The Golden Pencil: The Freelance Writer’s Resource

Waiting For Contracts to Pop

by Anne Wayman on March 29th, 2007

One of the challenges with ghostwriting is timing projects in such a way that payment is more or less smooth. I try to set up monthly payments when I contract for a book, and that works, except when it doesn’t.

For example:

• One of my contracts needs to be renegotiated because conditions changed. I won’t know until next week exactly what we’re changing and how. Meanwhile, payment is on hold.
• Another contract may be for a whole book or it may be just for a book proposal. We’re working on the book proposal first, but that doesn’t schedule out on a monthly basis; rather it’s bit by bit.
• The final payment on a completed contract has been delayed by a week – one of the problems dealing through a ghostwriting broker.
• A new client who swears he wants to hire me won’t until sometime in late April. It’s a project I’d like to do, but I don’t dare postpone signing other contracts if they’re available.

Of course, if I had the recommended three or six months of income in savings this wouldn’t be such a problem… I’m getting there, but I’m not there yet and I hate taking money out of savings to bridge these gaps.

Freelance writing is indeed a juggling act and goat dance.

Write well and often,

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POSTED IN: General Freelance Writing, Goat Dancing