(www.inkthinkerblog.com) — If you like Inkthinker and Sass Pants, you may want to consider purchasing Thesis, the theme I used to create them both. It’s super user friendly and very easy to customize, and I have had a great time playing with it.

Right now, they’re offering a 20% discount for the first 150 people to use the discount code. That makes it:

$69.60 for Thesis Personal
$131.20 for Thesis Developer
$61.60 for Developer Upgrade

Here’s the link: Buy Thesis Now
Here’s the code: 20D03977D0

It’s for the first 150 people only, so buy now or forever pay full price. Until the next time there’s a sale, anyway.

Contents Copyright © 2006-2014 Kristen King

(www.inkthinkerblog.com) — Last night, I had the pleasure of listening to my friend’s side of a phone conversation with an extremely difficult former client who just won’t leave him alone. (My friend is not a writer, but is self-employed.)

The background:

• My friend sells this guy a product.
• The guy breaks the product and demands a replacement.
• My friend says, “Okay, this is how much it will be.”
• The guy threatens to sic his lawyer on my friend for not replacing it for free.
• Repeat ad nauseam.

Evidently this has been going on for several weeks now, and last night’s phone call was the culmination of all that frustration. Here’s approximately what I heard:

“I have already told you three times, I gave you what you asked for, you used it for something different, and you broke it. I’m not going to replace it for free. You need to buy something different.

“Why would you have your lawyer call me? …Okay, fine, give me your lawyer’s phone number and I will have my lawyer call him. …No, just give me his phone number. I’m not going through this will you again. I have already told you three times that I gave you what you asked me for. I don’t have the kind of money to just go replacing things for free after you break them because you told me the wrong thing.

“Well you can’t replace it with the same thing because you’re just going to break it again. …$300. No, I am not going to give it to you for free. You’re not listening to me. I gave you what you asked for. You used it for something completely different and broke it. I’m not replacing it for free.

“Fine, give me your lawyer’s phone number and I will have my lawyer call him. …You’re the one who wants to get your lawyer involved, not me. …Then stop threatening me with your lawyer.

“No, $300. …NO, THREE HUNDRED. What part of this aren’t you understanding?

“Fine. …Saturday. …Three hundred dollars.”

“Okay, okay, listen to me very carefully, because you are not going to like hearing this. Are you listening? After I do this for you on Saturday, I don’t want you to call me ever again. I am done. I don’t work for you anymore. If you break it again, you are on your own. Do not ever call me again after Saturday. Am I being clear? I don’t ever want to hear from you again after this. …Yes, I’m serious. Never again. I am done with you. I’m not dealing with this crap anymore. …Seriously.

“Okay, I will see you on Saturday morning.”

I just about leapt out of my seat when the call ended, I was so impressed. The thing that blew me away about it is how calm my friend was the whole time. No squeaky nervous voice, no hands shaking, no red face, just plain and simple and calm and firm. What the client was demanding was the equivalent of someone buying a new car, driving it around in first gear with the parking brake on at 60 MPH for a month, and then demanding that the dealership give him a new car because “It doesn’t work. you gave me a crappy car.” It was completely absurd, and I don’t know HOW I would have handled it.

“That was awesome,” I said when he hung up.

“I need a cigarette,” he replied.

What was your best response to an unreasonable client? Or what do you WISH you had thought to say at the time?

Contents Copyright © 2006-2014 Kristen King

(www.inkthinkerblog.com) — For all you lit fans out there, Narrative Magazine has announced the three winners and 10 finalists for the 30 Below contest. Feeling inspired? Enter the Fall Fiction Contest (deadline: November 30). You could win as much as $3,000 and serious bragging rights.

And while you’re there, check out my client Robert Friedman’s reader narrative.

Contents Copyright © 2006-2014 Kristen King

(www.inkthinkerblog.com) — For those of you who may be a bit behind in your blog reading, you need to get over to Freelance Writing Jobs sooner rather than later, because Deb Ng transformed the number 1 freelance writing job site on the ‘net into a while network of blogs for freelancers earlier this fall. And boy oh boy, is it ever good.

* Freelance Writing Jobs for Web and Print by Jodee Redmond and others
* Article Writing Tips by Terreece Clarke
* Business Writing Tips for Writers by James Chartrand (of Men With Pens)
* Network Blogging Tips by Jennifer Chait, David Peralty and Deborah Ng
* Tips for Finding Jobs and Markets by Jodee Redmond

And as if that weren’t handy enough, all you have to do to find great and timely info is visit the original FWJ page for links to all 5 blogs and their 3 most recent posts.

Any freelance writing resources you’d like to share? Leave a comment.

Contents Copyright © 2006-2014 Kristen King