Carol Tice
http://www.caroltice.com
http://Twitter.com/TiceWrites

I don’t know that I wouldn’t subcontract anymore – but I will be more cautious in how the arrangement is set up: with clear conditions and expectations for both parties.

Good luck to us both right? ;-D

One thing I’ve learned from this – subcontracting work just isn’t something I want to stay in. There is one person I do subcontract work for and she’s been great for the three years I’ve known her. I’ll stick working for her, but I won’t bother taking on any additional subcontract work. I’ll stick to writing for websites that are under development.

Long story short, I helped out another writer last summer, quoted a low price so I could just get the monthly bills paid and am still collecting the money from her.

When I decided to get tough and enlist the help of Angela Hoy, she got mad. She has done all sorts of nasty things including telling me that my writing was bad, she had to rewrite it and a slew of other things. The thing is the whole time I wrote for her – whenever I completed a batch, she asked if I wanted more. The work I did for her was worth at least $700 but I am only trying to collect $171… In eight months she never told me her “true” opinion of my work until I started asking questions about the change in payment arrangements.

I wouldn’t have done the rewrites. Unlike you, I have all the original work I did – and most was easily found online – in my words. I also saved our correspondence too. I’m not letting this drop. Angela Hoy has posted it to Whispers and Warnings and I have it on my blog as well. People who have a change of heart or mind months after the fact… that’s on them. You are not responsible for it.

Yes, it was unreasonable for them to ask for this two months after the fact, but it does happen. I had a magazine do something similar to me a few years ago. Gave me a hurry up assingment week of July 4, when few people are around to interview. I nevertheless completed it, though only with industry consultants and no bankers (called several contacts I had built up over 10 years, none were available that week).

They sat on article for three weeks. If I hadn’t gone to an Internet cafe while on vacation to clean up e-mail, that would have been that. But there was an urgent message that more bank sources were needed. This was sent late on a Wednesday (so day was over for all intents and purposes), and revised copy was due Friday. So a family visit to the headwaters of the Mississippi involved going there, dashing across it and heading back. They liked the revised copy, paid me for it, but never gave me another assignment.

Gone through similar Herculean efforts to please editors at last minute, with no give back on their part regarding future work.

I probably would have done what you did, but would stipulate in the future some type of parameters for revisions. In the future, it may also be worthwhile to ask if they have a kill fee, which would be less than the orginal amount, but would let you retain something for work done and make it a little more palatable to drop it and enjoy the vacation without putting other clients on hold.

Life has been keeping me busy however I do stop by daily to view job postings and to read the comments. I do appreciate everything you do here, and the leads that Jodee finds for us. I would not be part time freelancing if it weren’t for this site. Most of my paying work has been from FWJ.

Thank you for this site and the community.

@Mary – I do have a rewrite policy but never thought I’d need to put a time limit on it. So obviously I need to add that now. After 3 years freelance writing for money, I’ve never had someone come back more than a week later looking for edits.

Here’s how things turned out. I wish now I hadn’t rewritten them. Turns out she was using them not to meet her goals as a contractor but because she’s re-selling them as PLR content. She’s had them up for sale since the end of March, so if they really needed rewriting, she never would have put them up for sale. I’ve drafted my letter to Paypal now and plan to charge her for the rewrites knowing this information.

I have to say, I’ll never do business with this site again. If anyone would like her name and her business name I’d be happy to share privately so that you can avoid the same hassle. My email is dhf7230@yahoo.com

Again, thanks to all the advice. I’m off to enjoy another beer and then go out with my brother for a nice dinner out!

My 2 cents–if they were approved and you were paid and now 2 months have passed, you should be getting an additional fee to rewrite them. And you shouldn’t let her threats of making you return the money scare you, she’s just bullying you into getting rewritten articles for free! Institute a clear policy for acceptance & rewrites. Having said that, I know how you feel about getting it off your mind so you can enjoy yourself, too, but I’d definately give preference to deserving clients who you want to come back!

@Deb–should we be writing you friendly letters so you have something nice to post?

I have a suspicion that there are enough people who do like this place that you will be blogging for a long time to come.