Writers-do you provide samples of your work?

[the_romanticist]

My fellow writers and ghostwriters! Do you provide samples of your work or do you leave it up to the buyer’s discretion?

I initially had a few samples listed on my gig’s page and I also provided samples upon request, however, I decided to remove them after hearing some not so positive things from other writers on this site (they’ve had their work stolen, been taken advantage of, etc.) when it comes to posting samples. So my question is, should I or shouldn’t I?

As a writer, I’m skittish, but I know if I was a buyer looking to hire a writer, I would want to see a sample first. I suppose my real question is, do buyers have the right to expect to receive samples of a writer’s work first before they commit to hiring? Or should writer’s exercise extreme caution when they are asked to produce work before they have been paid? Thoughts?

[looseink]

No, no, no, never.

As a former newspaper owner/publisher I never offer samples of my work.

Ever.

EDIT: I may refer someone to my website to check out a blog I’ve written as an example of my work, but I will not cough up a sample.

[the_romanticist]

No, no, no, never.

As a former newspaper owner/publisher I never offer samples of my work.

Ever.

EDIT: I may refer someone to my website to check out a blog I’ve written as an example of my work, but I will not cough up a sample.

Great advice! Thank you so much! I completely understand your reason for not giving out samples. It is definitely a smart practice and one that I will adopt.

I can’t help but wonder though…other freelancers on this platform seem to give samples of their work to buyers before they purchase their gigs. For example, concept artists, book cover artists, logo makers, they all provide samples of their work in their gig’s ad.

I suppose this is just an example of the diverse nature of the work that freelancers offer on this platform and also, the old adage that what works for one seller may not work for another. 😀

[melanielm]

I have a few short things written on a Fiverr-approved portfolio site I can share with people who ask for samples. If someone steals those and uses them, it really doesn’t matter. (Not that I approve of that!) I never give custom samples or write a free paragraph for any potential buyer. If they’d like that, I send over a custom order for a low word count.

[thewritingbuff]

Samples as in working for free on a part of the project as a “test” from the buyer? No. Never. One buyer had approached me with such a proposal and I firmly refused.

Samples as in examples of previous work? Well, most of them are in Archive of Our Own so good luck plagiarising my 700 word dialogue-only fluff fanfiction 😶

[bintzia]

I redirect them to the links to published blog post/knowledge base on software websites.

[katakatica]

Samples as in working for free on a part of the project as a “test” from the buyer? No. Never. One buyer had approached me with such a proposal and I firmly refused.

Samples as in examples of previous work? Well, most of them are in Archive of Our Own so good luck plagiarising my 700 word dialogue-only fluff fanfiction 😶

I do provide samples (but just a few days back something odd happened as a new seller asked for one and then disappeared (…as in their entire account did, I wasn’t just blocked…) but it’s mostly things I wouldn’t mind if they were stolen (…like my personal novel’s outline. No one’s demented enough to write it… it’s pretty crazy 😃 I think it’s normal to be expected to show prior work but I don’t disclose which games I’m working on (even if I will be credited) just because I feel that could create needless tension so…yeah.

Samples as in examples of previous work? Well, most of them are in Archive of Our Own so good luck plagiarising my 700 word dialogue-only fluff fanfiction 😶

I still have a few 100k and up angsty fics up from wayyy back in time. I always think ‘if you want it, take it’ (although I don’t mention them as examples because… it’s been a while…)

[allienapz]

Hi friend!

This is such a good question and, as a new member to Fiverr, one I’ve thought about myself. I think I plan on using samples of previous projects once I start to get them on this platform. Although, I’m specializing in blog and article writing - not so much fiction or creative work. I can see how you would be protective of creative writing!

-Allie

[the_romanticist]

No, no, of course, I would never write something custom or new for free. Never. I meant more like posting little snippets of your work on your gig’s ad page or giving out a paragraph or two to demonstrate your ability and style.

Also, as most of you mentioned, I have no problem giving out access to my overdramatized Harry Potter fanfics from ten years ago, although to be honest, they’re probably quite embarrassing to read now :rofl:

[imagination7413]

Have you read this thread yet? So You Want to Hire a Writer - Should You ask for Samples?

[the_romanticist]

Have you read this thread yet? So You Want to Hire a Writer - Should You ask for Samples?

Yes! I have! It is what first led me to consider the whole quandary of offering samples. It was indeed a quite enlightening and insightful thread. 😊

Edit to add: by giving a sample of work, I do not mean something one has produced for a client. It should go without saying, but I just want to be clear. By sample, I mean something original that I have produced, not something I have written or created for a client. 😀

[aaron20201]

As someone who hires a lot of writers, I need to see something to show the person is competent. On Fiverr, the first sample of your writing I see is your proposal. If it uses complete sentences, is free of emojis, and no words are in all-caps, you’re already in the top 5%. A generic sample is fine, it doesn’t take more than 200-300 words to see that someone understands basic grammar and syntax. After that, I’m happy to hire someone for a small paid job before sending them larger work. I quite often hire 2 or 3 people to write the same thing as a test, then hire the best for the remainder of my work.