Is this the place to vent?
- Thread starter Abderian
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It happens. When you say client, I assume you are talking about an editor. I am guessing the editor saw a new or fresh approach to the article and wanted you to explore that. And even though it means more work for you, the article might be better for it.
But this happens both ways. I have pitched article and been given the green light only to discover that my original idea wasn't panning out and I had to change directions. Or maybe I've come across something more interesting that changes the focus of the piece.
Be open to straying away from your original concept, and try to have a little faith in your editor. It's probably not going to be the last time you experience this.
I'm curious why you assume that. Client & editor seem like very different things.
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Thanks, gettingby. This is actually a different subject they want me to write about, not a different approach. The client is a middleman to a larger client. My client decides the subjects and writers submit proposals. The larger client decided it didn't want the article my client commissioned me to write. This is apparently now my problem.
If a client accepts something from me, they pay for it. Period. Now, I have no idea what a client who represents a larger client is. I don't do middlemen, ever. If you can't make the decision, and can't pay me without approval, I won't write anything for you.
I've had publishers overrule editors about publishing a piece a couple of times, but I still got paid. I've also had businesses decide to take a different approach, but I still got paid. it's just not possible to earn a living as a freelance writer unless you get paid for what you contract to write, and I don't write anything except a query or proposal without a contract in hand. Writing an actual article, or other type of piece, before I know I'm going to be paid something, a kill fee at the very least, is a complete waste of my time.
I've had publishers overrule editors about publishing a piece a couple of times, but I still got paid. I've also had businesses decide to take a different approach, but I still got paid. it's just not possible to earn a living as a freelance writer unless you get paid for what you contract to write, and I don't write anything except a query or proposal without a contract in hand. Writing an actual article, or other type of piece, before I know I'm going to be paid something, a kill fee at the very least, is a complete waste of my time.
Yes, I think of client and editor as very different things. An editor most often works for a magazine, and a client is a business I write for.
This is key--all my contracts have a kill fee clause. I don't sign any that don't.
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I've been writing for this client for a couple of years and this is the first time this has happened. As yet my polite note querying the rewrite has gone unanswered. I'll just have to see what they have to say and take it from there.
That's good news, and the mark of a good client. Writers are like those in every profession, be it a doctor, a lawyer, or a burger flipper. If you do the work, you get paid for that work. If they don't like your work, they can always fire you, but they still have to pay for work already done.