When you’re a freelancer, doing the work often gets in the way of all the housekeeping you need to do to keep your career moving. There’s one vital task you need to keep on top of however, and that’s invoicing, and following up on your accounts receivable.
Anne Wayman has an excellent post on “Billing Your Clients” so I won’t cover the same territory here, except to remind you that before the invoice, comes the agreement.
Always send your client your agreement. This covers the scope of the work, as well as how many revisions you agree to, and when the rights transfer to the client – (on payment in full.)
Magazines, publishers and your larger clients will have their own agreements for you to sign, but you should always one as well. Send it to your client before you begin work.
For most projects I usually attach the agreement and an invoice to an email message, and ask the client to reply with a brief, “Yes, agreed.” If the project is extensive, however, as when you’re writing a book for someone, send a paper invoice along with the agreement via postal mail, and wait until you get it back and have been paid your retainer before you begin work on the project.
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