My article on ‘Getting the most from a freelance copywriter or editor‘ sparked lots of comments, but the majority came from freelancers with payment questions. So Jo Duxbury (of Freelancentral and Peppermint Source) and I collaborated to answer them. First, we opened the floor, inviting fellow freelancers to submit their payment-related questions. The questions are below; for the answers, check out ‘Freelancers: here’s how to get paid‘.
- “I’m new-ish to the game. How do I charge: per word, per hour, per job?”
- “Do you charge different rates for different sectors – like a higher rate for corporates and a lower rate for community newspapers?”
- “My friends and family always need work, and I tense up when it comes to quoting/invoicing.”
- “I’m a creative. That’s why I went into freelancing. This admin stuff kills me: quoting, invoicing, chasing money, keeping books. Can you help?”
- “Clients often ask me to quote and then say, ‘Well, we’ve only got [R2000 less than I quoted]. Can you do it for that?’ What do I say?”
- “I’m not sure what other freelancers’ payment terms are, but I find 30 days challenging on my cash flow! Do you have any guidelines?”
- “I’m skaam when it comes to chasing money. Help!”
- “Sometimes there’s such a long wait to get paid that I think client never will. But I don’t want to make waves and have them use someone else next time.”
- “When do you, eventually, write off a bad debt?”