Work with Good Clients

The other day I finished an edit for a new-to-me publisher client and submitted my first invoice to the company as agreed. I was set up in their accounting system and paid by direct deposit the same day.

That’s the sign of a client who cares about their freelancers. And it’s a good reminder that it’s perfectly possible for companies to pay promptly. It’s just that many of them don’t seem to have any interest in doing so.

Good relationships, whether they’re friendships or client relationships, involve reciprocation. If one person is doing all the work, the relationship is unlikely to survive – and I’ll argue that it shouldn’t.

You’re not going to earn good treatment by putting up with bad treatment. If you’re not paid promptly – and certainly being paid within 30 days is not asking too much – that’s bad treatment. If you’re constantly putting up with less-than-reasonable conditions, I recommend that you be a little more demanding in your choice of clients.

Freelancers sometimes shrug and say “I can take it” but that isn’t the flex you think it is. It’s a fast track to abuse, exploitation, and burnout.

Good clients exist. They’re all around you. But you have to let go of the bad ones to have the time and space to find the good ones.