An Elance Dilemma
Yesterday, a new visitor, who we’ll call Sarah (for her privacy), posted a question in the blog comments. Since I rather like trying to help out wherever I can, here it is (edited down a bit in size, with the bid amounts removed, again for the commenter’s privacy):
I am editing a book through Elance, and it is my first project through Elance. My estimate of how long the project would take was based on two sample chapters that the book author posted on Elance. I estimated that it would take me two weeks to edit the book, based on what I saw in those chapters. Well, I have been working on the book for five weeks now. There are a few reasons: I did not receive the second two-thirds of the manuscript until well into my second week of editing, I am still receiving new material from the author, and she is still writing. Plus, most of the manuscript was in much worse shape than the stuff the author had posted on Elance, and the editing has been MUCH more time consuming than I predicted.
When I bid on the project, I bid [...] and estimated it would take two weeks. I thought – well, I’ll take a low fee on this one to get started on Elance. When the author was ready for me to start working on her book (six months after she accepted my proposal, btw), she emailed me and said – “If I send you the manuscript [...], can you edit in two weeks?” This is all just to say that as far as I was concerned, and I thought as far as she was concerned, I was getting paid [...] for two weeks of work. Not, [...] for the book and I hope it takes two weeks–but if it takes three years, well, I’ll just earn [...] for three years of work.
Do you see my problem?
I do indeed. It’s called “scope creep”. It happens because the initial definition of the project was not strict enough or the workers are too nice – things get added, vague descriptions are adjusted to include more work and you end up with three years of work instead of two weeks.
In this case, the problem is one of definition: you see the job as time-based, the author sees it as task-based.
Sarah states that she has a “great relationship” with the author. “She loves the work. She loves me,” she says – well, yes, she would. She’s getting never-ending editing work for no extra cost!
The big question is how the project was described at the outset:
- Did the author ask for editing for a certain number of words or chapters?
- Did they mention rewrites?
From the text above, the author asked you to edit a manuscript in two weeks. That is, a final, complete, individual item – not an ongoing, changing work. If this is indeed the case, then you are well within your rights to demand payment for the initial work and put everything else into a new project – or leave her to her unfinished writing.
If, on the other hand, there was no actual description or the author stated that they would be making changes, you’re in a more difficult situation.
What to do?
Sarah says very clearly that she does not want to abandon the work. The problem, therefore, is in handling the situation.
Assuming that the initial project description was for the editing of a manuscript (and if it were me), I would contact the employer and say, quite simply, that this job has gone beyond the original scope.
There’s no need to be nasty about it at all: say that you expected – and bid for work on – a finished manuscript and not an ongoing, changing document.
Decide how much more you are willing to edit for the initial price. This must be your final decision: you will not do any more than this. Set it in stone. Downing tools immediately would be very aggressive, which is why I suggest setting a final limit, such as “the chapter I’m doing right now and no more”.
Inform your employer that you believe any more work after that should be set up as a new, paid milestone (in Elance terms) or a new project entirely.
The worst that can happen is that the employer gets upset, because her free ride is being stopped. If she refuses to pay, Elance can step in and look at the situation, especially if you’re using escrow. They use a neutral third-party decision company for that, so you should be fine. Don’t be afraid of this happening: you’re being abused, not the other way round.
On the other hand, the author may realise just how unreasonable she’s being and suggest a compromise or further pay.
If the original description of the project was vague or included rewrites, you’ll have to negotiate a lot more.
The Bottom Line
When all’s said and done, it comes down to this: you’re being taken advantage of, and you know it. The author knows it, too.
That – unless she makes changes – puts her into the “bad jobs” list and you may need to walk away. I know it feels awful (especially as a first job on Elance), but it really isn’t worth getting abused in the hope of some decent feedback.
You’re being paid for a job, not to be someone’s ongoing, personal support department.
That’s my opinion, anyway.
Have a comment or an opinion? Have a question of your own to ask? Go ahead: I’d love to hear from you!
Update (13 July): I had an email from Sarah this morning, with great news. It reads thus:
Thank you VERY much for your advice. I sent an email to the writer which said essentially what you advised–and she is going to “pay up.” Yea!!
Just from a new contract view, I agree that the initial scope was not defined precisely. I imagine this must be fairly common amongst freelancers trying to develop their business, who are not used to how business relationships can slip from amicable to conflict and who would shy away from the hard business of talking about precise terms.
In other fields I’ve worked in we have had outline contracts that list standard clauses, limits etc. This make me wonder is there not the equivalent out there for this or maybe Spike your next e-book “Pre-written contracts for freelance writers and editors”
How awful to get such a lousy client as your first job, she sound’s extremely disorganised. I agree with you! Sarah should speak to her, explain that the job is much bigger than she was lead to believe and it’s going to cost more.
BTW I also agree with Andy – a book of pre-written contracts would be very useful.
Thanks guys – I was hoping some of the smart regulars would drop in and give some thoughts!!
I like the idea of pre-written contracts, but I don’t think it would be practical: unfortunately, most scope creep comes not from the contract (which would just state that the defined work is paid for) but from the definition of the work. Looking at that is very much a gained skill. I learned from a (very good) mentor in previous IT work, rather than writing. It helps avoid any huge glaring anomalies, though, and is definitely something to learn!
One more thing … this is why (with one exception) I try to avoid working for friends, or becoming friendly with clients. If it does go wrong, it’s a lot easier to wrangle with an acquaintance than someone you consider a friend.
OK – my take on the situation is a lot different than that of the rest. I’d ask myself a very simple and important question:
Do I believe in the project? Is it something that is going to sell?
Then the second important issue would be this: Is there a contract stating that *my* name would be in the list of editors?
If the above two issues are met with in a positive manner, then I say get the project done. Bend over backwards to do it right. Stop thinking of the money and think more of it in terms of graduating from the school of hard knocks. OK, so you’re getting a bum deal. If it sells and your name is in the credits, then you’ve got something more important than a few hundred dollars.
If you don’t believe in the project and you don’t believe it’s going to sell, then the project is all about the money. This person is an amateur, I have no doubt. I have no doubt that they believe everything they tell you. However, if it’s about time being wasted for dollars, and you’ve got no upfront cash, you may very well have wasted a significant amount of time on it already. Be prepared to bury it and walk away. On the other hand, by doing so you risk having him or her write a poor review of you. If they’re angry enough, they may pursue you in order to do so. You need to be tactful in your approach to this.
A first time editor looking for an ideal project either knows the right people to give the work to them, or is going to have to sacrifice a significant amount of time getting the job done and satisfying the client.
Quite frankly, looking at Spike’s bottom line at the end of the month is a bit depressing. It’s moving in a favorable direction – that helps tremendously. And the work he’s doing is outright remarkable. That’s why I follow his blog. The amount of work he’s doing to get the pittance of money that he gets is in an effort to establish a degree of credibility and a reputation in the hopes that he might one day make enough money for at least a humble living. I’d be surprised, at this point, if he makes so much as a dollar an hour for all the work he puts into this. So, with that said, I’d suggest that maybe a wannabe (and perhaps in the future successful) editor must get this job done to the satisfaction of the client regardless of the time involved.
In any case, that’s my 4 cents.
Steven: Wow, that’s a serious “school of hard knocks” response, there. Definitely a huge amount of food for thought, thank you. Your 4 cents is very welcome here, any time!
I can reassure you on the earnings, by the way – I am probably earning around $5 an hour, on average, dragged down a bit by editing gig. The thing to bear in mind with the figures at the end of the month is that my actual job is as a full-time carer, so I only really work for a few hours a day – and a lot of that is on ScrawlBug or reading stuff, so unpaid as such.
I’ll do a proper audit some time and post. You’ve got me more interested in actual rates and figures now… (that sounds more irresponsible than it should – I mean very precise stuff.)
Not quite so depressing.
I figured in the costs associated with doing these jobs, the time spent hunting for the jobs, etc, when guestimating your per hour earnings. I’d be really surprised if you’ve managed to get it up to $5/h when all is said and done. If so, you’re half way to a livable wage if it’s full time. I think if I could pull around $15/h with 30h weeks I’d probably be satisfied with that. ($240-$10 for expenses)/5=46 hours. Those wages also must include this blog. That said, I think you’re doing all the right things to succeed in the market. Your attitude is right on the money.
Geographic independence, for me, is what it’s all about. Can I live wherever I want? Ok, obviously it won’t get me into any penthouse. But, can I live on a lake in Bali? Can I go to India by train from England and continue earning my wage? That’s what it’s all about for me. Your strength, though, is my weakness: patience, which is precisely why I’ll fail at it while you succeed. Perhaps it’s because I still don’t see it as my end destination or my ultimate goal. Your work with “My Name is Pie” is far closer to home. Rather than working on some mediocre articles to feed a blog would still be a millstone compared to writing children’s books for the simple reason that I can disappear from the Internet for a month without disrupting my income.
It’s all about freedom man! That’s what freelance means to me!
Spike,
I believe your response was spot-on. This ends up being a problem for me occasionally since I tend to be a friendly person and want to underpromise and overdeliver. Gets me in trouble sometimes.
George
I’m still yet to give Elance a go. Stories like this one make me think I may not be up to the rough and tumble of negotiating it all. However, I do like the idea of working from right in this spot, in my trakkie daks, sitting at my PC with the heater on and coffee whenever I want it.
9-5 in an office, no thank you!
Steven: The geographic aspect is unimportant to me – mine’s based on working around my lifestyle. I don’t think you lack patience. Perhaps in the sense of producing freelance work for someone else, but certainly not for your own future publications.
George: Same here! I guess that’s where all those crummy training courses about the difference between aggressive and affirmative come into play. Or something.
Gardendog: Elance looks scary, but I’ve had less trouble there than on GAF. I have yet to give Guru a fair shot, too (and since I just landed another Elance gig, it’ll probably have to wait). Have a quick shufty at the writing jobs post for info on them and the tips post for a bit more of a feel of Elance. And you know you can always shout for help from me, if it’ll be any use. (P.S. Just found the URL for your book again, must post about it!)
Spike, you know for a pom, you’re not a bad bloke you know! Ha ha.
I have actually looked at Elance before, signed up and so on, but with changing email addresses, I have lost my password and so on. I tried to log in again today, to no avail, I’ll go back and try again maybe tomorrow. I’ve been having fun with sponsored blogs – that has been my best earner by far in terms of online earnings. 200-300 words, a few links and within a month, some more money in my Paypal acct. Very easy work, if you like writing to a theme, which I do.
Sponsored blogging is quite nice as a bit of extra cash, definitely. It really helps if you happen to have a high Page Rank and a fairly commercial blog (something like tech or entertainment).
I’ve turned stuff down in the past, though, when they ask specifically for positive reviews: I’ll write for money, but I won’t lie.