Hi.. I need some help.. I wrote a press release for someone yesterday.. today I find out that I won't be paid until the release is approved by a certain website. I told the client that they no longer have permission to use the release because they didn't tell me this when I signed up to do the project.. Now I want to make sure the person doesn't try to claim it as their own and still use it. Any ideas how to do that? Should I just use it as an unpaid sample on my content website but of course remove the link reference? Or what else can I do? Any ideas would be wonderful.. I'm so upset .. I wasted 3 or 4 hours making it. HELP!
You could stress your copyright over it by posting it on your blog etc. After that if you see your content somewhere else, where that person may have sold it, you could message the publisher that it is stolen content. I had one client/writer once do some shenanigans over payment to me over something I wrote for them. But I found later that they had successfully sold it ( after required edits) to Demand Studio. I contacted him again, I never even had to say that I could tell DS that it was stolen content ( they would have terminated his account even at the hint of having outsourced it), the guy immediately agreed for payment. I accepted his payment, and did not take it further etc. So lesson, that those who steal content can hardly hope to sell it to some good publisher. See if this guys publisher is that kind.
What's the certain website? If you were hired to write a press release that will be posted with a particular service, I could understand a client requiring the piece be accepted by the service - otherwise it wouldn't be of any use to them. Seems like a reasonable request, I hope you didn't shoot yourself in the foot here. How did the client respond when you told them they couldn't use the piece? I'm assuming no money has changed hands at this point? It sounds like this was a new client for you? Never take on a job without getting at least a 50% deposit up front. If a prospect balks, tell them to get lost. Why should all the risk be on the writer and not shared?
It's not about the fact that the client wants the press release perfect. I have no problem editing something for someone. It's the fact that after doing the work I'm told I won't be paid until it's approved. That means working on something for 2 days straight then crossing my fingers and hoping to get paid. If I had known it was going to be like that I would have never even applied for the job. The client made it seem like it wasn't a big deal and I would get paid "some day" then said Thanks for nothing. This was the first job I have taken in a long time where I didn't require some kind of deposit.. Totally learned my lesson! Thanks for all the advice!
Wow, tough lesson learned indeed! Could I ask where did you get the client from? Was it some form of freelancing site, or just off some forum?
You have an exchange of e-mails on this "deal," don't you? You could show that as proof. Also, don't you know the site your work has been submitted to? You can't contact them? Or did I not read your post right? But, I think regardless of what you do, if your release gets used and you don't get paid, you're screwed. Being told that a writer will not get paid until it is approved is bullshit. That's not how it works. You either get 50% upfront, or the whole enchilada. If it is a small job, like, say, under $50, as an example, you should require the full fee upfront. You could also do half the work, and if they like it, require the other 50% before completing the other half. That is sort of how I do it. I did a job for a neighborhood business. My price was steep for him, and he was also on the fence about me, so I made a deal with him. It was a $2,500 job. I told him that I could do half the job first, which would be $1,250. I require 50% upfront, which was $625. If he liked it, I would do the rest, and I required the remaining balance upfront. If they have seen your examples, samples, and they like it, none of this should be a problem. If so, you are dealing with a person who has his head so far up his ass, he'd need directions to find his way out again. Just don't get discouraged!