Three Times Unlucky or Three Times Stupid?
I’m officially declaring that I will no longer work with start-ups (and if I do, hit me, will ya?). Here’s why:
Magazine No. 1: The editor loved not only my work, but me as well. So much so that she paid me in advance, offered me a regular column at three times their usual rates and sent a copy of the issue as soon as the magazine hit the stands. But I’m guessing she fell in love with too many other freelancers as well, because the magazine soon went out of business, and while my second check arrived as promised, I have yet to see the copy of the issue in which my brilliant personal essay appeared. (I’ve been told it looked stellar though.) The editor informed me that she sent the copy three times (sure, I believed her) but stopped replying to mails soon after (hmm.. still trying to believe her).
Lesson Learnt: Just because it starts well doesn’t mean it’ll end well.
Price Paid: First rights to piece gone, but don’t have the clip to show for it.
Signs that should have tipped me off:
(1) Yahoo e-mail address. (Screams unprofessional. Yes, I’m stupid– read the title of this post.)
(2) Three times their regular rate? Who am I– Madonna?
(3) The “we’re just regular ol’ housewives trying to make a difference” e-mail. (Refer to title again)
Magazine No. 2: This editor loved me as well (hey, I’m a lovable person!) and thought we’d work a lot together in the future. That’s of course two weeks before she disappeared into oblivion along with her website and my money! I was a little wiser though– I hadn’t agreed to her “write one article for free” condition. I said you either pay or you don’t. There’s no one-for-free business going on here.
Lesson Learnt: When they ask you to do a piece for free and you refuse, they’ll usually get it for free anyway.
Price Paid: A couple hundred dollars.
Signs that should have tipped me off:
(1) Her mentioning that they no longer had a budget for freelancers (I should have started to push for my money immediately).
(2) Her asking me to write the first article for free.
Magazine No. 3: My most annoying experience so far. The editor was vague, dumb to the point of absurdity and did way too much to-and-fro on each idea. I felt like I was actually hand-holding her!
Lesson Learnt: If it seems like they don’t have a clue what they’re doing, they probably don’t.
Price Paid: The jury’s still out on the payment and clip, but I’ve lost hours of time trying to communicate with this one.
Signs that should have tipped me off:
(1) No question ever answered directly. (Ever seen a psychiatrist at work– “And what do you think?”)
(2) Poor grammar and spelling (she’s supposed to be an editor!)
(3) Too much useless discussion on finalizing ideas (if the editor’s any good at what she does, she’ll be able to give you a direction in five minutes flat).
So there ya go, fellas. I’ve sacrificed my pride so you don’t have to. Read, learn and pass on the wisdom. (And if you’re in an especially giving mood, leave a comment. My shattered pride will thank you.)
February 21st, 2006 at 5:47 pm
Ooh… that’s rough. I’ve been looking to break into the field with pro-bono and low-paying clips from startups, but you make a good point: if they’re likely to crumble, your published work may never exist.
Thank you for sharing your experience. You’re an amazing writer with a solid reputation. Don’t let it faze you.
February 21st, 2006 at 5:48 pm
It’s very nice of you to share excellent tips with people who are just starting out in this field. One can always learn from mistakes.
Hey, inspite of all this, I must say, you’ve done very well for yourself!
February 21st, 2006 at 5:53 pm
I think you are SO right about this issue, Mridu. I almost got stung by a start up magazine. The editor told me she loved the article I had submitted to her and would like me to write a column for the magazine. I soon came down off the ceiling when I realised that she wanted me to do this all for free with the intention of paying me ’sometime in the future if it all takes off’.
I almost told her where she could stick her magazine, not quite. Instead I pointed out that writers deserved to get paid when possible and if a magazine is running paid adverts as hers was then they should DEFINITELY get some recompense for their time and effort.
I’ve recently had an article accepted by a new magazine that debuts in December. I’ve been offered a reasonable sum for my article, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this will work out for me this time.
February 21st, 2006 at 5:53 pm
I’ve obviously been extremely lucky - I’ve never lost money for a sale. Ever.
There have however been times when I’ve decided not to work with a magazine after I’ve queried them and they’ve accepted my proposal. Why? Because they’ve appeared unprofessional and I’ve become wary of them.
I was lucky enough to write a monthly column for the same magazine for three years without any issues until a new editor took over. When that happened, lots of errors began to occur, she wanted extra stuff without extra money (which I refused to do), I had trouble getting paid, and guess what? I was outta there quick smart!
I worked for another magazine that paid way above average rates and was pleased for the work. They asked me to become one of their stable writers, which was nice, except they went out of business in a few months. They were paying out too much, and couldn’t finance future magazines.
February 21st, 2006 at 5:54 pm
Good stuff Mridu. Your experiences do go a long way in helping us prepare ourselves for what lies ahead.
You’ve done well, and you continue to inspire. Keep it going.
I’m just getting started in the ‘article-writing’ arena, and I loved your tips on the same.
Thank you!
February 21st, 2006 at 6:07 pm
I recently approached the editor of a new magazine here in Spain and was told that she couldn’t afford to pay me - yet - but that she would run an ad for my husbands business for free - which she did. At first I was wary but so far it has netted him 10,000 euros worth of business so I suppose I can’t complain!
However I also wrote a detailed description of my village together with photographs for a property website (again it was in my husbands best interest to get our town recognised so I didn’t mind not getting paid) But imagine my dismay to find that they were then selling my page to other web sites!
April 25th, 2006 at 2:17 am
I started writing and found the same results. All the content pages, people scamming the writer’s work for ad profits make me sick. I’ve put article writing on hold, maybe forever. Clips from these places don’t look well on your resume, the editor you’re trying to impress will see that you work for free. Why would they want to pay for what everyone else gets for free? Best wishes and good luck to you all!
May 2nd, 2006 at 12:01 am
You’ve got some really interesting points there, Blaise. Don’t write off article writing though. While there are scams and people out to con you at every corner, there are MORE people who’ll help you in avoiding these scammers and even more that will give you paying work.
But I think that while I’m talking of print start-ups, you’re talking of online content sites and websites that offer to split profits. Those are a big no-no in my books too.