I truly adore one of my poetry editors because he is invested in me as a poet. He is young but has experience that puts him into the professional realm. He shows considerable respect because he recognizes my own skill and experience. Working with him to sharpen a poem is wonderful and his comments are always insightful and right.

Of course, there are clients out there that will never be pleased. In the end you will have to turn some jobs down. You can’t spend forever trying to tweak an article for the single rate offered originally.

I’ve taken to charging additional fees for extensive revision. I value my expertise in this area and if my clients are hiring me then they trust my judgment and have a fair idea of how I work. The fact is, if you don’t love it I’ll make small changes but if you’re asking for a dramatic change it’s going to cost you for a rewrite. I value my time and my ability and assume whoever hires me has done their own research into my skills as a writer.

The same rule applies when I edit. If I need to make drastic suggestions or changes to the original and you come back for a second edit after making changes it’s going to cost for an additional edit.

I think this is where charging for time is a safer financial option than charging for word count. The time it takes to put together (write or edit) a certain number of words can vary depending on the demands of the client/editor, the research required, etc. $50 for an article I’ve had to rewrite a dozen times just isn’t acceptable.

Perhaps it all comes down to respecting ourselves as professionals. Yes, you need to bend with the editor, learn from what they tell you, but ultimately, if they aren’t satisfied then stop wasting both of your time. They need a different writer and you’d do better to find a different client/editor.

Thanks.

I hear you on the computer issues. My desktop crashed a few weeks ago. I’ve made a habit though of continually emailing files and emails to a Gmail account where I keep them permanently just in case something goes wrong. Before shutting down, I go in and make sure the file actually arrived. I can then go to my parent’s house or brother’s house and work from their computers and have ready access to the work I was doing.

I’m sure that company wouldn’t have wanted to pursue you if they didn’t think you could do the job. Why don’t you try putting the perfection thing right out of your mind and just do the assignment as best you can? (And practice a bit of CYA (cover your a$$) by continuing to apply for other gigs…)

@Mary – I have no problem with the editing, it’s the line that if it isn’t perfect after the first edit that your job is over – not just for that one article, but with the company period. The push for perfection first time around (I’m a wicked perfectionist to start with – obsessive compulsive to be exact) is what I struggle with this time.

Speaking as an editor, I’ve never seen a piece that didn’t need any revisions at all, except the pieces we didn’t use. Even if it’s minor, nitpicky stuff, everything that’s ever crossed my desk, from slush pile work to copy editing, has always needed at least a little revising. Way of the world, and when I’m writing something that goes out with my name on it, you bet I want someone there looking my stuff over and making sure it’s right.

@Rachel>> I haven’t heard anyone offering kill fees for blogs yet, but then again, I’ve only been problogging since late last year.