Scope of writing job

[roberty1y]

There may be no right or wrong answer to this question, but I'd like some opinions on it anyway.

Suppose you're hired to rewrite the content of a PowerPoint presentation, and then the client rejects your copy, saying it should be entered on the PowerPoint piece, not handed in as a document? The contract only said writing. No mention was ever made of entering it anywhere (although nothing to the contrary was agreed on either). 

Is this a definite violation of contract?

[gilbert-phyllis]

No, this is not a contract violation. This is a failure to nail down specifics of the assignment. If hired to re-write copy, I would assume the client needs it delivered in the same format/medium/style as the original copy unless otherwise specified. And I would ask, to be sure. It seems reasonable to me this client assumed it was a given but if they knowingly hired a less experienced writer then it would've been smart to be very specific. In any case, it doesn't seem like a big deal if there is an existing Powerpoint deck -- duplicate it, replace the old copy with the new copy and clean up any pagination and heading/sub-heading issues. 

One thing that distinguishes successful, truly professional FLs is going beyond simply following instructions--thinking through the whole project in detail at the interview stage, and asking questions that help the client thing through the whole  project and nailing down every detail before finalizing contract terms.

[roberty1y]

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Phyllis G wrote:

No, this is not a contract violation. This is a failure to nail down specifics of the assignment. If hired to re-write copy, I would assume the client needs it delivered in the same format/medium/style as the original copy unless otherwise specified. And I would ask, to be sure. It seems reasonable to me this client assumed it was a given but if they knowingly hired a less experienced writer then it would've been smart to be very specific. In any case, it doesn't seem like a big deal if there is an existing Powerpoint deck -- duplicate it, replace the old copy with the new copy and clean up any pagination and heading/sub-heading issues. 

One thing that distinguishes successful, truly professional FLs is going beyond simply following instructions--thinking through the whole project in detail at the interview stage, and asking questions that help the client thing through the whole  project and nailing down every detail before finalizing contract terms.

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Thanks for your reply. You're right, I should have made it clear to the client that I could only do the writing. The job in question was requested after I had agreed to do some website content, and that job did not include posting the content on the site. I was paid extra for the PP job, but I thought it safe to assume it also involved writing only.

Trouble is, I don't have PowerPoint, and the free version just stalled while downloading.

[hglewis]

Hello Robert,

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Robert Y wrote:

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Trouble is, I don't have PowerPoint, and the free version just stalled while downloading.

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Moving forward, make it your goal to acquire Microsoft 365. I pay $69.99 a year and have the entire suite.

Until then, use Google Slides, the free alternative to PowerPoint. The best part about this feature your client can download your file as a PowerPoint file, and there's nothing you need to download because Slides is cloud-based.

You can also give them "Commenter" access for any edits, additions, or changes they need.

Best of luck!

[petra_r]

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Robort wrote:

Suppose you're hired to rewrite the content of a PowerPoint presentation, and then the client rejects your copy, saying it should be entered on the PowerPoint piece, not handed in as a document? The contract only said writing. 

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I would assume that it's rewritten directly in the PowerPoint file. As a translator (which is basically re-writing in a different language) the norm is that the output is always in the same format as the source file unless otherwise agreed or requested. That means, if I get a Word document, the product will be a Word document with the same formatting / colours / pictures if any etc. If it's a format I don't have and can't or don't want to afford (In Design or Illustrator for example) I offer to do the text translation only but most clients want or need it back in the format they sent it.

Trouble is, I don't have PowerPoint, and the free version just stalled while downloading.

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I'm not sure you'll cope long term without getting Microsoft Office... It's pretty much a basic requirement. But it doesn't cost much, it's only a few Dollars a month for the whole bundle under Office 365

[feed_my_eyes]

If you're hired to write a PowerPoint presentation, then a client will definitely expect to receive a PowerPoint presentation. It's not at all the same thing as writing web copy, because MS Office is standard software that almost everyone uses, whereas not everyone knows how to manage a website (and a client would have to be crazy to give a writer access to their website, not knowing what kind of things they might mess up!). But you could hire a data entry person to put your copy into PowerPoint for you; it wouldn't take much time at all to do a simple copy/paste job.