In your case, there were a few possible solutions:

Continue with the client and YOU subcontract the work to other writers – with the client’s knowledge. Never subcontract and hide that fact from clients.

Write a list of all the possible angles. Mindmap. Problogger.net recently had a great article about this.

Take a break. Instead of quitting, take some time off from the contract.

Don’t be literal. When someone asks you to write on firetrucks, and you’ve covered every possible aspect, look further than the literal topic at hand. How about community spirit and the addition of firetrucks in parades? How about the best wax for your car, used by firemen?

(talking off the top of my head, here…)

However, I do think you made the right choice to tell the client you weren’t doing the project justice any more. Even if the client is happy, you weren’t. End of story.

That being said, I also have not taken projects that were for terrible products. I was commissioned to write for a financial product once that was downright harmful to folks and I just couldn’t sell the thing without feeling like a heel.

You have to draw the line somewhere for yourself. If the product is going to potentially cause them harm then that’s one thing, if it’s just a little bit of wasted money then that may be something different. It depends on your personal comfort, and your financial status!

To put a little wrench in things…what do you do when you’re just dog tired of writing about the same subject day after day week after week and you know that the content is beginning to sound pretty weak however the client is still happy and paying you? I had to make this decision recently and I had to offer the client alternative writers to work with. I’m pretty sure he was angry and hasn’t contacted me again but hey…that’s okay!

So! Back to the point! All writers chime in! Have you ever been in the situation where you wondered which to choose, quality or money?

I have no bad feelings over here at all! Perhaps I’ve been projecting thoughts onto you that you don’t actually have (or perhaps I remember you once saying you enjoy a good debate, and I’m taking you up on that offer). Either way, I mean no disrespect.

I’m not arguing with you. I’m stating my own views and opinions which (if you’ll read my comments) agree with yours.

So why do I get the feeling I’m rubbing you the wrong way?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not condoning money as the end all and be all of everything. I think you and I are both in agreement that there are some types of things it is NOT okay to write, regardless of how much money is dangling in front of you.

I just feel like you’re idealizing a situation that’s not ideal. Yes, it would be great to only write things that pay well and make a positive impact in people’s lives. However, even if (even if) that were possible, it’s not possible for every single freelance writer to get that same dream package.

At some point, everyone has to make the decision whether or not to sacrifice a little personal integrity in order to make ends meet (and I’m not talking about affording a second car payment or drinking lattes instead of making drip coffee at home – I’m talking about getting by on a day-to-day basis).

At some point on the road to success, I believe this type of situation is no longer an issue. However, there are so many struggling freelancers out there right now for whom it is. I want them to know that we all have to make hard choices, no matter how rosy a picture some people paint.

However, it’s my experience that many people (especially writers) become offended by those who are in this to earn a living, not change the world for the better.

Of course, when I can accomplish both, that’s a damned nice feeling.

On the thought of money, though, I’d much rather be dirt poor and live in a cardboard box – and be happy – rather than have money and be miserable. Why do you think I gave up a huge corporate job to shovel horse shit from stalls and trail guide for five years? Wasn’t for the money, let me tell you!

At this point, I will probably continue working for them until I can wean myself elsewhere. Let’s hope that’s sooner rather than later!

You’re forgetting the bottom dollar–literally. The whole point of my post is that many freelancers (especially those just starting out) aren’t in a position to turn clients away if everything isn’t just right.

My worry is that it would become not okay with them after a customer complains about the quality of the writing. Usually poor writers assume that bad but grammatically impeccable writing is “good.” When they find out it’s not, the copy editor will be blamed, whether it’s her fault or not.

But if the company KNOWS they’re putting out crap…Hmm, that’s another story altogether. As long as the information isn’t misleading or harmful, I’d do exactly what you’re doing.

Simple

Good discussion, but it all really comes back to my original point, which is that the company is not putting out a great product. They know it’s not great and that’s okay with them. They don’t want to put more money into it when they know they can make money as it is.

Hence the moral dilemma.

Remember, too, that much is subjective. What is good to a skilled writer is usually considered overkill by many people who really don’t give a rat’s ass, as long as there are no glaring errors and it’s legible.

Rachel does bring up a good suggestion though – one article (or section or paragraph – don’t give too much away) done to a T, pro bono. “This is what I could do for you. And these are the benefits for you when you have content like this…” and list them. Tell the client exactly WHY he should have GREAT content and not just… well, content.

Might work, might not!

To use the house painting analogy, if the homeowner wants a blue brick house, but all he has is a log cabin, it might be kinder to tell him.

This is all a long-winded way of saying that a gentle suggestion might not be a bad idea. Or, if you have the time to do a full re-write/revision of one section of this person’s work gratis–so he/she can see the improvements that COULD be made–you might end up with a higher-paying editing job on top of your existing copyediting.

Of course, if the client still can’t see the difference, no amount of negotiation will help you. Leading a horse to water and all that

If a painter is hired to paint a house blue when it would really look better in red with beige shutters, it is the painter’s job to suggest that. If the client says, “I’m paying you to paint my house blue and that’s what I want,” you have two choices.

Neither choice is right or wrong. You can uphold personal standards of integrity and turn the job down, or you can uphold personal standards of integrity and do the job well.

In this particular instance, my peace of mind–though troubled–is not keeping me up at night. Like I said, it’s not my dream job; it’s just a final product that lands below my standards.

I feel like I should stress, though, that money plays a really big role in this subject. I think it’s really easy to stand up and say, “I am a freelance writer of integrity. I would never sacrifice my ideals for pay.” I think it’s really hard to actually put that into practice when you are struggling to make ends meet.

Either talk it out with the client or withdraw from the project. Send an email saying, “I really don’t feel good about… and I think you should… as a professional, I feel I should advise you blah blah blah.” Sometimes that turns things around.

Or quit. “I don’t feel comfortable… the contract has become something I didn’t expect… blah blah.”

Like Michele said, it’s gut instinct. Listen to it, as a freelancer.

I’m a new freelancer, and here is how I answer that question for myself: I ask whether the questionable assignment will help me in my career, or whether my time is better spent trying to pull in the kinds of assignments I want.

So if a boring or low-paying job will end up making a great clip or resume point, or if the experience will teach me something I want to learn, I’ll go for it. But if the work is so awful I don’t get anything out of it, it’s a waste of my time and skills.