There are people who want great ebooks to sell or give away and they want them now. Yesterday would be even better, in fact. These are the clients who will firmly state, “This100-page ebook must be completed by June 20,” while still in the initial project description phase. The client hasn’t said they’d like the ebook by that date or asked if I could produce the ebook by June 20. They’ve dictated how long I have to do my job. No ifs, ands, or buts. I haven’t even said a word yet. Oh, and it’s June 15.
There are other clients who’d like an ebook, but they realize that writers actually write these ebooks, having to research, think, create, craft, and pen the material. These clients are the ones that ask, “I’d really like the ebook to be 100 pages. How long do you think it would take you to write the material?”
When a client asks me how long a job will take to complete, I’m happy to inform them, explaining why a project has a certain turnaround time. Articles might take a day. A series of articles of an in-depth level might take a couple of weeks. An ebook often takes a month or more.
These turnaround times are reasonable and realistic to produce a quality product that has been carefully put together. Those times allow me to eat, sleep, and carry on other activities – hey, I have a life. Sometimes I have to remind myself, but I do.
To be very honest, I’d rather work with the person who respects me, knows I need a certain amount of time to do my job, and allows me that time (or at least negotiates a turnaround time that is satisfactory for both people.) The demanding client who tries to dictate how long it takes me to do a job isn’t one I’d prefer to work with – would you?
When you’re discussing a project with a professional, ask the person what he or she feels is a reasonable time frame to complete the project. Respect that the professional knows the job at hand and can provide an estimate of the turnaround involved. That’s their job – to plan how long a particular job will take and schedule production accordingly. Trust these people and their judgment so that you receive the best job possible… most likely ahead of schedule, too. People who feel comfortable and happy work faster. It’s just human nature.
