Many freelance writers think it’s bad business to turn down freelance writing work. While I agree that it’s better to be busy than be without work, and I agree that it’s good business to keep clients as happy as possible, I do think there are some very legitimate situations where turning down certain freelance writing gigs is a good move. Of course, if you know another freelance writer to recommend for the job, extra points for you.

1. You’re too busy.

You’re so overloaded with work that you just don’t have the time to dedicate to something new. If you’ll have to be asking for deadline extensions or doing sloppy work to fit the client in, then it’s better for your freelance writing career to simply take a pass.

2. The job requires too much commitment.

I’ve said it before, but I think it’s worth repeating. Taking on any one client who consumes so much of your time that you won’t have any time left for other clients or looking for new work is a bad move.

3. The client is too high-maintenance.

If you’ve worked with a client once and found his personality incompatible, or he makes you chase your paycheck, or he changes his mind every three minutes, there’s no good reason you should waste your time taking on a new contract with this type of client.

4. The client wants you to do something you feel is unethical.

My general rule is that if someone asks me to do something that makes me nauseated, I won’t do it. For me, this includes — to name only a few — plagiarism (i.e., “re-writing” someone else’s content), writing biased positive reviews (of something I’ve never used/seen/read or something I don’t feel deserves a positive review), or writing on any topic that goes against my core moral values.

5. The pay isn’t worth it.

Never take a job that doesn’t pay well enough, unless you’re doing it for fun rather than for profit.

6. The job is out of your area of expertise and/or will require too much research.

I’ve been offered some jobs that involve writing something I simply don’t feel qualified to write. Unless I can thoroughly research the topic or interview credible sources (and the client is willing to pay for my time to do so), I’ll turn down these types of gigs.

7. It’s a large job from a first-time client who refuses to give you partial payment up front.

After getting screwed out of a large chunk of change, I implemented a policy for first-time clients asking me to do anything time consuming. My theory is, if a client can’t afford to pay me at least a third up front, then they probably won’t be able to pay me after the job is done. The only reasonable alternative I’ve used is for bulk article writing jobs, wherein I’ll do only one article and then demand payment before doing the others. Even then, I’ll ask to get paid every ten or so articles for large jobs, unless I’ve worked with the client previously.

8. The job pays on publication, but the publication date is not disclosed or is too far into the future.

I’ve applied for a few gigs, mostly with online magazines, where I get a response that the publication hasn’t launched yet. If a publication hasn’t launched yet, and they want to pay me on publication, I’ll turn down the gig. For magazines that pay on publication, but they’re so backlogged that they don’t publish for three or four months, I’ll also take a pass. I’m one of those writers that needs to pay my bills as they’re due, not six months from now. Lots of folks may be in a position to wait that long, but I’m not one of them.

9. The client won’t sign your contract or offer you one of his own (or his terms are unacceptable to you).

Obviously, if the terms of a client’s contract aren’t acceptable to me, I won’t work for him. Here’s my policy for clients who don’t use their own contract: If the job pays over $100, I use a letter of agreement (this is less formal than a contract, so it doesn’t usually frighten away informal clients, but it’s still legally binding). I sum up the terms discussed, including the details of the project, due dates for the finished work product (sometimes stages, like first draft, revisions, etc depending on the project), and the date by which I’ll be paid. If a client refuses to sign my letter of agreement, I won’t work with him. I feel that any legitimate person hiring a writer should be willing to agree to the terms of the project. If not, I risk getting screwed.

10. The client seems fishy.

I’ve turned down many jobs from first-time clients simply on the basis of I’ve had a gut feeling something was going to go wrong. My theory is that I’d rather turn down a gig and use the time finding one I can feel sure is legit rather than waste my time and find out later that I was right. Always follow your gut. Writers who don’t are usually sorry later.