Published but Not Paid - Avoid This

It's an unfortunate fact of a freelance writer's life thatsooner or later you will inevitably fall foul of a bad payer.Hopefully this will be nothing more than a reluctance to handover the cash, but you should be prepared for worse. Mostfreelance writers have to be prepared to fight tooth and nailfor payment on occasions so don't take it personally!

It has to be said, many new writers are often the cause of theirown payment difficulties so it is important to establish a codeof practise from the beginning to avoid trouble before it evenstarts.

Articles submitted on spec. In case you don't know, this is theterm for articles sent to a magazine or website that has notasked for them. The editor is under no obligation to look atyour work or even return it. However, if you have done your homework properly you will have ensured the publication concernedwelcomes unsolicited material and does indeed offer payment forit. If there are no payment details readily available then ask!Email preferably, or by telephone.

When submitting your article make sure you have either quotedthe publications rate in figures or included the words "at yourusual rate". This makes it clear that you are a professional andexpect to be paid for your work. You also need to make it clearwhether photographs or other artwork are included in the fee orif you expect separate payment for them. (You will need to findout the publication's policy on this, most expect to pay aseparate fee for photographs, but not all).

Get some inclusion compliment slips printed to send with yourarticle. The one I use contains all my contact information, nameof publication, title of article, payment, what rights areoffered, details of photographs included and rights offered,usually one time print rights or non-exclusive UK editorialrights. The purpose behind all this is to rule out anypossibility of confusion. Both parties should know exactly wherethey stand.

Hopefully your target publication will say "yes" to yoursubmission so the next step is to send a confirmation or thankyou email and ask where you should send the invoice. This maynot necessarily be to the editor but to an accounts department.Getting it wrong can cause countless delays while someone makesa half hearted search of the office. Usually you have to resendwhich often puts you at the back of the payment queue. You alsoneed to know what their payment policy is if you haven't alreadyfound this out. Most magazines and websites tend to pay onpublication, a few on acceptance. Be clear on this as you needto know when to start chasing payment.

Commissioned articles These are articles that an editor hasspecifically asked you to write, usually in response to a queryor pitch that you will have posted or emailed.

All of the above applies, but first you need to send some formof confirmation, either by email or letter making it clear whatyou are offering. This should include a brief description of thearticle, what, if any, photographs you will be supplying, theagreed rate and of course rights offered.

So far so good. You've presented yourself in a confident andbusiness like way and left no room for misunderstandings overwhat you will be supplying, rights offered and payment expected.

The next step is to put the collection wheels in motion. You dothis by submitting an invoice. This is simply a request forpayment and without submitting one you will almost certainlyexperience payment problems.

This often fazes new writers who fail to appreciate that mostpublications are businesses accountable to VAT and taxinspectors. They have to keep proper accounts and so should you!In fact you must keep all correspondence including emails, faxesand letters and also record details of phone calls if yoususpect there may be a problem.

Writer members of Writelink have a business pack that includestemplates for letter heads, invoices and statements as well as asmall business spreadsheet for keeping simple accounts. Theseshould form the staple part of every freelance writer's adminarsenal. If you don't have this pack you can easily design yourown through most word processing packages.

Your invoice should contain your contact details, thepublications contact details, a unique number usually relatingto your filing system, date, description of what has beensupplied, price, (if you are registered for VAT this should beshown separately), Vat number if applicable and finally yourpayment terms, e.g. invoice to be paid within 14 days, one monthetc.

Send your invoice in as soon as your work has been accepted.Don't wait for publication. With a bit of luck your cheque willarrive when expected, if not read part II - How To ExtractPayment From Sticky Fingered Editors