Taking advance for writing content

Feb 03, 2005

These days I don’t start work without getting an advance and quietly snub the prospective clients who are hesitant regarding this. I think I have enough samples (apart from countless articles of mine one can find on the net) to show that I can either deliver or not deliver. There is no middle path. And if still some clients cannot make up their minds, well, too bad.

Why an advance is necessary?

If you’ve been trying to make a living on the Internet you now it is replete with “get and run” type of individuals. Initially it is OK. I mean, if you don’t have a portfolio to showcase your work, you can charge less and in small amounts to instill confidence in the client. But if you have already been working for a long time, there is no reason you shouldn’t ask for an advance…you can be verified with your work especially on the Internet, but can your client be verified? What’s the guarantee that he or she won’t disappear after getting the work done, or simply not respond? Believe me, I have come across many such clients.

A precious advise

Never work with clients who expect you to charge less than what you should be getting and run away from the ones who don’t respect you enough to pay an advance. An advance is not a favor. After all you spend your time on the work — the time you could spend on the work that fetches you income. An advance makes it sure to a certain extent that the client is serious about doing work with you.