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Subject:Re: I hope I did it right From:Jeff Hanvey <jeff -at- jewahe -dot- net> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 18 Oct 2002 13:17:01 -0700 (PDT)
You should let go of the guilt. You made a mistake by not doing suffient research, but it is not a fatal mistake. To keep it from descending into one:
1. Offer her a discount on the completed work. That saves face for both of you.
2. Set up a formal agreement on the remaining work (CYA). Perhaps you should offer a discounted rate so that you won't blow the budget.
Next time,
1. Based the bid off of a "spot" check of about 5-10% of the book (if those pages are completed). Review several pages in randomly-chosen spots of the book to get a better idea of what the overall picture is. That way, you can bid more accurately.
-OR-
Set up terms that a certain amount of the payment will be due after, say, 10% of the work is complete, with an opt-out agreement. That way, the other party will know relatively soon how much the total job will cost and you'll know what you're facing.
2. Develop a rate scale so that you can formalize charges based on the level of editing. That way, you can change the charge accordingly without breaking any agreements. It will be more difficult to track your work, but you will at least cya.
The bottom line is, you may have to eat some costs in the interest of PR, but so long as you remain professional, accessible, and courteous, then there shouldn't be any thing to feel guilty about.
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Jeff Hanvey: http://www.jewahe.net
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