Writing Contracts – Scope of Work, Part 1 of a Series

Back in June I gave an overview of what I include in my contracts or letters of agreements. Yesterday’s blog on negotiation got me to thinking about it all again and I’ve decided to define each part of the original post.

I rarely use the term, scope of work. Instead, I state the goal of the project. Since much of my work is ghostwriting books, the goal is usually pretty simple. Here’s one from a recent contract:

The Goal: To create a book (working title) that will show (brief description of the ideal reader) how to (whatever the author/client wants to say – the purpose of the book.)

It is estimated that the book will have 10-12 chapters, the normal front matter, including table of contents, and an index and, that the manuscript will be about be 50,000-60,000 words long.

You could, of course, substitute all sorts of things, including an article or article series, the content of a website, or even a copy writing project.

The key here is to spell out your best understanding of what you are agreeing to write for your client.

In my initial conversations with a prospective client, I ask all sorts of questions to help both of us come to an understanding of exactly what we are trying to accomplish. I won’t sign a contract or letter of agreement and begin work until I’m convinced we are in agreement.

Write well and often,

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