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Freelance writing is a business and should be treated as such. Slow and no-pay clients should be dealt with in a professional manner. It is much easier if you handle all situations as business like as possible. Before taking a job with a client, they will state their exact requirements and so you must state yours. Give them a certain amount of time to pay for your invoice after the job is completed, for example 30 days. If they do not pay within the given time, then send them a friendly reminder. Contact them by phone as well as sending them an official reminder letter. If a client has no intention of paying on time then it may be necessary to remind them regularly, in extreme cases even progress to a daily reminder.

If the client shows no intention of paying then it may be time to seek legal advice. In future, avoid dealing with this client if possible. Consider asking all future clients to sign an agreement that states any late payments will incur an extra charge. If you are suspicious of a new client's ability to pay, you could ask for a deposit payment on any work you do so that you will be sure of some compensation for your efforts. As time goes by you will learn what clients are reliable and trustworthy but in my experience if you deal with them beforehand in a certain manner then they will treat you with the same respect. The biggest problem is that people often do not consider freelance writing to be a real job but a freelance writer is basically their own boss and company and the sooner people act this way, the better.

Learn more about this author, Claire Connolly.
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