Unprofessional Publishers
Read more articles on Let Me Share With You and Writers.October 4, 2007
Posted by Karen Amato Schwartz
October 4, 2007
Posted by Karen Amato Schwartz
259 Views
Yesterday I was reading a writer’s blog regarding a job bid. He emailed the client to ask about her needs and goals to price his work fairly, and was told that unless he could do the work for under $300, she would not give him any answers.
She was really looking for the best qualified person, wasn’t she?
I’ve heard a lot of horror stories about publishers, and many are worse than this.
In the spring, I answered an ad for a printed publication that needed first hand stories about mid-life career changes. I submitted a sample and was notified that my work was being considered. After sending more samples and exchanging a few on-line conversations with the client rep, I was notified that they were interested in pursuing this and wanted to have contracts signed by May 1, with a publication date of next fall.
Well, of course it was exciting, but there was one issue to be ironed out-money. The original ad said “To Be Determined”, but none of the correspondence ever touched upon how and when this determination was to be made. It was at this point that I inquired about their method and schedule of payment. Like me, you probably aren’t surprised that they never responded back. I did not receive a note to the effect that I had misunderstood and should have “known” that any compensation would be based on sales-although that wouldn’t be acceptable, either. Now, how smart of them was it to have spent time and energy reading my samples, writing back and forth, and even providing me a site link, if only to bail out when the issue of pay arose? I mean, did they not think it would?
I kept the last piece of correspondence just so I remember their name in case I ever see it again, and every time I spy it in my miscellaneous folder, my anger rises again. With this type of thing, and clients who ask for free samples-or worse yet, who promise to pay for samples and don’t-writers have a very difficult life. Even when you do find a job ad that is within your realm of expertise, you’re in competition with hundreds of others, and if you’re lucky enough to receive a go-ahead, you’ve got to worry about getting paid. In this electronic age, it’s very simple to contact someone and very easy to ignore them.
Those of here at Article Authors are fortunate to be with a truly professional organization that pays fairly, and on time. On the other hand, we are quality producers ourselves. Here’s a tip if you’re looking for writers to do an ad or content piece or press release: go with an established writing service, a business that provides some security to writers by offering safety and results to both parties. It’s still easy to build a long term relationship with a writer from one of these services, and it sure beats having to deal with dozens of writer bids. You probably don’t enjoy that any more than we do!
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