- Joined
- Feb 14, 2008
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- 236
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- My backyard changes daily
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- blackrose602.wordpress.com
I quit working for a content company today. I know it was the right decision for me, in my particular circumstances, but I'm curious what other content writers might have done.
Background: This is a relatively new company calling itself a "boutique" content place. They pay slightly less, on average, than Demand Studios, where I also work. They also require a 24 hour turnaround on edits. Supposedly the editors also have a 24 hour rule, but I've never yet seen one make it.
There have been management difficulties since the beginning, with the two owners not knowing what each other are doing. But they were friendly and the work was interesting, so I persevered.
Then came the time last week when a revision request came in at 1am on Fri night/Sat morning. Due to an onsite project for another client that ended up lasting more than 12 hours, there was no way I could get the revisions in by 1am Sat night/Sun morning. I apprised the company and did the revisions on Sunday.
That was kind of my wake-up call though. I'm mostly a travel writer for private clients, which requires me to, well, travel. I'm frequently away from my computer for the better part of any given 24-hour period. So I emailed the owners and explained my dilemma, and asked if we could renegotiate to a 48-hour time frame. When they wouldn't budge, I resigned.
I got an angry email in response, telling me that ANY freelancer would gladly check their email at least twice per day during the two or three days following a submission and immediately perform the revisions when they came in. So, I'm curious, fellow freelancers: Would YOU sit at your computer for three days straight waiting for a revision request to come in on a $20 article? If so, how do you make money? I'm constantly busy with different projects, and I can't just sit on hold. Thoughts welcome!
Background: This is a relatively new company calling itself a "boutique" content place. They pay slightly less, on average, than Demand Studios, where I also work. They also require a 24 hour turnaround on edits. Supposedly the editors also have a 24 hour rule, but I've never yet seen one make it.
There have been management difficulties since the beginning, with the two owners not knowing what each other are doing. But they were friendly and the work was interesting, so I persevered.
Then came the time last week when a revision request came in at 1am on Fri night/Sat morning. Due to an onsite project for another client that ended up lasting more than 12 hours, there was no way I could get the revisions in by 1am Sat night/Sun morning. I apprised the company and did the revisions on Sunday.
That was kind of my wake-up call though. I'm mostly a travel writer for private clients, which requires me to, well, travel. I'm frequently away from my computer for the better part of any given 24-hour period. So I emailed the owners and explained my dilemma, and asked if we could renegotiate to a 48-hour time frame. When they wouldn't budge, I resigned.
I got an angry email in response, telling me that ANY freelancer would gladly check their email at least twice per day during the two or three days following a submission and immediately perform the revisions when they came in. So, I'm curious, fellow freelancers: Would YOU sit at your computer for three days straight waiting for a revision request to come in on a $20 article? If so, how do you make money? I'm constantly busy with different projects, and I can't just sit on hold. Thoughts welcome!