Subscribe
Previous Post
With most of my projects, I try to set up either regular payments or pay per benchmark. For example, I’m ghostwriting an ebook on cats. We agreed I’d be paid 20% when the first chapter was complete. (I blew getting up front payment, but that’s another story.)
As often happens in a writing project, I’ve completed a draft of the first chapter, but am waiting for the client to give me some additional information to really get it done. Meanwhile, I’ve drafted most of a second chapter and a bit on a third.
In other words, I’ve written way more than the number of words for the first chapter and realized I could invoice the client for the 20% even though, by the strict definition, the first chapter isn’t complete.
The point is plans change during the writing process, and it’s awfully hard to predict with great certainty. The client now knows that I perform more or less as promised and it’s time for me to get paid something for my work. I suspect it won’t be a problem and if it is I’ll quit writing and use what I’ve generated in some other way.
By the way, I’ve written an article on How to Create an Invoice you might want to read.
Write well and often,
Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing – a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision – for those who want to get a book written.
I outsource my billing to a company called MBO Partners, and it saves me so many headaches! They handle contracts, invoicing and even collections for those wonderful clients we all have that don’t like to pay us on time!
1798 days ago
[...] Wayman has an excellent post on “Billing Your Clients” so I won’t cover the same territory here, except to remind you that before the invoice, comes [...]
Yes. Checks are quite nifty. Quite nifty indeed, ma’am…
lol… actually getting paid is part of the whole deal and it’s nifty to get the check.
This is the side of business with freelance writing that makes me want to blow my head off. Why can’t we just write, right? Thanks for the tips.