Words on the Page

Fight or Flight

Posted on by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Itchin’ on a Photograph by Grouplove Don’t forget–next week is the Trade Magazine webinar! Sign up here and get the two-session series. A slow, slightly frustrating day yesterday. I did get done all I had to, but little of what I wanted to. I have an article due that’s hanging over me like…

Wednesday Workshops

Posted on by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Ten Thousand Words by The Avett Brothers Did I really just have a day where I wasn’t running full throttle? I can’t tell you how refreshing it was to get done all those small projects I’ve been putting off until I had time. I even had extra time to record an…

Technology Rocks

Posted on by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Ten Thousand Words by The Avett Brothers Don’t forget–next week is the Trade Magazine webinar! Sign up here and get the two-session series. Yesterday was an unexpected break from the madness that has been my last two months. I had two phone calls scheduled that never occurred, and while that…

Disabled

Posted on by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Through the Dirt and the Gravel by We Were Promised Jetpacks Lovely, albeit hot weekend. Early Saturday morning I drove to northwestern Connecticut to see my son and his girlfriend. The drive was beautiful — just a little rain as I was leaving home — and I was able to put…

Organized Chaos

Posted on by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Blunderbuss by Jack White Yesterday was one of those days where I thought I’d have plenty of time to get one thing done, but of course didn’t. I started with interviews — had to get through them so I could get the article finished. But husband was home with his own…

The Beat of Your Own Drum

Posted on by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Eyes Wide Open by Gotye Just 12 more days before the Trade Magazine Webinar begins! Don’t miss out on this two-part series that shows you how to build a trade magazine career. Click here for more info. I’m not sure I know how to relax anymore. I spent much of yesterday…

Wednesday Workshop Links

Posted on by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: The Rifle’s Spiral by The Shins Yesterday was unexpectedly, blessedly slower. The pace up to this point has been break-neck speed with no pit stops. I was glad for a small reprieve. I wrote a radio script, pitched another magazine query, researched two current article projects, and wrote a few blog…

Your Payment Terms

Posted on by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Backwards Walk by Frightened Rabbit I’m chipping away at these projects. I made some serious headway on the article due next Monday, and I managed a few client email blasts. Also, I sent over a brief assessment of a client editing project. I’ve already warned them I’m up to my neck…

Weekend Errands

Posted on by lwidmer

Wild Horses by The Rolling Stones It’s nice to have a weekend that creates enough of a diversion to push all thoughts of work out of the way. That’s how my weekend was. My plan of heading to Atlantic City to splash in the waves was trumped by dangerously oppressive heat. In my travels on…

Getting Paid on Time

Posted on by lwidmer

What I’m reading: House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski What’s on the iPod: Sore Thumb by We Were Promised Jetpacks Finally — I made some progress on the pile of projects. My third article is waiting for some key quotes, but it’s finished a week ahead of schedule. The next one has a source lined…

Cathy Miller

I do not have a late fee. Knock on wood, you can count on less than one hand the number of times someone has passed 30 days in payment. I've played with contract language of both payment due within 10 business days and payable immediately.

What gets me is how contract terms are completely ignored and set to the schedule of the client. They may not pass 30 days, but they are kicking at its heels – no matter what the contract says.

Paula

Through another writer who works for the Late Payer I learned about his interpretations of his payment terms. Remember, it's a trade magazine, so I agreed to his terms knowing I'd have to wait longer than normal to be paid, but I assumed he would stick to his own terms. Silly me.

His terms state payment will be made 30 days after publication. Ridiculous, sure, but as long as I know when to expect payment I can budget around it. So when they ran one of my articles in November I counted 30 days out, then added one week to allow for the check being mailed. When the check didn't arrive by the first week of December, I stopped putting up my Christmas tree long enough to send a past due notice saying he'd be assessed a 10% late fee if the invoice was not paid by a specific date, December 15, I think it was. Nope. I sent a final notice assuming he'd want to clear the books by year's end. Nope, but he did reply that he was out of the office and would address it when he returned. The check finally arrived in 2012 – with the late fee.

My friend encountered the same problem and discovered while we start counting those 30 days on the first of the month an issue is published, Late Payer starts counting at the END of that month…and even then he manages to pay late.

The longest it took me to chase down a payment? Thirteen months. And it was only $180 or something – a short piece for a "leading" trade mag for a niche industry. They kept making excuses, yet still managed to throw a big event and contest with a $10K grand prize. They only paid when I sent a late notice with a note saying I'd be happy to set up a three part payment plan if they couldn't afford the entire $180 at once. Got the check the next week.

Next was the 11 months it took a bimonthly trade to pay for an article they'd accepted and pushed back two issues. Even as a pays-on-pub they were a good 6 months past due. That was in the early days before I dared add a late fee.

Kimberly Ben

There's definitely something in the water. I'm dealing with two late paying clients right now.

@ Cathy: Sometimes I wonder why I even bother with providing contract terms if they're just going to be ignored.

@Paula: I love the way you sweetly offered to split the $180 your client owed into 3 separate payments for their convenience.

Cathy Miller

I so know what you mean, Kimberly 🙂

Gabriella F.

Hello again.

As I mentioned a few days ago, I've been having trouble with slow feedback (and I don't like to invoice unless I'm sure the work was on target) and slow payment, and I have no idea why it's growing.

Anyway, since I wrote that, two of the three people who'd not gotten back to me did, and I sent off the invoices. Still waiting on a third payment that's way overdue, though.

I see your point about late payments, Lori, and I do have a provision in my contract allowing me late fees if payments aren't made within 30 days of invoicing.

However, these stallers are long-term typically timely payers. So I don't want to ding good relationships by adding a late fee. It's a judgment call, but I'm fine foregoing those fees.

That said, is there something in the water? I swear, people, just pay your bills!

P.S. Thanks for your suggestion a few days ago about how to handle the client not returning emails for feedback. I was about to implement it, and the client called. Finally! But good idea!

Anne Wayman

I've got the promise of a signed contract and payment… but the date has been pushed back… we'll see. Meantime, I'm not turning down any work in anticipation, even tho' it's a big project – a book which will, if we do it, sop up a ton of my bandwidth. No check/contract, no deal.

Paula

Make no mistake, Kimberly, my offer to set up a payment plan isn't so sweet. It's intended to humiliate them into paying. Personally, I'm happy if I'm given a chance to use a payment plan for big bills, but I don't view myself or try to position myself as a big-time publisher…I've used this strategy a few other times and they almost always pay in full within a few days. Egos can be a wonderful thing…

Andrew McAllister

I thought you might be interested to hear that I have published my first novel! I've put up a post on To Love, Honor, and Dismay with a description. Hope all is well with you :o)

Lori

Cathy, I have a late fee, and sadly I have had to resort to it a few times. I will say now that the rates are much higher, the instances of that happening are rare. What I can't seem to do is get them to pay that late fee. Honestly, I figure once the original amount is paid, I'm not chasing a few hundred. It's not worth my time.

Paula, that's the most ridiculous schedule! I'd ask if he's serious, but clearly he is. Good grief!

Kim, maybe it's the heat. It's causing some of them to lose their freakin' minds!

Gabriella, I get the same feeling sometimes. I just let a client go 29 days without paying because they'd paid up to that point on time. I think it's okay to give them a break once, and maybe twice (but not if it's twice in a row), but after that it may be good to assume some universal shift in their reliability.

Anne, very wise decision. I took on the annual Huge Project in April. I'm still waiting for the bulk of it. If it comes in today I'm totally screwed (or they are because my time is booked), but I suspect it will come in the first week of August.

Andrew, great hearing from you! Congratulations on the book — about time! I love your blog.

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