Should You Say Yes or No To That Freelance Writing Gig?
You replay to an ad and much to your amazement, a few days later, the phone rings. It’s the prospective employer who is impressed with your response and wants to hire you. It’s so very tempting to say “yes” almost without thinking, particularly if you’re just getting started, or it’s been awhile since your last freelance gig.
But, gasp, maybe you should say “no” instead. The trick, of course, is figuring out which writing jobs to accept and which to turn down.
Mark Dugas, over at FreelanceSwitch has an interesting post on this subject called: Learning When to Say No
He sets up a list of three criteria: career/networking benefits, pay, and fun. If, he suggests, the proposed freelance writing or editing job offers at least two of the three, you probably ought to take it; if it offers only one or none, he recommends passing.
That’s not a bad set of criteria. I add a fourth, which is something like “does the project fit with my spiritual path?” Not all the work I accept does fit this one, and it’s highly personal, but it works for me.
There’s are a couple of other points I would make about deciding yes, or no:
- Are the terms clear? If they aren’t, and that includes pay, revisions, pace, definition, deadlines, and how to break the agreement if necessary, then either get them clear or move on.
- It’s totally okay to ask for a day or two, or even longer, to make a decision. You don’t have to make a decision on the spot. In fact, I’d go so far as to say if they are pushing you to say yes, turn them down. Taking some time to think a project over is good for you and good for the prospective employer. Call another writer or business adviser. You don’t have to do all of this alone.
How do you decide to accept or reject a freelance gig?
Write well and often,
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POSTED IN: Blogs for Writers, Freelance Writing Jobs
9 opinions for Should You Say Yes or No To That Freelance Writing Gig?
LS
Jun 24, 2008 at 5:10 pm
I don’t know- pay is pretty much the only one I look at. If it isn’t fun- tough. It’s called work for a reason. And career/networking isn’t usually a part of the equation with ghostwriting.
Of course, I have taken on projects just because they were fun, but those rarely ever pay and they have never involved networking. Then there have been the career-boosting things that always seem to pay lousy and aren’t any fun.
Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever had a project that encompassed all three.
Anne Wayman
Jun 24, 2008 at 7:28 pm
It might be worth thinking about incorporating one or two more, or a couple of your own.
Lauri
Jun 24, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Interesting! I am lucky to say that all of my current workload satisfies at least 2 out of 3 of the requirements.
I would also add a requirement that is sort of a variation of the career/networking requirement: I’ll call this the Street Cred factor. As in, I do this project that I don’t really want to do, and you make it worth my while later. Exhibit A: I just agreed to take an ewy hard-to-get-rid-of title from one of my clients, and in exchange they gave me 2 cake titles at deadlines of my choosing.
Street Cred factor!
res
Jul 2, 2008 at 11:53 am
hi,
I’m relatively-new to blogging,I’ve been doing it for a year.I’ve done another blog for Sponscore.My question is though I’ve applied at several jobs..where are the giggs that pay near-immediately?.Any -suggestion’s are appreciated,thanks
Anne Wayman
Jul 2, 2008 at 12:10 pm
It takes patience and close attention to details… you’ve got a couple of errors in your comment and if you’re doing the same sort of quality in your applications, etc., you won’t get hired. But a year’s worth of blogging is probably worth something - be sure you point to it when you apply.
res
Jul 2, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Ms.Wayman,
where are the mistakes you spoke of in the
post?.I do proof-read anything I post.I did highlight my experience,along with bullet-points.
Anne Wayman
Jul 2, 2008 at 4:08 pm
You’re missing spaces… one space after every period… it’s showing up here all run together… also sentences should always begin with the first word capitalized… could be the comment box is causing problems.
res
Jul 2, 2008 at 6:01 pm
I think the comment box is,”temporaily-on the brinks”.I appreciate the advice-still!.
Anne Wayman
Jul 2, 2008 at 7:54 pm
;)
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