Pursuing a career as a freelance writer can be exciting and lucrative, and it offers you a lot of freedom and independence. However, it is crucial to create a contract that benefits both you and your clients. An independent contractor agreement is a legal form that ensures that you get paid and that your clients receive the work you promise to deliver. These forms have many different clauses, and two of them are highlighted in this post.

1. Content Revisions And Content Rewrites

Imagine that you and your new client, Bob, agreed that you will write a 1,000-word article for a fixed price. However, Bob asks you to make a few revisions. That is usually no problem unless the revision requests from Bob continue to come in. If you find yourself spending hours on revisions, are you really getting fair payment for your 1,000-word article?

To avoid this issue, include a clause about content revisions and content rewrites. For example, you may offer Bob two separate revision requests. If he requests additional editing, a set fee will be charged for each revision. This gives Bob and your other clients a reasonable amount of requests, and it ensures that your time and money are not wasted.

2. Payment Schedules And Methods

Ensuring that you get paid is one of the most important aspects of freelancing. This makes it absolutely crucial to include specific information about your payment schedule, accepted payment methods, and fees for late payments. An example of a payment clause is provided below:

"The client agrees to pay (Your Name Here) a sum of $500 upon completion of work. The client agrees to make payment within five days of receiving work. The client may pay via direct deposit or PayPal. If payment is not made within five days of receiving work, an additional fee of $10 per day will be charged to the client."

This is a very generic example; you should tailor your payment agreement to meet your specific requirements.

Additional Information For Freelance Writers

All of this information and terminology may be overwhelming, and that is completely understandable. Fortunately, you do not have to create an independent contractor form on your own. There are legal forms available online that you can use as templates. You can find 'fill in the blank' forms that include clauses about:

  • copyrights – There are many types of copyrights including private label rights and first serial rights. Make sure to include a clause that covers whichever copyright is relevant to your writing services.

  • kill fees – A kill fee is a sum of money that you get paid if your client decides not to use your work after signing a contract.

These legal forms from companies like Carolina Legal Education Center, LLC allow you to customize your contracts to fit your specific needs and the needs of each client. When you use an independent contractor agreement form with each client, you can feel confident that both parties are legally covered. 

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