Contracts

Are contracts really necessary? Isn’t making someone sign a contract for editing work like saying you don’t trust them to pay?

There’s a lot more to a contract than just “Ha! Now you HAVE to pay me!” and “Ha! Now you HAVE to do the work!”

Contracts set out the expectations of both parties. If I’m editing for you, you want to know exactly what I’m going to do to your manuscript, how I’m going to do it, and when it’s going to be done. I want the assurance that I’m getting paid at a rate we’ve agreed on, and that I’m getting credit for my work. I want to make clear up front exactly how much work that rate of pay is buying.

Don’t think of a contract as a statement of distrust, it’s the handshake at the end of the negotiation. It’s the opportunity to list out expectations and agree upon them before the work starts, so that the needs of both parties are met and there are no sudden changes or last minute surprises later.

There may be a temptation to handwave the whole contract process for a simple job, or a quick job, or a cheap job, or a job from someone you trust. Don’t. I get a signed contract from every writer who hires me, or a purchase order from every larger company. Get into the habit of creating contracts and invoices, and getting anything to do with terms or payments in writing. For tax purposes, you’ll need to. And some day, some sort of discrepancy may pop up, and having a signed agreement to reference for clarification may make all the difference between a frustrating negotiation and a smooth one.

There’s a great sample contract available for download from Editors’ Association of Canada. I’ve used this as a base and modified it for my own purposes; they invite anyone to do the same.

Tagged as: freelancing