Freelance Writers Bill of Rights

I found this post on The Renegade Writer Blog and I thought it was quite interesting. I'll list what they consider to be the bill of rights and add my own comments.

1. You have the right to say no.
True, but depending on your experience and this damn economy you might want to say yes. I'm not saying write for free -- but perhaps take on some assignments that might not be as interesting as you hoped for.

2. You have the right to ask for more.
But I wouldn't expect more. I had a freelancer who wrote one story for me and upon being assigned another asked if, since I knew her writing style now, she could get paid more money. That annoyed me. We have freelancers who have written for us for years who don't get paid more than when they started. In this economy we're barely getting by. You can ask for more...but it's not going to win you any points...especially if you just started writing for a publication.

3. You have the right to control your own time.
Use it wisely. If an editor asks you for something that is completely ridiculous time wise you can let them know. They should plan better on their end.

4. You have the right to be treated fairly.
Basically you have the right to not be taken advantage of and treated professionally.

5. You have the right to be paid.
And in a timely manner. I get so angry when I find out that my freelancers haven't received checks that were invoiced months ago. It's embarrassing to me. Stay on top of it and save the emails with the invoices attached that you sent to your contact person.

6. You have the right to look good.
Ask the editor to send you some tear sheets or PDFs of the article before it goes to print so that you can check it over one last time.