Published but NOT Paid! Part I - Start Right To Avoid Problems
It's an unfortunate fact of a freelance writer's life that
sooner or later you will inevitably fall foul of a bad payer.
Hopefully this will be nothing more than a reluctance to hand
over the cash, but you should be prepared for worse. Most
freelance writers have to be prepared to fight tooth and nail
for payment on occasions so don't take it personally!
It has to be said, many new writers are often the cause of their
own payment difficulties so it is important to establish a code
of practise from the beginning to avoid trouble before it even
starts.
Articles submitted on spec. In case you don't know, this is the
term for articles sent to a magazine or website that has not
asked for them. The editor is under no obligation to look at
your work or even return it. However, if you have done your home
work properly you will have ensured the publication concerned
welcomes unsolicited material and does indeed offer payment for
it. If there are no payment details readily available then ask!
Email preferably, or by telephone.
When submitting your article make sure you have either quoted
the publications rate in figures or included the words "at your
usual rate". This makes it clear that you are a professional and
expect to be paid for your work. You also need to make it clear
whether photographs or other artwork are included in the fee or
if you expect separate payment for them. (You will need to find
out the publication's policy on this, most expect to pay a
separate fee for photographs, but not all).
Get some inclusion compliment slips printed to send with your
article. The one I use contains all my contact information, name
of publication, title of article, payment, what rights are
offered, details of photographs included and rights offered,
usually one time print rights or non-exclusive UK editorial
rights. The purpose behind all this is to rule out any
possibility of confusion. Both parties should know exactly where
they stand.
Hopefully your target publication will say "yes" to your
submission so the next step is to send a confirmation or thank
you email and ask where you should send the invoice. This may
not necessarily be to the editor but to an accounts department.
Getting it wrong can cause countless delays while someone makes
a half hearted search of the office. Usually you have to resend
which often puts you at the back of the payment queue. You also
need to know what their payment policy is if you haven't already
found this out. Most magazines and websites tend to pay on
publication, a few on acceptance. Be clear on this as you need
to know when to start chasing payment.
Commissioned articles These are articles that an editor has
specifically asked you to write, usually in response to a query
or pitch that you will have posted or emailed.
All of the above applies, but first you need to send some form
of confirmation, either by email or letter making it clear what
you are offering. This should include a brief description of the
article, what, if any, photographs you will be supplying, the
agreed rate and of course rights offered.
So far so good. You've presented yourself in a confident and
business like way and left no room for misunderstandings over
what you will be supplying, rights offered and payment expected.
The next step is to put the collection wheels in motion. You do
this by submitting an invoice. This is simply a request for
payment and without submitting one you will almost certainly
experience payment problems.
This often fazes new writers who fail to appreciate that most
publications are businesses accountable to VAT and tax
inspectors. They have to keep proper accounts and so should you!
In fact you must keep all correspondence including emails, faxes
and letters and also record details of phone calls if you
suspect there may be a problem.
Writer members of Writelink have a business pack that includes
templates for letter heads, invoices and statements as well as a
small business spreadsheet for keeping simple accounts. These
should form the staple part of every freelance writer's admin
arsenal. If you don't have this pack you can easily design your
own through most word processing packages.
Your invoice should contain your contact details, the
publications contact details, a unique number usually relating
to your filing system, date, description of what has been
supplied, price, (if you are registered for VAT this should be
shown separately), Vat number if applicable and finally your
payment terms, e.g. invoice to be paid within 14 days, one month
etc.
Send your invoice in as soon as your work has been accepted.
Don't wait for publication. With a bit of luck your cheque will
arrive when expected, if not read part II - How To Extract
Payment From Sticky Fingered Editors!