Freelance Writers: Ask These 5 Questions Before Your Next Project
What you need to know before taking that contract
It’s always exciting when you land a new contract. You want to show off your skills and, let’s be honest, you’re just really happy someone is paying you to write. It’s a beautiful thing!
That’s great, and you should be excited, but don’t sell yourself short because someone throws a number at you. Before you start any freelance project, here are 5 questions to ask your client:
- What’s the length of the project — if it’s an article, ask how many words. If it’s an ebook, ask how many pages. If it’s website copy, ask how many tabs. For ghostwriting a novel or non-fiction book, ask them the minimum number of pages they hope to reach.
- Do you need to do research — are they providing you with research or do they expect that you’ll do the research, yourself?
- Are you editing or rewriting — This is where clients can be tricky. If they’re giving you work that they just want edited, that’s much different than asking you to rewrite something based on what they’ve given you (read that sentence again if you’re not clear). Make sure you get clear on the ask.
- What’s the timeline — I know many freelancers who charge a premium for quick turnarounds. You don’t have to do that, but tight deadlines can possibly impact quality of work. You have to know yourself and how you best operate. If quick turnarounds aren’t your thing, think about passing on the project or charging a percentage for faster delivery.
- Let them know how many rounds of revision your service includes — Trust me, if you don’t state this upfront, clients will expect you to keep writing forever. You need to be clear that your service includes x number of revisions. Choose a number that’s fair, but choose a number. Don’t leave it open for interpretation.
There are going to be questions specific to a project that we won’t be able to list. That’s why it’s important not to feel rushed. Take your time and go down this list of questions, then think of any other factors that may impact the cost of the project.
For more details on what to charge for each project, read Freelance Writers: This Is The Minimum You Should Be Charging.
