Working With Freelancers

I saw a thread of people complaining about terrible freelancers they had worked with, and I was shocked how many of them had neglected even the basic, common sense things that would have spared them all the stress and heartache. It made me realise maybe these things are not basic and common sense and that a blog post about them might be helpful.

Despite working with friends, strangers, people overseas and people without former clients, I have never had any problems with freelancers. Some might say it is luck, but I think it has a lot to do with the following guidelines. The first is most important of all, and if you are only going to pay attention to one part of this, make it the first part.

Contracts:

If you are working with a freelancer, regardless of what they are doing for you, or how much it costs, you should have some sort of contract. Even if they are a friend and always, always, always if money is involved.

You don't need to be scared of contracts. They don't have to be like those hellish 300 page terms and conditions none of us read or can understand. A contract is just a document that states what is happening, who is getting compensated what and what you will do if things go badly. Both parties should understand it and both parties should be protected by it.

A contract should contain the following information:

- What service are they providing?

- What are the costs?

- When do they have to be paid?

- What happens if you are dissatisfied with the service?

- Timeframe, and what happens if deadlines aren't met?

Don't sign anything you aren't willing to abide by. And never listen to anyone who says: 'that will never happen' or 'if that happens we'll X, it doesn't need to be in the contract'. If X will definitely happen, there is no reason not to put it in the contract.

Remember, a contract should protect BOTH of you, so make sure you are covered, and don't be a complete shit-heel about the stuff that is protecting them.

Word of Mouth and References:

Anyone can write a testimonial and put it on their website. If you are looking for someone with a skillset that doesn't have an easy to view portfolio (EG: editing, as opposed to cover art), I suggest asking around. Some freelancers may have previous clients who are willing to talk to you. You can also contact state associations for recommendations (EG: The Queensland Writer's Centre or Editors Queensland INC).

Ask in facebook groups, on forums and google anyone you are considering using to see if you can find any complaints against them. Ask other writers you know who they recommend and, if possible, ask to see samples of the freelancer's work.

Obviously if you don't like someone's samples, portfolio or what you heard about their practises, don't hire them. There are literally hundreds of thousands of freelancers in the world. Don't go with the first one someone suggests. Round up at least five people who come highly recommended and go from there.

Samples, Sketches, Rough Drafts

When working with freelancers, it’s a good idea to check in on them throughout the process. Ask to see sketches and drafts during the process, so if there are any issues, you can address them early. I commissioned an artwork of myself recently, and while I was very happy with the art, in the sketch phase I realised the artist had forgotten my glasses! It was an easy fix, but one we were both glad I had caught before the inking and colouring phase.

Depending on what sort of freelancer you are hiring, seeing sketches and drafts may be difficult. When hiring copy editors, for example, I believe it is work paying for them just to edit the first chapter to start with. And if you like their work, then hire them to do the rest of the book.

Don't ask for them to do samples for free. You wouldn't ask a hairdresser to give you a free trim so you can decide if you want a full cut and colour. Pay for the time you are asking for, but don't over commit by sending them the whole book up front, then finding out they are sloppy.

This is a bit trickier if you are looking for structural edits, since no one can do structural edits for a novel after only seeing the first draft. It may be worth paying for structural edits on a short story, before you commit to the expense of a full novel. It could save you money in the long run, finding the right structural editor for you. Alternatively, with some freelancers, you might just have to rely on word of mouth and the samples they have on their websites.

Never hire someone if you haven't seen some of their work, in some capacity—be it a sample, a smaller project you have paid for, or examples provided by someone else who has worked with them.

Be Reasonable

Don’t be an asshole. I feel like this should be a given, but a lot of people seem to have very unrealistic expectations of how freelancers spend their time. Remember that freelancers are human, they have other clients and probably another job. They are not home all day, doing nothing but working on your project.

To that end, stick to realistic time frames. It's okay to ask for proof things are happening, but don't badger people. Ask them when they can get it done, discuss and schedule and make sure it is outlined in the contract. If you need it by a set date that is set in stone, make sure that is in the contract too (and ideally tell them the set date is a week or two before the ACTUAL set date). Keep communication channels open and ask them to please tell you if anything comes up that is likely to delay them.

Furthermore, don't be difficult to work with. Communicate clearly, without criticism. Return phone calls. Answer emails. Be polite. Don't make them chase you and don't make them guess what you want. Unless you are hiring a psychic, they have no idea. Be clear and concise.

Keep A Recording Of Correspondence

Mostly to cover your own ass, it is a good idea to keep a record of all correspondence. If they are smart, they are doing the same thing. As much as possible, I like to communicate via email. Because then both people have a clear record of what was said and when.

Sometimes phone calls and in person meetings are necessary. However, in those instances, ALWAYS make notes of what was said and follow up by emailing those notes to the freelancer you are working with, so you can both be sure there have been no misunderstandings. EG:

'Thank you for meeting with me today at Café Ver. I was very pleased with the progress you have made and loved the sketches. As discussed, I would like to see the crumbling tower moved from the left to the right side of the image, as I feel this will balance it better. And I have made a note of the new delivery date as per the extension you requested. I am looking forward to seeing the finished product on the 8^th of June.'

After receiving an email like this, the freelancer can either respond with an agreement, or a clarification. Even if they don't respond, if something breaks down in the process, you will have the email to forward them in the case of a dispute.

You Get What You Pay For

There is no getting around this. You get what you pay for. The only time you might not get what you pay for is if someone is ripping you off, or you are ripping someone else off. And I would hope, if you are a friend of mine, these are equally unappealing.

When you hire a freelancer, you are paying for someone's time, education, equipment and materials, and creative flare. And whatever they are doing for you, it is probably harder than you think it is. Or you would be doing it yourself, right?

Have money put aside before you sign the contract, or even begin looking. This is for two reasons: 1. You then know what your budget is and 2. When it comes time to pay, you don't have to scramble to find the funds. They are there, ready to be sent.

Don't ever make people chase you for payment. If they have done the work, and you are happy, PAY THEM. The stress and heartache freelancers' stuffer chasing payments is the worst part of the job. Don't inflict that on someone else, particularly someone who has been working hard producing something just for you.

If you follow all this advice, even if things go pear-shaped, you should be covered. After all, what happens when things go pear shaped is covered in the contract you signed, right?

So that's it. I hope that has helped you and given you a clear reference for the future. Working with freelancers doesn’t have to be stressful and it certainly shouldn't be a waste of money. Follow these guidelines and hopefully you will enjoy many successful and rewarding partnerships with others. Also, never become one of these guys: https://clientsfromhell.net

Imposter Syndrome

Let’s talk about Imposter Syndrome.

Most of us have read the Neil Gaiman’s comments on imposter syndrome in response to a question by a fan:

The best help I can offer is to point you to Amy Cuddy’s book, Presence. She talks about Imposter Syndrome (and interviews me in it) and offers helpful insight.

The second best help might be in the form of an anecdote. Some years ago, I was lucky enough invited to a gathering of great and good people: artists and scientists, writers and discoverers of things. And I felt that at any moment they would realise that I didn’t qualify to be there, among these people who had really done things.

On my second or third night there, I was standing at the back of the hall, while a musical entertainment happened, and I started talking to a very nice, polite, elderly gentleman about several things, including our shared first name. And then he pointed to the hall of people, and said words to the effect of, “I just look at all these people, and I think, what the heck am I doing here? They’ve made amazing things. I just went where I was sent.”

And I said, “Yes. But you were the first man on the moon. I think that counts for something.”

And I felt a bit better. Because if Neil Armstrong felt like an imposter, maybe everyone did. Maybe there weren’t any grown-ups, only people who had worked hard and also got lucky and were slightly out of their depth, all of us doing the best job we could, which is all we can really hope for.

 (Source: https://qz.com/984070/neil-gaiman-has-the-perfect-anecdote-for-anyone-with-impostors-syndrome/)

It would seem to suggest that most people, no matter how talented, suffer from imposter syndrome in some capacity. The feeling that we are not worthy to stand among our peers, that their work is valid and real and that ours is somehow false. That one day we are going to be recognised for the fraud we are.

I’d like to address why we feel this way, in the hope understanding the feeling will give us all the ability to move past it. It’s not enough to know that everyone else feels the same way, that won’t seem real until you understand why.

Many years ago I did a blog post on how success can often look like failure. The original blog post was shared on livejournal and while I don’t remember the exact date, it was at least ten years ago now. You can read it here: http://traditionalevolution.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/success-failure-and-telling-difference.html

It discusses the idea that success is often failure after failure, because that is the process of learning. So what can look, from the outside, like repeated failure, is actually successful learning.

The problem is, that most failure and learning is done in private. It’s simular to the social media effect, where people only post good news and exciting events and makes their lives all seem good and successful. You compare that to your own life and you seem less happy, less social and less successful in comparison. Because you have 20-100 people all posting good news stories all the time, it seems like all of those 20-100 people are doing those sort of thing every week. Whereas if you looked at individual statistics, you would probably see people are socialising and having nice things happen about as often as you. This can be particularly bad if you don’t post all of your beach trips on facebook, so you assume the ones you see on social media are a fraction of the total. But in truth, they probably aren’t.

When it comes to success and achievements, you are only ever seeing the end result. The fantastic book, the amazing painting, the awards, the celebration. You’re never seeing the bits between. You’re never seeing the hard work, the hundreds and hundreds of failures that go into each success, the times that person was depressed and hated themselves and their work. Their public image is happy and generous and friendly and it gives the impression it was effortless.

I suspect a lot of people view my high word counts that way. I often say how much I enjoy writing, how it is a joy for me. I’m not sitting hunched in a back room, grimly forcing myself to write 2000 words every day like someone is holding a gun to my head. And that’s all true.

However because of my health, sometimes I write and edit while extremely sick. I edited an entire novel on my bathroom floor because I was too sick to leave the toilet. It took a month. I get 2000 words a day, but sometimes I am too sick to stand up for long periods and might go three days without a shower. Or even speaking out loud because I am too sound sensitive. Sometimes people say: “I wish I had your word count.” And I think: “Yeah, well, I wish I left the house in the past ten days, but we can’t all have what we want.”

Your favourite author, whoever they are, the writer you think is perfect and infallible and awesome, has almost definitely considered giving up. They’ve hated their work. They’ve struggled and failed and been sick with fear to open their laptop and face the page. Probably not once, but many times. Because they see their favourite author being effortless and skilled and charming and they feel like a fraud too.

I have been lucky enough to observe some of my favourite authors in close quarters and see their processes. One, to help other writers overcome their own insecurities, even shared excepts from their journal in which they berated themselves for their lack of talent and confessed a desire to give up.

It read rather like some of my own journal entries.

It’s important we all know these moments of doubt are normal. Feeling like an imposter, at times, is normal. However you shouldn’t wallow in it. Acknowledge it, realise it is untrue, and move on. Slathering yourself in it and rolling around like you are tarring and feathering yourself with depression and angst is not healthy or productive.

Your successes were all hard won. Be proud.