Writers: Watch Out for Free Sample Jobs

All writers face the need to send in clips for a prospective client to read to see if their writing is what the client is looking for. The problem is that some jobs request the writer to send in a sample on a specific topic and word count. How does a writer protect themselves from just being a patsy and giving away the work without any compensation? This is a real dilemma for serious writers that are solid at what they do. Their writing time is a valuable asset and should not be given away for free to a scammer. Free samples from 100 prospective writers is a sizeable number of articles that could be used for ideas or actual content.

There are several things a writer can do when trying to land this type of job. Send in a sample with a note that if it is used the fee will be a certain amount of money. This fee will be paid if the job is given to them or not. Never send in a sample without this type of clause on the document. After emailing the sample copy the email and send it to your self as well so you have a verifiable record of the sample and the notice of payment if it is used.

Another way to protect your writing work is as follows. Mail a copy of the document to yourself and do not open the letter, as this is proof that the article existed on a certain date.

Try to do a goggle on the client to see if they have had problems with other writers. The Internet is loaded with schemers and scammers that prey on writers in this way and also by just not paying for work that is ordered. When I get a non-payer, I will email them every week and ask for payment. You can also report them to the host of their website as a scammer. Most hosting sites do not want to be associated with crooks. I followed one non-payer too two different hosting companies and they finally paid me double to get rid of my campaign against them. It was not the money involved, but it was satisfying to bring them to heel. In this case I gave the hosting site proof that they did this scam routinely with writers. The host sites closed their web site on their servers.

Be careful of jobs that only have an email and no address, website or phone. In particular be careful of sites that have no physical address listing or phone number on the website. These are warning signs.

It is also wise to demand payment upon delivery by PayPal if possible. Be careful about doing a great many articles and not getting paid for a month. Payment by check can be a risky business from some clients as checks can bounce. Payment by PayPal never bounces.

Do not lower your pay rate without a concession by the client, like half up front or some show of willing to be fair with you the writer. Pay adjustments can be made during slow periods or in order to capture a client for the long term. Be careful with constant rewrites from some clients, as some can never be pleased. An inconsiderate client should be dropped as soon as possible as the pain they cause is not worth the time or the money. As you can tell I have been taught by hard experience to be careful when accepting work from new clients. Some have bee terrific to work with and some have been a real pain in the backside.

Try to stick with work that is enjoyable to do, as this will make the writing easier to accomplish in the long run and not become a distasteful chore. Jobs that become a chore are difficult to finish and try the writer's will to do a good job.

I hope these ideas have been useful to both new and even seasoned writers. The writing job is not something that all can do so get what you deserve from the work that is accepted. Stick to your guns when negotiating. Some clients will just try to negotiate our of principle and for no other real reason.