The Writing Client May Always Be Right, But…

I was talking with a relatively new freelance writer recently. A couple of weeks ago, she’d gotten article assignments from three different publishers and was, naturally enough, delighted.

Yesterday she was in a bit of a panic. One of the publishers had been quite critical of the article she’d sent. She was offended by the tone of the criticism and totally confused about what the publisher wanted.

That got me to thinking about the statement, “the client is always right.” While that may be true because the client is paying, it doesn’t mean I can or even should try to write for every client.

Sometimes it simply doesn’t work out; no matter how I try, the client is rude, or expecting something I can’t deliver or we’ve otherwise gotten screwed up. It often is more a matter of misunderstanding than ill will, but the bottom line is the quicker the problem is recognized, the quicker I can get out. That frees me for other work, and frees the client to find someone who can and is willing to do what he wants.

Loosing a client once and awhile is not cause for concern. It’s part of doing business.

Write well and often,

Subscribe to Abundant Writing News