An impossible project

djames1958 · ‎05-05-2021

I'm a very experienced freelancer here on Upwork - having done over 150 jobs, many of them editing books. I just took on a project to edit a short book, as well as format it for ebook, and also produce the audio book, as well as design a cover (which I've done). I've had some very challenging projects in the past, but I now have one that is virtually impossible. The book of about 40,000 words is virtually incomprehensible. It is disjointed, very poorly written - just a total mess. I've done the first chapter and am in the second chapter and I think it is just a hopeless project. I bid on it as a fixed-price job - but as an editor - not to do a virtually complete rewrite of almost every other sentence.

I am tempted to go back to the client, who seems like a nice-enough guy - but as someone with a 98% rating here, I don't want to get a bad rap if he leaves a bad review because this project isn't working out.

Should I pull the plug or make the best of it and keep working? I'm just not sure.

I've dealt with many clients on a lot of issues - but I know this is a passion project for this guy.

Any insight would be appreciated.

petra_r · ‎05-05-2021

David J wrote:
It is disjointed, very poorly written - just a total mess. I've done the first chapter and am in the second chapter and I think it is just a hopeless project

Did you not notice that when you went through the book before accepting the contract?

Are you top rated? If you are, you can use your top rated perk if you pull the plug and end up with poor feedback as a result.

Either way, let this be a reminder to always inspect material very closely before accepting a contract. I don't even give a firm price until I've done that.

prestonhunter · ‎05-05-2021

David, before you accept any fixed-price contract, you should review the complete input file closely enough that you absolutely know what you are getting into.

If you have doubts, then you can decline the offer.

Or increase the agreed rate to cover your doubts.

Or agree to do this as an hourly contract.

Or tell the client you will accept a contract to do the first five percent of the manuscript and then possibly reevaluate after that. Tell him straight up that you don't know long it will take to work on this, so you will do five percent for $500, after that you will be willing to agree to another five percent if all goes well, but you might adjust the price downward or upward.

As for the quagmire you are in now... if you don't want to do this project, just close the contract and apologize to the client: "Sorry, but I am not the right person to do this. I wish you well in finding somebody who is a good match, it that is not me."

You referred to this as an "impossible project." I genuinely believe there are feeelancers who have the necessary skill and temperament to do this. Saying that is no knock on you at all. You recognize the... nature... of this raw material, and it's just not something you are accustomed to. There are freelancers out there whose personalities may just be sufficiently divergent from yours that they would like working on this. If there aren't: not your problem.

petra_r · ‎05-05-2021

Preston H wrote:
You referred to this as an "impossible project." I genuinely believe there are feeelancers who have the necessary skill and temperament to do this. Saying that is no knock on you at all. You recognize the... nature... of this raw material, and it's just not something you are accustomed to. There are freelancers out there whose personalities may just be sufficiently divergent from yours that they would like working on this. If there aren't: not your problem.

That's really offensive. An experienced editor can tell if it is possible to fix the manuscript by editing. If it needs rewriting, it's no longer editing and therefore "impossible" to edit. It has nothing to do with "personalities" (what the hell?) and everything to do with the fact that editing and rewriting are two different jobs.

prestonhunter · ‎05-05-2021

Petra: It is not offensive.

The original poster is not the right person for this job. Not due to lack of ability. But due to temperament/personality.

The original poster is capable of doing what needs to be done. In fact, he has already done so for the first chapter. But he doesn't want to do this for the whole book.

petra_r · ‎05-05-2021

Preston H wrote:
But due to temperament/personality.

It's not editing if it is rewriting. That has nothing to so with "temperament or personality".

djames1958 · ‎05-06-2021

Petra wrote: "The original poster is not the right person for this job. Not due to lack of ability. But due to temperament/personality."

That's a pretty big leap since you don't know me.

I'm a historian and author myself - and I have the skills, ability, and temperament to completely rewrite the book myself. It's just that it is almost that - a rewrite in many places. Incoherent thoughts, difficult to follow logic to the point that in places it's difficult to determine even what the author is wanting to say.

I've sent him back fully edited/rewritten version of chapter one - and he's happy with what I'm doing - so, I'll just make the best of it.

I have a 98% rating here - and I've done dozens and dozens of jobs - so I'm not a novice. I was just looking for some insight.

petra_r · ‎05-06-2021

David J wrote:
~~Petra wrote~~: (No, Petra didn't). Preston wrote: "The original poster is not the right person for this job. Not due to lack of ability. But due to temperament/personality."

That's a pretty big leap since you don't know me.

WOW, David, please read again. I NEVER said that, Preston did.

djames1958 · ‎05-06-2021

Petra - so very sorry. My mistake. Please accept my apologies.

kbadeau · ‎05-06-2021

David J wrote:
Petra - so very sorry. My mistake. Please accept my apologies.

FYI there is a quote feature, so you don't make that mistake again. 🙂

kfarnell · ‎05-06-2021

I'd contact the client at this stage. (You probably should have looked closer before accepting the project, but that ship has sailed and we've all done it.)

You don't currently have any reason to assume that the client will be difficult or leave you a bad review if you're straight with them. There's an equal possibility they'll appreciate your honesty. If you assume they're jolly nice and will value what you say, that will affect how you word your message about how you really want to help them make their book the best it can be and it's more likely to be positively received.

Then you need to show them what the specific issues are. The best way of doing this will depend on the client but you may have to be creative as some people find tracking too overwhelming. I'd go for a summary and a piece of the text side by side, edited and unedited, to show them the difference - something that will take you little time to do.

Then you can offer them a choice.

1. They can pay you for what you've done so far and go away to revise/pay someone else to revise the text (based on your brief guidelines). They can then come back to you and you do the edit.

2. They can simply pay you for what you've done so far and you leave the situation completely in their hands after that.

3. You can offer them a quote for the work that will be needed. (It's important to make this choice 2 or 3 as otherwise it looks like you're trying to squeeze money out of them.) You may have to indicate (depending on past discussions) that you appreciate this costs more than they'd anticipated and therefore they might wish to delay the project for a while.

4. You ask if they have another solution in mind that you'd be happy to consider.

The point is that to some people, editing feels highly personal. They can treat feedback as if they're being told off at school and as if you're questioning their value as a person. If everything you say at this point makes it clear the choices are theirs and you're working in their best interests (because they asked you to in the first place), they're more likely to respond to you positively.

moonraker · ‎05-06-2021

Sounds like a job that was just screaming 'hourly contract'.

Have you tried speaking with the client about it? I find most to be very reasonable and the client may just not have realised the scope of the work themselves.