be followed even in the face of the most wretched humans to hit your in box. For the most part, we writers listen and respond well. However, not all clients understand proper etiquette when dealing…

Mike Sieber

As always, a great post Lori. I especially like #3 because I’m dealing with a client now who has “put the check in the mail” 3 times and it still hasn’t made it to my mailbox.

Hey, if you’re going to screw me, just say so okay?

Julia Temlyn

I love this! What a great post, and sadly much of it is true. You worded your responses wonderfully, though, and we can only hope that they might start listening!

April

Great post! I am dealing with #3 as well. I never had a problem with getting paid before and it seems to have hit me all at once.
And on the phone call front, I don’t answer calls from anyone that late. It’s funny, most of the people who call us only happens when they want something AND either too early or too late. Lovely.

alicia

Awesome list, Lori. #5 hit home for me, as I dealt with it in every sense it could have been dealth with almost a year ago. Hopefully clients will see your post.

Lori

Mike and April, I hear you! I’ve heard that lame “check’s on its way” story too many times to believe it. It’s usually coupled with the “inventing problems” one, too. Had one client who loved everything I did until I tacked on the late fee. Then suddenly the entire project sucked from start to finish. And he thought I was fooled by that – go figure!

Julia, I know. It’s too true, isn’t it?

Alicia, I’m with you. TELL me you want something different and I’ll work to give you that. Perhaps because clients’ own egos are connected to their writing, they’re reluctant to approach us. Little do they know we’ve separated ego from work ages ago! LOL

Irreverent Freelancer

Oh yeah, definitely my kind of post! I’m one of those freelancers who avoids the phone as much as possible, so fortunately I don’t run in to the ill-timed and frequent whine-and-moan sessions. It’s just easier to ignore them when they come via email.

Devon Ellington

Each potential client should have to SIGN this and turn over the first payment, simultaneously!

Lori

Devon, I LOVE how you think! 🙂

Luckily, these clients are NOT the norm. When they do appear, their behavior is the most newsworthy. 🙂

OldSageHand

I’m with Purli. Sign and hand over first payment. My phone call policy was discussed at the first meeting. I did NOT answer the phone in the morning,only returned calls between 3pm and 5pm. If they had a problem, they left a message and I’d get back to them with the info. Made everything smoother.

I let my clients know up front that I was running a business with business hours — just like them. Messages were checked whenever I wanted to, but I didn’t TALK with them until Monday. Made MY life smoother.

Grace

i agree with all of this – what a great post!

herewith an email i just received from one supposed ’employer’ in NY. he was a hopeless communicator, and made it clear in earlier email conversations that he had an anger problem, this email was in response to a deliberately casual request for long-promised payment, now about 6 weeks overdue.:

“Sadly enough I do not have a use for your work anymore. It is just not efficent enough for me. and takes way too long to get out of you.

However, You have commited work therefore I owe you money. I will arrange to get you paid via paypal within one month, SOMEHOW.” (HIS emphasis)

uuauuuaaugh! i NEED the money – AND i suggested to him that he pay me only HALF of what he offered. i did this in the hope of getting SOMETHING/anything – rather than nothing (which is all i now expect).

Lori

Oh Grace, I’m so sorry! What a complete putz! Do yourself a huge favor – disengage. Do not let yourself be pulled into his emotional tactics (his calling into question your speed or your abilities). Don’t be swayed by his nonsense plea for pity (or his intentional guilt trip, for that matter). Read only this: “You have commited work therefore I owe you money. I will arrange to get you paid via paypal within one month.” It’s all that’s relevant here. And it shall be a good point in court, should it come to that.