Client asks to do more writing even though it was not in the original contract, pay stays the same

[a6774482]

Hello Upworkers!

I have accepted a huge content writing project. The contract was both in the form of a Word document and then made official through Upwork, I was able to discuss it with the client as well. The job was to write over 150 short articles, and the first milestone was to write 6. It specified that sections of each article would be very short, sometimes mentioning "2-3 sentences", while a specific word count was not agreed upon (which I now see was a great mistake). 

I did the first batch of work, realising that the payment for it is less than 0.01 USD per word (less than 10 USD in total). Being well-versed and interested in the topic and often seeing similar articles online, I did not expect I would need to write this much. However, I was ready to accept this sum and continue working. 

The client messages me after I submit the work and makes revisions. This would include many additional words in long paragraphs, as I had to expand on some of the sections in great detail (they sent a website as a reference for format). With these revisions, my word count went way above 4 thousand words for these 6 articles (and I only revised 1/3 of it). The contract and the pay were not updated though, despite this being a format setter for the rest of the articles. I have messaged them saying that even with the lowest rate for a writer, I would need to earn at least 50 USD for this first milestone.

My question to the community is, how can this be avoided? I have become very hyped about the fixed sum, as I thought it was big and such a specific project would look good on my portfolio, while the contract seemed straightforward and very simple.

As a newbie, how can I protect myself in situations like this? Can anything be done against me now for not complying? 

[martina_plaschka]

Can anything be done against me now for not complying? 

By whom? Upwork does not interfere between you and the client. 

The client can leave bad feedback if he is unhappy. 

[tlsanders]

You already know how to avoid it--you said it yourself. Make sure everything about the scope of your work is spelled out in your contract, including word count and the number of rounds of revision. 

You can end the contract if you choose to, but the client will have the opportunity to leave feedback. Even if they don't pay you anything or you refund the payment, they will be able to leave private feedback which will impact your JSS. I would not recommend allowing yourself to be held hostage for the volume of work you previously discussed, but you should be aware of the potential impact on your ratings.

[a6774482]

Thank you. Would this kind of feedback be detrimental, or is it something easy to recover from?