Why I Will Never Share Edit Histories In Writing Gigs
You do not have to justify your process to anyone.
I had a client once who was a bit of a cheapskate. She paid on time, which was a plus, but she almost always tried to talk down my rate — often when a project was about to be invoiced.
Then one day, she sent me this text:
“I was looking at the editing history in the Google Docs you shared and see that the last three assignments only took you a few hours to complete. I don’t think the rate you’re charging me is fair for the amount of work your [sic] doing. Please call me so we can discuss a discount.”
I did not respond immediately. I couldn’t. That message was just too much to handle at the moment with the heat I was suddenly feeling.
An hour or so later, I wrote back (as opposed to calling — I wanted an e-mail log of the conversation) and informed her that I don’t charge by time but by project or word count. The Google Doc reflected only a part of the work I’d done on the assignment.
I mentioned that what I bring to the table is experience and ability developed over the years. I politely declined to discuss discounts.
