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Topic: how many emails about payment before ...
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| NYC Writer | Posted – 1/28/2008 10:05:50 PM | show profile you're badgering an magazine editor? Story wrapped in early/mid Dec. Sent a polite note at start of new year, barely mentioning payment. (Didn't write back) Waited two weeks, sent another note, still nothing. Waited another week, sent another note, nothing. This editor came somewhat highly recommended, I met with the editor, and unless said editor is on vacation or was let go, I'm very surprised to not hear anything back. Do I call at this point? Don't want to ruin future opps, but this is a nice-sized check I could use. |
| copyeditrix | Posted – 1/28/2008 10:10:17 PM | show profile Have you tried ... ... calling the accounts payable office instead of the editor? I've done that in the past to avoid nagging editors. If that doesn't work, I would call your editor directly and politely ask about your check. |
| seeattleme | Posted – 1/28/2008 11:58:24 PM | show profile or call the editor's assistant. |
| joyeuxnoelle | Posted – 1/29/2008 12:23:36 AM | show profile | email poster I'm not one of those nasty people who is trying to pick a part everything you say, but have you considered that the editor doesn't realize that you are writing to inquire about payment? If you barely mentioned payment the first time, is it possible that the editor doesn't see that you are writing to follow up about payment; he or she might think these are casual emails and is hence ignoring them. What does your contract say about payment? Does it give a range for payment on acceptance or publication? I had a pub stipulate that the payment could take as long as 60 days after the invoice was received. ... You have submitted an invoice right? For one of my first assignments, I kept waiting for someone to tell me it was ok to submit the invoice and the ed didn't need anything else from me. I agree with the person who said to check with the accounting dept to find out what you need to do to get paid. Keep us posted and good luck! |
| editpyschic | Posted – 1/29/2008 3:40:15 AM | show profile | email poster Find out the exact terms then politely but directly ask the editor when you can expect your check. A phone call is probably a good idea, but even if you write an email, don't beat around the bush trying not to offend the editor. I've worked as a freelancer for a company that consistently paid 3-4 weeks late, but at one point, I bugged them politely but regularly for four months until they went bankrupt and couldn't pay me (and lots of other people) at all. Chances are that it's not the editor holding up your check; it's just that s/he is responsible for communicating with you. I've also been on the other side, as an editor's assistant (not in magazines, though), where the editor and I both had to lie through our teeth that the check was coming, or would be there in 2 weeks, etc., until it was really late and we'd have to get the publisher to intervene. That company was financially healthy, but there were "cash flow" problems. Anyway, I would double-check the terms with either A/P or the editor when you follow up again (eg. I thought your payment terms were 30 days and I sent my invoice on XX/XX...). Then you'll both know exactly when you are/were supposed to get the check, so you can feel more legit in continuing to ask about it, perhaps weekly, until you get it. |
| seeattleme | Posted – 1/29/2008 1:11:06 PM | show profile I just got a check for work completed in May 2005, finally ran September 2006. The kicker? The exasperated editor, after I wrote emails inquiring about payment every two months for a solid year(to her, her assistant, and accounts payable, on a rotating basis) emails me, "Why didn't you do something about this sooner?This makes ME look bad to the managing editor!" |
| foodlit | Posted – 1/29/2008 1:35:11 PM | show profile Did you send the invoice over by email? I'd resend it, with a little note saying, "I haven't received payment, so want to make sure you received this. Who should I follow up with?" If you don't hear within a few days call and leave a voice message and also call Accounts Payable. Wait two days, call again. Repeat, until situation is remedied. Persistence pays. I wouldnt' worry about ruining future opportunities, you're just looking to be paid for work you've done. Nothing wrong with that. |
| seeattleme | Posted – 1/30/2008 12:03:30 AM | show profile foodlit, not exactly wrong, BUT... the original poster is correct to be concerned. A friend of mine wrote a piece for the now-defunct Mademoiselle and, seven months after the story ran, hadn't received her check. When she called her editor to inquire about it, she was told "I'll process it today and you'll get it in 8 weeks or so." My friend said she assumed the check had been processed after the story was accepted for publication, as per the terms of the contract (nicely, as she's very Southern). The editor immediately got all pissy with her and spat out, "Well, shit, if you're DESPERATE I can put a rush on it." She pitched ideas, but never worked for the magazine again. Went on to write big stories for Glamour and O magazine, but still... |
| InsomniacNOT | Posted – 1/30/2008 11:04:38 AM | show profile I write on all my invoices "payment within 30 days." After 30 days I phone and follow up politely. "Hello. It's been 30 days. Could you please inform me what's happened to my payment." As Foodlit recommends, I continue politely and persistently until I get my cheque. In almost all cases, the situation is remedied within days. A few people will take my persistence to mean I'm "desperate," but who cares. That's their problem. I do the work and expect to be paid on time just like they do. And just like all contractors do. Having a collection policy and sticking to it keeps the cash flowing. I cannot recommend it strongly enough. |
| foodlit | Posted – 1/30/2008 11:24:08 AM | show profile Granitegirl, That is just awful of that editor! I can't fathom someone being so obnoxious, when they're months late on paying to respond by saying, "you'll have it in 8 weeks'. That is just rude and inconsiderate, and I personally wouldn't want to work with that editor again. When she offered to pay it sooner and got pissy, that is just ridiculous. Are you saying that you should put up with that? I just think of the saying "Nothing personal, just business." Part of business is getting paid on time, for work you've done. If asking for that pisses off an editor, then they are unprofessional and immature. Just my two cents! Pam |
| seeattleme | Posted – 1/30/2008 1:32:31 PM | show profile well, food lit, that editor(the obnoxious one) still gets plenty of work, sadly. her byline is everywhere. Adding anything to your contract can result in the contract not being processed at all (at all the mags I've written for , anyway). Most actually say so in the text. And most magazines only require an invoice if the contract has been lost or something, or if they prefer that method to contracts. |
| seeattleme | Posted – 1/30/2008 1:37:24 PM | show profile oh and foodlit, if it were just a case of "not working with an editor at a publication", it'd be one thing. But in most situations, writers work with a certain editor, and if you piss that editor off, you'll find it hard to get work for the magazine the editor works at. No, I'm not saying that her behavior was appropriate, or acceptable, or even common. I'm just saying the little golden rules of "professionalism" don't generally apply to those in power (editors who assign the stories to begin with and have regular paychecks) and choosing "not to work with" an editor is a luxury few freelancers can afford to make. |
| foodlit | Posted – 1/30/2008 2:09:36 PM | show profile That just stinks. Hopefully karma will eventually catch up with editor. :) Pam |
| seeattleme | Posted – 1/31/2008 1:17:52 AM | show profile one can only hope, but after 2 decades and counting in the magazine business I wouldn't hold my breath. |
| HyancinthGirl | Posted – 1/31/2008 12:29:08 PM | show profile copyeditrix has a very good point about calling the accounting department. When we had freelancers, I spent a good deal of time tracking down payment information from incessant freelancers who (rightfully) wanted their payment. I had to take the brunt of freelancers' attitudes (understandable, as I was the point of contact) when it was the accounting department that wasn't doing their jobs. But even after I referred the freelancer to the AP, s/he in general ended up calling me again and again when s/he didn't get the response they wanted from the AP person. It's a huge distraction to any editor when a freelancer calls 4 times a day and sends emails as many times, especially when I've directed their issue to the AP. I really didn't like being harassed, and most times I just resort to ignoring the emails, even for pitches. |
| foodlit | Posted – 1/31/2008 12:41:33 PM | show profile Emailing or calling anyone 4 times a day is ridiculous. |
| seeattleme | Posted – 1/31/2008 2:11:41 PM | show profile Hycinth Girl, if you assigned the story and signed the contract agreeing to pay the writer for the story, you are responsible for getting the writer paid. YOU could avoid being harassed by calling the billing department yourself and fixing the mess. People have to pay their bills. Freelancers have bills, too. We wait long enough for our checks as it is (and don't even get them until AFTER the story's been reported, researched, written, approved, and in some cases, published). Is it really too much to ask that we get paid for our work in the timely manner explained to us when we take the assignment on and sign the contracts? I realize the particulars of your situation may be different, but at any national magazine an editor who directs the writer to the finance department or accounts payable and ignores the writer's continiung questions about payment --and then request for future work!--because you're pissy about the bother" -- any EIC at a national magaine would eventually have to think twice about keeping said assigning editor on staff. Four times a day is extreme, but if I don't pay my rent on time you know how many times a day my landlord is banging on my door? How often the credit card companies call me a day if I'm a week late on my payments? In this economy, people want and more importantly NEED their money NOW! YESTERDAY! Maybe she's calling four times a day because she thinks the company is going bankrupt. That's certainly happened to freelancers in the past few years. Its happening throughout the print industry. |
| HyancinthGirl | Posted – 2/1/2008 5:55:24 PM | show profile I don't appreciate the tone, granitegirl. While this board may be full of freelancers, I also have a job to do, even if I happen to work in an office. Like hounding freelancers to get their work in when the deadline has past. (But never more than twice in one day will I "harass" a freelancer, and that's only if the deadline is past.) I do take each and every phone call that comes my way when it involves payment, even when I'm smack in the middle of a deadline week, and I walk immediately down to the AP woman to see about the check. But making upwards of 4 calls per day plus emails is excessive by any standards. It doesn't foster good will. It's akin to a bill collector. And I especially don't like it when I've already spoken to them, given them the tracking number of their package, and they want me to do something about FedEx not getting to their house by 10 am. I always pay my freelancers well BEFORE the 60 days (after publication) that are noted on my contract, and I, unlike other publishing houses, express mail it. They just happen to expect it before the 60-day cutoff because of the precident I've set. There is never more than 90 days between when the story was contracted to be written and when the freelancer is paid, and 90 days is RARE. I think that is more than fair. In one trying case I even overnighted a personal money order to a writer before we went to press because she was flat broke. She gave me the story on Monday and I rushed the edit so we could pay her. When I freelanced, I would often collect my payments 6-9 months after the fact. I know what it's like, but I also know that I would never have the GALL to harass an editor for payment like some of the people I've contracted. Hence why they are no longer working for me. NYC Writer obviously has a different problem, so my recommendation is to speak with the AP person, chain of command or not. |
| Yam | Posted – 2/4/2008 8:23:25 PM | show profile I agree with the posters above about contacting accounting directly. About a year ago I wrote a piece for a large regional newspaper's Sunday magazine. I got in touch with my editor every few weeks for a few months to follow up about payment, but I got the sense that there was some confusion between my editor and the folks who processed the paperwork. So I called the newspaper's general 800 number, asked for the accounting department, and got a live person on the phone. At the beginning of the call the woman told me they were missing some paperwork from me (the same paperwork I had already faxed over twice before), but while I was on the phone and she was searching through her digital files she realized they had the needed paperwork. I got the check a few weeks later and I was able to stop nagging my editor. |
| seeattleme | Posted – 2/5/2008 12:43:23 AM | show profile Tone is difficult to comprehand on email and kindof a waste of time to try and do. Not to mention silly. The point is, and I'm speaking from experience on both sides of the desk --a freelance writer signing the contract and an editor prepapring the contract--if you assign a writer to write a story and that writer calls you and says she hasn't been paid, and it's past the time specified on the contract, it's your job to see that the contract was put through and payment is made. I'm sure you are busy. So am I. Except I don't get paid until my work is done and running. You get paid every week if you are a staff editor. Correct? Now, if you work at a smaller publication, I can see where you are wearing a lot of hats and it's easier to just give the writer the contract number and havbe he/she hound about for payment. Understandable, but not ethical and not responsible. My experience has been with the big three (Conde Nast, Time, Hearst). And those editors generally have assistants . And those assistants are hired to primarily draw up, process, and submit contracts. When a writer does not get paid, it is the assistant's job to track it down and deal with it. I know this because I did it. For Mitch Albom. For Walter Kirn. For Ron Rosenbaum. For Jennet Connant. For Jennifer Senior. For Stephanie Dolgoff. For Vanessa Whatshername. If you assign a story to a writer, it's your responsibility to make sure he/she gets paid. Or your assistant's, if you have one. Whoever SIGNED the contract right next to the writer's name. Don't rely on me for this info. Since my tone is so abrasive and all. Ask anyone. Ask a professional writer. Or look on any one of the upteen thousand "I haven't been paid" or "having problems getting paid" posts on this board. For Chrissakes. |
| seeattleme | Posted – 2/5/2008 12:50:55 AM | show profile and for the record: I said 4 times was excessive. But when certain pubs fold, like Blueprint did recently, freelancers panick because they realize if they don't get paid in eight weeks they NEVER WILL. If the pub folds up and abandons office, it's pretty hard to collect payment and even harder to sue. If youa re not responding to a writer, he/she may assume you are folding, as many print medias are doing these days at the drop of a hat--with no warning. DEspite, as in the case of Ellegirl, making handsome profits. And two: The freelancers missing deadlines is not in any way related to your making sure they get paid. Nice try. What, if the writers you hire and assign are unprofessional that means you can be unprofessional, too? The logic doesn't follow and you'll ruin your reputation as a professional if you in any way link a freelance writer's behavior with your own. And if it's retalitory, that just smells bad. It's also a sue-worthy issue. If your writers are flakes, hire different writers. In a twenty plus year career I've missed maybe four deadlines, and these were by a day or so and usually related to a source being flakey and pulling out of a story (people don't really trust the press these days, ya know?) But to bitch about flaky writers on a post about payment--I'm lost, frankly. It's like men who cheat on their wives complaining that the wife put on a lot of weight after having kids. Don't hold. |
| beenthere | Posted – 2/5/2008 1:08:21 PM | show profile So entertaining, so SO entertaining. In any case, sometimes the editors are not the ones submitting the invoices. Sometimes the editors aren't even aware of what the payment structure is. At one place I worked, the assignment payments were worked out above our heads. Contacting me about payment was futile as I had no--I repeat--NO INFLUENCE on the writer getting paid. All I could do was verify that said writer had submitted said stories to the powers that be. My input meant NADA re cutting a check. Find out who can best help you from speaking with your editor, and contact that person directly. At one pub I do work for, I submit the invoice to an admin in the edit dept., completely bypassing the editor. Why? Because that's how THEY do it and I get paid. If it's late, I don't contact the editor, because I know she can't help me. Again, get the name of the person who is best able to get results, who deals directly with A/P. Most likely, it will not be your editor. |
| kitty54 | Posted – 2/11/2008 2:15:46 PM | show profile how many emails about a payment before... I have not called an editor 4 times in a day. I have written for a publication and still have not been paid since Aug issue. Talked to the pubisher directly and he promised me two weeks ago that he was putting my check in the mail that day. Still have yet to see it. Do I contact an attorney or call him agian. I have been through my editor, their accounting and now him. I am not writing another word for them. |
| FeaturesGal | Posted – 2/11/2008 2:51:01 PM | show profile Similar situation is happening to me. Magazine name wouldn't happen to start with D, would it? |
| kitty54 | Posted – 2/11/2008 4:30:12 PM | show profile No, featuresgal it doesn't. Good luck with your situation. At least I have enough clips to move on. Hopefully to better publications. |
