Repeated No-Pay Clients

[bumpylight]

Yup, that's the third writer-pool project in a row for which the associated client has silently declined to purchase the completed text after I claimed and meticulously finished the project. I've gathered many positive reviews from happy clients and zero rejections in the course of writing hundreds of substantial pieces as a "five-star" author at Textbroker, but Constant Content clients are evidently a different kettle of fish. I'm not interested in wasting my time on writing for free -- I'll now utterly ignore the writer pool as an insulting waste of time and energy.

[Gauderbock]

It happens, but that's pretty bad luck to get three in a row. Disheartening.

FWIW, and I'm sure you do this anyway, but I only take on requests that are either very straightforward, or are generic enough to go into the catalog if unsold.

[Lysis]

I keep saying this but I would not take writer pool requests unless it's 1 or 2 and it's not a lot of time lost should they not pay and then they must be generic enough to sell in the catalog.

I don't know what has changed, but this is much more common than it used to be. Just stick to the catalog.

I was invited for a $20k project on here that would have taken months. There is no escrow, no guarantee so I told them that they'd have to pay me upfront because there was no way I was going to work away for months with no guarantee of pay. LOL Of course, i would have raised their budget too but that's another story. I knew they wouldn't go for it but no loss really. You have to ensure you'll get paid. these are random strangers on the Internet and personally I've been burned too many times in the last couple of years where they either get an escrow system or pay me upfront.

[bumpylight]

The first two snubbed projects were rather specific, consisting of one press release and one news item, but the last project was indeed generic enough that the completed text can await other customers in the catalog. It's time anyway for me to reach out to a wider world of better-paying clients who honor their commitments to freelance authors.

It happens, but that's pretty bad luck to get three in a row. Disheartening.

FWIW, and I'm sure you do this anyway, but I only take on requests that are either very straightforward, or are generic enough to go into the catalog if unsold.

[bumpylight]

You're smarter than me, Lysis.

Your comment reminded me of this fellow I once knew. His intellect was otherwise notably low on the scale, but he had a saying that struck me as eminently sensible and street smart: "Get paid."

[....]

I was invited for a $20k project on here that would have taken months. There is no escrow, no guarantee so I told them that they'd have to pay me upfront because there was no way I was going to work away for months with no guarantee of pay. [....] You have to ensure you'll get paid. [....]

[Lysis]

I think one of the best things I ever read about being successful is being able to turn down jobs. So many people just take whatever they can get, so when the good stuff comes around they have no time.

[Gauderbock]

> when the good stuff comes around they have no time

This.