A friend asked me today how I handle working with new clients. What she really wanted to know was how I make sure that I get paid to write even when I don’t have a relationship with a client. The answer is simple. I always ask for a deposit. That’s the only way I can be sure that the client is going to pay me. And it means that if, as once happened, the client decided to disappear after receiving the work, I will still have had some payment for my work.

In most cases, I ask for 50 per cent up front for a content writing job. For a book project, I work out how long it is going to take, divide the overall cost by the number of weeks and ask for a proportion up front. In other words, if you are going to pay me every two weeks over four months, I will ask for the payment for the first two weeks as a deposit.

Of course, some clients worry that you will take their money and they won’t get a good job. That’s where testimonials come in. If clients can see that you have worked with others who have loved your work, then they can feel comfortable about paying the deposit. That way, you both get what you want.

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Tags | freelance writing, get paid to write, ghostwriting, writing business, writing career