ArtlanceDirect← Back to Artlance

Commissioned writing for the art world, made simple.

Artlance Direct makes it easy for institutions, galleries, foundations, artists, collectors, or anyone else to commission Artlance writers for specifically non-critical writing — catalogue essays, exhibition narratives, press releases, web copy, profiles, artist bios, interviews, and more.

You choose the writers. You set the rates and deadlines. Artlance Direct facilitates the invitations, standardizes the agreement terms, and manages accountability and payment.

The process
1
Browse the roster
Artlance writers who have enrolled for Direct work make up the Direct roster. Approved commissioners browse it by service, region, and rate to see who fits the job. See who’s enrolled →
2
Complete the commission brief
Describe the project, set the deadline and your rate — per-word rates begin at $1.00/word, or offer a flat fee. Select the attribution terms (bylined vs. ghostwritten), the license (exclusive, non-exclusive, or full assignment), and the number of revision rounds included.
3
Invite writers
View the writers whose rate cards match your terms, then select up to five in the order you’d like them invited. Invitations go out one at a time, automatically, and each writer has a window you set — between 24 hours and one week — to accept or decline.
4
When a writer accepts
The queue stops. (If no one accepts, you can raise the rate or invite more writers and try again.) Payment is charged, and the Artlance Direct Services Agreement governs the contract.
5
Direct the work
Work with the writer toward the completion of the commission. Request revisions within the included rounds. Once you approve the final product, Artlance Direct releases payment to the writer.
Rates, fees and payments
Rates
You set your desired rate — e.g. $2.00/word, or a flat fee of $1,200 — and this filters for the writers whose rate cards make them eligible to take the commission.
Platform fee
Artlance Direct collects a 7.5% fee from both the writer and the commissioner for work sourced and conducted through Direct. For example: an exhibition narrative commissioned at 800 words for $2.00/word charges the commissioner $1,720 — $1,600 + $120 (the 7.5% platform fee).
Payment
Artlance Direct uses Stripe to process payments. Pay by credit card (additional 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee) or ACH bank transfer (no processing fee).
Criticism stays on Artlance.

Artlance Direct is for commissioning non-critical writing. Artlance is where you can commission genuine, independent art criticism — and the process is very different. Direct makes the process of conventional commissioning simple and standardized, and still gives commissioners access to the best art writers.

For Artlance commissions, click here →
Artlance Direct is currently invite-only.

If you’re interested in commissioning one of Artlance’s writers for Direct work, request an invitation and we’ll be in touch.

Request an invitation