The Golden Pencil: The Freelance Writer’s Resource

Billing Your Clients

by Anne Wayman on June 14th, 2007

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,

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POSTED IN: Business of Freelance Writing, Notes from a Writing Coach