Turning Down Assignments
Every once in awhile I like to go through my journal to see what I was doing in this month in years past. Here’s what I wrote on May 29, 2007:
I plan to either not write for [magazine] again or to ask what we can do to make sure I don’t go through another experience like I am right now, when [editor's] boss decided he wanted the article to have a completely different slant — and he wanted me to do it over the holiday weekend and with no extra pay. Ugh.
I must have forgotten those words of wisdom, because this past week, for the first time, I turned down an assignment from this magazine due to the insane number of revisions the editors make me go through. Hey, it only took me two years!
It’s difficult for us freelancers to turn down work because we never know if it’s going to be the last assignment we ever get for the rest of our lives. Even if we have too much work, it’s tempting to squeeze in more, because who knows how long the famine will last once the feast is over?
Some writers say it’s necessary to turn down work that doesn’t fit our goals in order to make room for better opportunities to come through. Well, twenty minutes after I said no to this assignment, I received an e-mail from the owner of a social media marketing firm asking for a meeting to discuss working together. I’ve been wanting to do more work in blogging, Twitter, etc., so this is a great opportunity. Would I have been able to say yes to a half-day meeting if I had been busy turning around the article for the PITA client (which had a short deadline)? I don’t think so.
Next time, I won’t endure two years of PITA-ness before scratching a client from my list.
Have you ever turned down work? WHy did you turn it down? How did it make you feel? Did you get better offers afterward? [lf]
Every time I turn down an assignment, something better comes along almost immediately.
I also have in my contract, two rounds of revisions included, and anything more is billed at my normal hourly fee. I do NOT do endless rounds of revisions. After the one and only time I was naive neough not to have it in my contract, I vowed NEVER AGAIN. And I don’t.
You want endless rounds of revisions? They are paid. You want them in less than 3 business days? There’s a rush fee. Period.
No cash, no words.
While I’m not a writer, I am going through this same struggle doing freelance programming for the iPhone. I had been getting way too many requests for custom projects and I finally had to just start saying no to the ones that didn’t fit in with my long term goals. It was difficult at first, and I’m definitely missing out on a lot of extra cash I could be making, but hopefully in the long run I’ll be in a better position in regards to the type of work I want to be doing long term.
I now have a lot more free time to focus on the type of extra learning and development I feel is more important than the short term cash gains.
I have–on rare occasions–turned down work. Recently I said no to three things and, as I twittered afterward, the world did not end. I have plans to do it again, especially for those PITA clients. It’s just not worth the stress.
I definitely turn down work. Usually it’s because the pay rate is below what I typically get in my writing field. Sometimes the project itself doesn’t interest me enough.
Thanks for your comments!
Devon, you’re my hero. It sounds like you do corporate writing. When I do that type of writing, I also use a contract that gives two rounds of revisions within the original scope of the project. With magazines, though, revisions are typically not mentioned in the contract except to say that you’ll work with the editor until the article is deemed publishable. Ugh!
Yeah–whoever thought up those yellow Word correction things with the notes that slowly morph up should be shot.
I binned a client in my first month as a freelance for the same reason – last-minute requests for things that totally weren’t in the brief. They asked me to do something totally impossible, I politely declined as the money was not worth it. Some people thought I was crazy to bin a client giving me around £400 of work a month when I had only just started. I was just relieved and have hardly thought about it since!
I have–on rare occasions–turned down work. Recently I said no to three things and, as I twittered afterward, the world did not end. I have plans to do it again, especially for those PITA clients. It’s just not worth the stress.
Turning down clients is a gutsy move and one I strongly encourage to adapt to every now and then for all writers. While it gets rid of those clients who are a pain in the butt it also helps to build confidence because we soon realize that life goes on. I have turned down a few clients in the past and never regretted doing so.
The first reaction usually is “oh my gosh, what have I done”, followed by relief. In the end, the feel-good factor prevails and interestingly enough something better always comes around soon after.
So weird, this happened to me yesterday. Was offered an assignment for about 10cents a word. Have never ever written for such a lowly rate, but the editor seemed nice and it’s that usual feeling of ‘what if i can’t get anything better?’.
Then felt sick in the stomach at the thought of how much work was required and how i won’t have time to pitch other stuff while i write it…so i turned it down, and voila! A new assignment (unpitched commission for 65c per word) turned up today!! Magic!
I don’t know who first said it, but I first heard it from Tony Robbins of Fire Walking Fame, so it’s been awhile: Learning when to say no is 50% of success!
I recently turned down a client and I’m so glad I did. It was becoming obvious he would be an extremely high maintenance kind of guy and I hate that. I actually turn down clients pretty easily now.
The other side of that is I’ve learned to make sure the terms are written down and even before then to listen not just for what they think they want, but how the present themselves. Drama I don’t need, not from clients.
Congrats on turning them down!
Bit OT but I have stopped thinking highest payer = best client. I have one client that pays less well than most of my others, but very, very quickly with no chasing on my part. If I had to ditch one client, well, it wouldn’t be them.
Thanks for your comments! Since yesterday I’ve been in conversation with two companies that want me to write blog posts, and it sounds like the pay will be good. I truly believe that turning down that client made energetic space for better work to flow in.
Anne, I agree. The client I turned down was actually one of my higher payers. It’s not always about the money.