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Hi Reader,

My guess is that this has happened to you. It's certainly happened to me.

You sign a contract with a new client. The materials arrive. Then you wait for faculty scheduling to discuss content. And wait. And wait.

The problem here is that you've planned your schedule around this project. Maybe you've turned down other work, booked a trip, or told your other clients you're currently unavailable.

Why this keeps happening

Most freelance agreements in CME assume a linear timeline:

Sign → Start → Deliver → Get paid.

In CME, the start date often depends on someone else, and projects depend on people you, as the writer, have no control over: faculty, planning committees, content partners. But when the start date slips, the writer often absorbs the cost.

So here are four things to put in writing before you start working with a new client:

1. Make the start date conditional. Tie delivery dates to receiving what you need (e.g., materials, an approved outline or faculty sign-off), not to the calendar date in the contract.
2. Set a release date. Name the date by which those inputs need to arrive. If they don’t, release your slot and move the project to your next opening.
3. Require a scheduling fee. This is a good-faith signal to the client that they are reserving your time. You won’t always get it, but you’ll never get it if you don’t ask.
4. Write your payment terms into the agreement. Include net terms, when you’ll invoice, and what happens to active work if an invoice is overdue. Consider invoicing at milestones, such as outline approval and final delivery, so one stalled step doesn’t hold up the whole fee.

Pro tip: And here’s language you can adapt for your next agreement:

Delivery dates are confirmed once I receive [the approved outline / faculty sign-off]. If these are not received by [date], the project will move to my next available start date.

It’s one sentence, it isn’t a threat, and you invite client buy-in before you start the work.

🧰 Tool spotlight: CME Client Engagement Kit

This kit has templates to help you engage professionally and efficiently with clients:

• Scope of work, proposal, agreement, NDA and invoice templates
• Client onboarding and offboarding processes
• The CME Writing Project Scope Checklist for agreeing on deliverables and timelines before a project begins

👉 Get the Client Engagement Kit

Warmly,

WriteCME Roadmap is a GPS for new and seasoned medical writers who want to craft a sustainably profitable CME writing career.

This book is perfect for:

• Clinicians, scientists, and academics exploring a new career path
• New and experienced medical writers ready to break into the field
• Lifelong learners and information synthesizers who love to write
• Problem-solvers passionate about helping healthcare professionals improve patient outcomes

Alexandra Howson PhD, FACEhp is a writer, researcher, and podcaster who shares her deep expertise in health care and education with new-to-the-field or CME-curious professionals to help them create educational content with confidence. She hosts Write Medicine, the premier podcast for CME/CPD professionals like you, and runs WriteCME Pro, a professional development program with the only CPD-certified curriculum for CME writers.

Connect with Alex

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