To protect yourself against deceitful clients it is important to negotiate for upfront payment as a freelance writer. In fact, this holds true for every type of freelancer. If you are not going to ask for payment up front you are putting yourself out there to be disappointed. This is not to say that every client is going to take your work and run, but as of late I am hearing more stories about this than ever before.
How do you negotiate for upfront payment? After all, the person hiring you needs to stay protected as well. First off, you do not necessarily have to ask for 100 percent of the payment upfront. In most cases, I ask for half payment and then leave it at that. Most clients will agree to this, and in the majority of cases they will send the entire payment because they do not want to deal with paying two separate invoices.
You cannot be afraid to ask for some money upfront. Many freelance writers are afraid to do so because they think that it will scare the client away. As a general rule of thumb, if asking for payment upfront is going to scare a client you would be better off without them. This is part of doing business, and both parties should be willing to negotiate until a mutually beneficial payment is agreed upon.
Once you complete one project for a client you may not need to ask for upfront payment any longer. After all, you should know at this point if you can trust the buyer to pay you. In my experience, once you ask for upfront payment one time many clients will continue to do so with all future projects.
You may not always be able to negotiate getting paid before you start a project, but most clients will agree to accommodate you in this area.
Many people wonder how they can start a freelance writing career if they have a full-time, 9-5 job. This is a great question, and one that can scare the heck out of you if you are not careful. When I decided to become a freelance writer I never thought too much about the drawbacks. Sure, I was a bit scared, but that did not hold me back from leaving my day job. Of course, this is not something that I suggest; especially if you have major responsibilities such as a family, bills to pay, etc.
So what do I advise? If you want to become a freelance writer but are afraid to jump “all in†you should consider doing so on a part-time basis. This is something that I have discussed before, but I feel that it is important to do so again. After all, many people never chase their dream because they use their current job as an excuse. By becoming a part-time freelance writer you can avoid this excuse and instead get moving towards your real career.
Believe it or not, you can find time to work as a part-time freelance writer even when working another job. Most people I know in this position work in the morning, at night, and of course, on the weekends. But since you are only working part-time for now, there is no reason to kill yourself. Instead, start slow and see how much work you can get. As you begin to obtain more and more clients you will get a good feel for how much time you need to spend on your writing.
If you are lucky, you will come to a crossroads where you can no longer keep up with both positions because your freelance writing workload has become too much. In this case, you need to make a decision on whether or not it is time to move into a career as a full-time writer.
A part-time freelance writing career is a great way to get your feet wet without having to leave your current position. Â
Earlier this year I posted about the possibility of offering a freelance writing course/ training. As of late, I have revisited this idea due to an increasing number of emails asking for one-on-one assistance. In fact, I already work with two aspiring writers in this capacity and from what I can tell, they are quite happy with the service.
So my question is: would you be interested in signing up for a freelance writing course in which you would have access to one-on-one assistance and training? Of course, it may be difficult for you to answer this question without all the details, so I am going to outline some preliminary points below:
1. Due to time constraints, I am only going to take on 10 new “trainees.†As mentioned above I am already working with two writers, and in order to be fair to everybody involved, I am only going to make this opportunity available to 10 more. When somebody drops out I’ll open up the spot until another writer jumps in.
2. One-on-one assistance and training via email, instant messenger, and/or telephone. While I am not sure on the exact number of hours I will offer each member per week, it is safe to say that it will be enough to address any questions, concerns, etc.
3. In addition to one-on-one communication, members will also receive email updates several times per week. Updates include tips, job openings, and basic correspondence to ensure that everybody is moving in the right direction.
4. Information from my past. While you are probably familiar with my monthly freelance writing income report, as you can imagine, there are more details to be seen. I will share my spreadsheets, project breakdowns, and much more with members.Â
5. Based on the setup with my two current trainees, the price is $100/month with no obligation to stay on board longer than you want. By paying in advance, either by quarter or annually, a discount is available. I was not going to offer this until my second trainee asked if they could pay in advance, and I decided it was only fair to offer a discount for their loyalty.
This freelance writing course and training may not be the right move for every aspiring writer. From email conversations and past posts, I am confident that all 10 spots will fill up in a relatively short period of time. Both members that I am working with right now are happy with the results and the cost that goes along with the course. By working with them for the past few months it gave me a good idea of what I should offer, when I should make the course open to new members, and how to get started.
Any comments would be great. And if you are interested in getting a jump on the competition to ensure your spot, send me an email. Within the next week or so the course should be open to everybody via a page on my blog. But as noted earlier, you can email me your request to be added as a member to ensure entrance.
