5 Ways to Protect Yourself as a Writer

Protect Yourself as a Writer

Writing is a beautiful art; you can have a profitable career if you choose this route. However, it is not enough to just be good, or even great, at what you do. You have to make sure that you protect your brand and your craft. Let’s take a look at a few things that will help new and experienced writers alike.

1. Use a Recognized Freelance Marketplace

When looking for writing assignments, use sites like Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer.com. They are very strict about their terms of service and have protocols in place to prevent you from being scammed. You should not give your personal information to anyone. Everything should be done through the interface so it can all be tracked.

2. Protect Your Work

Once you decide to work as a freelance writer, you can create a portfolio site of your best work. If you use WordPress, you can lock your content using a password so that it can be seen but not copied, i.e., plagiarized. Some people might still try, but granting access on a per-case basis can slow them down.

3. Check the Client Reviews

Scammers will post a lot of listings but not hire a lot of people. If you see the hiring ratio is low, skip them and find someone else to work for. 

4. Don’t Give Away Too Much Information

While you may be tempted to show off what you know during your initial consultation, you should try not to give away so much vital information that they no longer need to hire you for services by the end of your call. 

Use any consultation as a fact-finding mission to discover more about what the client really wants. Make it clear you can help (if you can), but don’t give away all the answers.

5. Create Contract Templates

Create contract templates to use when taking on new projects for clients. Typical contracts you should have at the ready in case they don’t are:

  • Non-disclosure agreement (NDA)
  • Non-compete agreement
  • Copyright assignment
  • Work-for-hire agreement

If you have questions or need an editor for your next ghostwriting project, please fill out the Let’s Connect form on https://iamediting.com, and we will be sure to help you. 

Adrienne Michelle Horn is the owner of I A.M. Editing, Ink. Although she has a full-time professional career in healthcare, she is also a South Florida-based editor, poet, author, entrepreneur, and mother of her beautiful daughter, Paris.

For more information about Adrienne and her company, follow I A.M. Editing, Ink on social media or visit https://linktr.ee/iamediting