The Renegade Writer Blog

A Renegade Writter reader sent me a link to an article on InsideCRM on Top 10 Ways to Fire the Client from Hell. The article isn’t aimed for writers, but the information applies.

I wrote an article for Writer’s Digest on this very topic in 2004. Here it is. Enjoy! [lf]

Calling It Quits: When to Drop a Client
Troublesome client driving you crazy? Maybe it’s time to say goodbye.

by Linda Formichelli

We writers work so hard to land assignments that the idea of ditching a paying client is as ludicrous as the idea of ditching your head. Sometimes, though, a client is just begging to be booted — and rather than decapitating your career, ditching that client can be a boon in the long run.

Case in point: In 2001, a magazine I regularly wrote for changed its contract to work-for-hire and demanded that its authors retroactively sell all rights to previous articles for a ridiculously low sum. I said no, with the understanding that I would never write for this magazine again — and ended up selling reprints of several of the articles to a Web site that paid me $1,000 per month for content.

The kicker that made this deal even sweeter: The original magazine folded a month later. If I had handed over all rights, those articles would have been worthless to me forever.

When to Cry “Fire” in a Crowded Schedule

When you’re trying to launch a freelance career, dropping a magazine, editor, or corporate client might seem counterintuitive, but saying goodbye can save your sanity and leave the door open for more lucrative work to flow in. Here are some hints that you may want to show a client the door.

* The pay is too low. When I started writing in 1997, I churned out articles for trade magazines at 10 to 20 cents per word. As I gained more experience and clips, I asked for more money from my editors. If an editor couldn’t up my pay, I politely told him that I wouldn’t be able to work at that rate any longer and suggested other writers I knew who would be happy to.

* The contract stinks. These days, many magazines are changing their writer-friendly contracts to more rights-grabby ones. “I’ve dropped clients when they suddenly wanted to change from a reasonable contract to a WMFH [work made for hire] one,” says Erik Sherman, a widely published journalist and author of Geocaching: Hike and Seek with Your GPS.

* The client treats you like dirt. When Chicago freelancer Annie Logue was writing listings for a city events Web site, “the editor expected me to do her job as well as mine; I was supposed to contact all the other freelancers on the project every week to make sure our listings didn’t overlap, while she sent out lengthy style memos,” she says. “By the time I dropped her, I had gone three months without being paid, despite frequent calls and emails to the editor and the firm’s accounts payable department.”

* The work makes you uncomfortable. “I recently withdrew from a major project because I felt the people involved were not people I wanted to work for,” says Brette McWhorter Sember, author of 15 books including The Complete Adoption and Fertility Legal Guide. “I was uncomfortable with their tactics, their methods, the way they obtained information, their rudeness, and their unreasonable demands. It was a bad situation and I wrestled with it for quite a while before deciding it wasn’t something I wanted to do any longer.”

* The client expects too much. “I decided to stop working with a couple of copywriting clients because they expected me to do more than we had agreed on and balked when I asked to be compensated for the additional work,” says Marcia Layton Turner, a freelance writer and author of Emeril! Inside the amazing success of today’s most popular chef. In a similar vein, I dropped a magazine that assigned 300-word articles but expected more like 800 words after revisions — and refused to up my pay.

It may seem that professional writers hand out pink slips left and right, with no more consideration than we would give to swatting a mosquito. Not so; we don’t ditch clients without significant provocation, and that doesn’t mean an extra rewrite or a check that’s five days late.

“There are plenty of situations where editors don’t get back to you, ask for rework, or are disorganized and poor at communications,” says Sherman. “Don’t take it personally because they are probably that way with everyone. You consider dumping a client when the aggravation, worry, and practical impact on your schedule and bank account become significant. Ego alone should not be the driving factor.”

How to Can a Client

Do you have a client who’s begging to be canned — someone who makes your writing life a living hell? Here are tips for cutting your delinquent client loose:

* Just say no. “You complete a project and are simply unavailable because you’re too busy the next time they call,” says Layton Turner. To soften the blow, I say something like, “I have so much on my plate right now that I wouldn’t be able to give your project the attention it deserves.” The next time they call? Gee, I’m still busy! Eventually the client gets the hint and stops calling.

* Find a sub. When I could no longer work for magazines because I upped my minimum per-word rate, I gave my editors the names of other writers who were willing to work with them. My writer friends were happy, and my editors were happy.

* Go electronic. If you need to tell a client why you can’t work with her anymore, e-mail may be the way to go. “I like that format because it gives me time to think about what I want to say in a way that is professional,” says Pat Curry, a freelance writer who specializes in personal finance and business operations. “It helps prevent misunderstandings, and it gives you something in writing that you can refer to in the future.”

* Cool down. Don’t make a phone call or zap off an e-mail in the heat of the moment, or you may regret it later. Write out the harshest e-mail you can — then save it on your computer until you’ve cooled down. Then rewrite the message to say what you want to say in a cool, professional way.

* Say thank you. “I tell [clients] that I appreciate the opportunity they’ve given me and wish them all the best,” says Curry.

* Don’t be afraid to move on. Most writers find that when they drop a troublesome client, better work comes in to fill the void, so do what’s best for you. “You have to decide if the money you are making is worth the stress and angst you are going through,” says Sember. “For me, happiness is more important than money.”

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