Tough Times for Freelancers

It always amuses me that freelancers are usually the last to be paid. After all, we buy our own (very expensive) health insurance policies, manage our own books, fix our own computers and forego vacations. Also, many of us have been forced into freelancing due to the economy. Some of us have applied for several hundred journalism jobs, only to find said jobs are now non-existant. We are then "happy" to sell an article here and there.

Why then do editors and publishers so often pay us late or play games with our payments? I am not sure why, say, a carpenter is paid one half upfront for his fine woodworking but a freelance journalist must wait up to eight weeks for a payment. I once asked for a deposit upfront, and the prospective client acted like I'd swallowed marbles and was asking him to fish them out.

I therefore appeal to all publishers and editors to pay us quickly. That means under 30 days, which is often too long for hungry writers to wait. Don't assume we're rolling in dough and that our 47 other assignments will float us until your check arrives. Assume we need to be paid right now, just like doctors and dentists.

When the economy really turns around, 30 days is reasonable, but no more. Any writer who is happy to wait that long is a writer who doesn't want to lose you as a client. But that doesn't mean you can or should take advantage of that writer, whose talent including fact checking, reporting, writing and overall ingenuity is invaluable to your publication.

I once argued with a young publisher (not someone I was working for!) when he said that advertising, not writing, was the center of the magazine. OK, then -- try selling an advertising-only issue of a magazine and see how well it sells.