I had a productive work day yesterday. Since all of Monday’s fires were out, I was able to concentrate on two projects instead of the twelve I was juggling the day before. When I say twelve, I don’t mean twelve clients. I mean twelve separate things that were either part of a larger piece or one entire project. Most were newsletter pieces, but there were plenty of other must-have-it-today things that weren’t. So yesterday I was able to put time into an article that’s due and a proofing job that’s also due. Plus I talked over a few new projects with a few editors. One in particular appeals -if it works out, I’ll get some travel in.
Had an interesting email from a complete stranger yesterday. He called himself a researcher and ghostwriter, then he complimented me on my superb blog. Only trouble was it wasn’t my blog he listed. While I agree with his calling that other blog superb, he’d already lost me before he’d pitched a single thing. Some researcher. But oh, it gets better….
He’s about to publish a book in April. His birthday month, he says. It’s a self-help book and he wants me to contribute because “I feel your inputs would be of great value to my ebook.” Spelling aside, he adds that this book will show writers how “to sell yourself as an writer/author with specific focus on freelance websites such as elance.” And this gem: “As a token of appreciation, I will include copy marketing your services and directing to your website in the book.”
Clearly he does not read this blog.
Appreciation isn’t going to pay my dentist bill, nor is it going to land me another job. Neither will copy inside an unknown book by an author who’s already making grammatical mistakes. That kind of appreciation I’d rather do without, thanks.
And Elance? How much would you bet that the “freelance websites” he’s not mentioning include some of our more notorious content farms?
Even more interesting was the Google results on this guy my friend forwarded, which turned up the following: He “speed dates, plays the guitar, has Microsoft’s Silverlight installed but ‘I have no clue wat it does,’ says his birthday is in November, not April, and his hobbies are ‘Tweeting BSs and being happy.'”
Not quite sure why someone would lie about the birthday, but it’s yet another red flag in a Flag Day parade. And here it is only February.
Delete.
Maybe it’s time to repeat my BS Litmus Test parameters:
The Project – Is it something I believe in? Can I get excited about it? Is it worth taking on as described?
The Payment – Has the client asked “What’s your rate?” or said “Here’s what we’re paying you”? If it’s the former, he’s in. If it’s the latter, it could be a deal-breaker.
The Payoff – Is the payoff equally distributed between client and writer? If not, why not?
The Goals – Does the client have a handle on what he/she wants? Can I get the client’s goal down to one or two sentences? Does it make sense? When I repeat it back, does the client agree?
The Communication – Does it take a week to understand what this client wants? Can the client answer my pointed questions in a way that I get what he’s trying to do?
The People Involved – Can I get a verbal, and then a written confirmation of the involved parties and what their roles are? Is there a sense that this person will drag in a pile of people in the middle of the project that I’ll be expected to answer to?
Obviously, the “offer” that came to my in box wasn’t worth considering or draining thought time with beyond giving me post fodder. But there are those projects – and you’ve been faced with them, too – that are gray around the edges and lack any clear signs of goodness or badness.
What’s on your BS test?
Lori-I got the same email. I am sure that's a real downer for you to know that his email was not exclusively yours. Ha! 🙂
Like you said, at least this guy made it easy for you to ignore his request. Those that seem normal at first and later turn into difficult clients are so much worse. But your litmus test is excellent, and a good way to weed out the sneaky ones that might get through otherwise. I'd add: Go with your gut. If you get a bad feeling at any point before the contract is signed, trust your instinct and politely decline.
Aw Cathy, I thought I was special…. LOL
Good one, Ashley! Your instincts never fail you.
Some tire-kickers don't even need the litmus test when it's clear they think the fee for writing a press release includes compiling the mailing list and distributing the release to everyone on it.
Of course, the first mention of "exposure" should result in the immediate termination of the conversation.
Okay, I need to add getting written confirmation of "the people involved" in the projects I take on. It's become an issue recently and I need to just nip it in the bud.
I'm wondering if this ebook is just a way to get people to sign up for all of those sites using his affiliate link. And if he can convince a few freelancers to "contribute", it's free and easy to produce.
Ijust dealt with a potential client who made my BS meter start flashing. It started out well enough: she needed someone to edit a book for her, and the project sounded like something I would enjoy. The pay was reasonable too. Then I received an email saying that i'm in her short-list and a couple of days later, another email stating that she decided to go with someone else. However, in the same email, she said that she was sending portions of the book to various people who were shortlisted, as a test. if she'd already decided to go with someone else, why would I want to be "tested" by her? Later, I received a group email with some additional instructions. By then, I knew that this gig was not so kosher.
For me, it's the "free sample" thing. If you can't tell by reading my portfolio whether or not my writing works for you, you either don't know what you want, or you're scamming.
Um, no.
Kim, that one became an issue for me on my first big project and a few other smaller ones. It's when I decided a clause was needed.
I suspect you're right, WordVixen. There was that vibe to it.
Damaria, that's so frustrating. It's also tempting to warn off those other writers on the "short" list, but my guess is not all would listen.
Devon, I hate the free sample request. I usually send my article clips. That's my sample. If you want something more, you'll pay me for it.