5 Reasons Why Authors Should Accept Online Payments

This is a guest post by Kimberley Laws.

Times have changed since the days of freelance writing in front of a clunky manual typewriter. You know, the ones with the keys that would get tied up in knots every time your typing fingers moved a little too quickly. As you tried to pry them apart, your fingers would wind up a black smudgy mess. And no amount of Ivory soap could wash them clean.

Our modern world has also bid farewell to the days of handing your editor an actual sheet of paper and awaiting your cheque in the mail. Sheets of paper have turned into blog posts, and payments are made online. And, thankfully, you can type as quickly as you want—no soap required.

No matter how firmly you try to hold on to the way you’ve always done business in the past, there are countless benefits to accepting online compensation by accepting payments online. And here is why.

1. It’s Quick. To borrow an old cliché, online payments are literally "faster than a speeding bullet". You are no longer at the mercy of the postal service to maintain a steady cash flow. Nor will you ever be required to solve the mystery of the missing cheque in the mail. Online payments are fast and traceable.

   Furthermore, online credit card payments are processed instantly, which means that you no longer have to worry about rubber cheques or counterfeit money orders. Once the transaction is approved, the money is yours.

2. It’s Easy. Let’s face it—everyone loves a shortcut. If you could get a dreaded task done in less than half the time it usually takes, would you not go for it? Of course, you would. And writing and recording a cheque, searching for an authorized signature, getting a paper cut from the envelope, and licking the toxic glue on a pile of stamps are not exactly the highlights of one’s day. A simple click of a keyboard button, however, is a breeze.

3. It Makes Recordkeeping Simple. Again, no one likes to push paper. Online payments allow you to do away with paper files, mailing invoices, and recording payments. Services like Intuit and PayPal take care of that for you.

   You can spend less time writing invoices and more time composing blog posts—which will increase your output and raise your income substantially. Plus, it keeps all your invoicing in one place, which will alleviate much of your tax time stresses.

4. You Can Write from Anywhere. Some freelance bloggers write for businesses that reside in countries far, faraway. If you are relying on snail mail for payment, you may celebrate a few birthdays before the cheque arrives. Plus, depositing a foreign cheque can be a complicated and risky endeavour. It can take eons to ensure that the funds have safely cleared.

   Processing deposits in Croatian Kuna and Peruvian Nuevo Sols was starting to have an adverse effect on your friendly neighborhood bank teller. But thanks to online payments, you can take on interesting and lucrative jobs from abroad and still get paid in good old American funds.

   

   How on earth do I convert Maldivian rufiyaa into U.S. dollars? Why couldn’t this idiot just accept online payments?

5. It’s the “green” thing to do. If you strive to be an environmentally friendly individual, online payments are the way to go. Not only do they save paper by eliminating the need for cheques and envelopes, but they also contribute to lighter mail loads—which saves fuel and cuts down on air pollution.

   Because most freelance bloggers work from home, it also allows you to avoid trips to the bank and the post office. This not only lowers your fuel consumption, but it also saves you time and money. Plus, you don’t have to suffer the tedium of actually having to get dressed and leave the comfort of your own home.

6. It’s “Open” 24 Hours a Day. Unlike the postal service or your financial institution, online payment services are always open for business. If your client is a night owl, they can pay your invoice while baying at the moon.

The bottom line is that you need to make life easy for your clients and offering online payment options does exactly that. This will ensure that they enjoy doing business with you and continue to do so in the future.

How has accepting online payments benefited your writing or blogging career?

Photo credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/705116

About the author
Kimberley Laws is a freelance writer and avid blogger. She loves to Google herself, but is extremely depressed by the fact that all the other “Kim Laws’s” of the world seem to lead much more exciting lives. Perhaps she should spice up her image a bit with the help of an online reputation service.