by Amanda Evans

Created on: November 15, 2008   Last Updated: December 28, 2008

There comes a time in every freelance writer's career when they will be faced with the prospect of a non-paying or extremely slow paying client. It is a fact, that there are those out there who just want to get something for nothing and with the influx of Internet based freelance jobs websites it has become more and more common.

There are a number of ways you can approach this topic and what I would like to do, is to share my experiences and how I dealt with them.

When I first began freelancing I never suspected that something like this could or would ever happen. I was naive to say the least, but when it did happen I was surprised at how professionally I dealt with it.

As a freelance writer everything you write belongs to you. You own the copyright of all your material. When you take on a writing assignment such as ghostwriting website articles and content, you own the rights to these articles until such a time as you have received payment.

If you find that you are having trouble getting a client to pay you for your work there are a number of things that you can do. The first thing would be to take steps to ensure that won't happen and here are some tips to ensure that you get paid for your work.

Always ensure that you specify the terms of the assignment in writing. This can be via email. You should state your terms of payment, exactly what your assignment involves including the amount of revisions that are included in your price, how much your client will pay you and when, and the specified deadline for this work. If you are looking for stage payments, be sure to put this in your terms.

If you are using freelance jobs websites such as Elance or Get A Freelancer, be sure to use their escrow feature and do not start working on any assignment until funds have been transferred into the escrow account. If your client is slow at releasing the funds once the assignment has been completed you can e-mail the websites support team who will help rectify the situation. This point goes without saying but is worth mentioning. Always adhere to your delivery schedule and the terms you have set out. You cannot expect to be paid on time if you do not deliver your work on time.

Regardless of whether you use a freelance writing jobs website or not you should always have your own invoices which should accompany all completed work. You invoices can be used to specify how long clients have to pay and what happens if payment is late. Most professional companies will charge a specific amount

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