Not Raining, but Pouring
NDAs and Tests
I don’t know what let loose this past week, but I’m now sporting four new clients (and possibly a fifth), and most of it is ongoing work. That’s a good thing, for the two ongoing gigs I had already have waned and become stuck in approval/budget cycles. Thank God for marketing during the good times! I almost sat back and cruised through summer, but I decided to stockpile a bit and keep digging for work. Man, it paid off, and just in time!
In negotiations now with one client. I love that he wants to keep me busy, but I can’t work for less than he’s paying me on the first test article. I hope he’ll see my pitch (you get writing you don’t need to edit, saving you tons of time) as a positive and agree.
Can I just say now how much I hate the idea of the “test” article? In only one case this week was it really necessary, and it was due in part to my really not knowing what the devil the client wanted. The contact thought it might be a bit difficult, which caused us both to think the test would be a good idea. We used the test article as an introduction, plus it helped me decide if it’s work I want to continue doing (I might – it was a bit over my head, but something that might be fun to learn). But in general, I find test articles a royal pain and a pointless exercise. The clips a writer sends, if reviewed at ALL, will determine if this person can write for you. Don’t insult someone who’s been at it longer than the last two presidents combined and expect that writer to once again prove he/she can write.
Another thing that bugs me – nondisclosure agreements. Okay, I understand if I’m writing for Company A and it doesn’t want Company B to find out its secrets, but unless I’m guarding confidential files that could jeopardize democracy, what the hell is the use of the NDA? Folks, I’ve come to the conclusion that NDAs are ego strokes for those who require you sign them. I worked for a man once who was writing a book I was to edit. I had to sign an NDA. Why? Was it because his idea was so novel that it needed protecting? Hell no! He was basically rehashing the same idea – to the point where he was quoting directly from other authors and presenting their ideas (with attribution). It wasn’t rocket science formulas, nor was it the next great thing. It was a book that had a nifty little concept, just like the thousands out there with similar takes on the same old same old.
I offer NDAs to clients for one reason – it makes them feel better about opening up with their ideas. Too often clients think they’re going to spill their guts and then have someone walk off with their brilliant idea. More often than not, their brilliant idea has already seen the light of day in another form (there aren’t too many original ideas these days). But if it makes a person relax and take one more worry off the pile, I’ll oblige. It’s just those NDAs that forbid me from discussing the project with my husband or my mother that gets me. I don’t think they care, frankly, and it’s the secrecy of it that would cause more damage. Don’t we all perk up when we hear whispering?