Comments on: Download my plain English copywriting contract

By: Dawn Comber

Dawn Comber — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:38:26 +0000

Hi John,

(I know this is a really late comment but I just found you now!) Thank you very much for sharing the contract that you developed over years of experience. I have been using my quotes as the contract but I realise that some important items are not clearly spelled out in my quote. I will use your contract as a “template” but will customize it (and perhaps shorten it) for my clients. I’ll share my final version with you soon. Another business task.

Cheers, Dawn

By: FAQ: I’ve been awarded a project via Freelancer.com. Now what? « Lisa A. Martin

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 23:17:31 +0000

[...] contract (and I HIGHLY recommend that you have one. If you haven’t got one yet, try amending this one for your own needs). Tell them that you’re looking forward to starting the project, but you [...]

By: Lisa Martin

Lisa Martin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 08:49:54 +0000

Thanks John, your contract is really helpful!

By: Business relationships: 11 things to do at the start - Bad Language

Business relationships: 11 things to do at the start - Bad Language — Thu, 20 May 2010 12:08:08 +0000

[...] are from Venus, so agreeing what is in scope is very important. I use a detailed project brief. John McGarvey prefers a more formal [...]

By: Ben Locker

Ben Locker — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 11:29:12 +0000

Brilliant idea, and so kind of you to share it. Something like this would have saved me a lot of hassle on a couple of occasions.

By: Herding clients? Get a good contract. — Bad Language

Herding clients? Get a good contract. — Bad Language — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:38:25 +0000

[...] McGarvey has produced a really nice plain English contract for copywriting. I do things a bit differently but we share the same [...]

By: John

John — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:52:19 +0000

Thanks for the comments.

@Alistair- you’re welcome, let me know if you find it useful. I’ve stuck my netbook on eBay in an obvious ploy to let someone else have the hassle of fixing it. Replacement screens are about £70, so it’d be a bargain for anyone who can fix it themselves.

@Matthew- likewise, thanks. Probably worth reiterating that I don’t see it as a substitute for maintaining communications and doing all the other stuff that ensures a good relationship, but I think it can be a useful tool. I’ve used it with a few clients now – no complaints so far!

By: Matthew Stibbe

Matthew Stibbe — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:39:04 +0000

John, I think this is a very helpful contribution and it’s noble of you to share it. Agreeing contract terms up front like this could be a really good way of educating a client in how to use a writer properly. I’m blogging about it on Thursday.

By: Alistair

Alistair — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:46:54 +0000

Gosh, thanks for the contract doc. Very welcome. Sorry about your netbook. My own powerbook G4 is teetering towards meltdown and the screen is a patchwork of glowing blobs. It’s probably not worth fixing it but I’m struggling to justify buying a new one – at three times the price of a Windows laptop.