When They Dont Pay

When They Dont Pay A couple of weeks ago, a long-time fan wrote to me, saying how she had not been paid for a poem that was published on The Relationship Blogger (https://therelationshipblogger.com/). The writer did all the right things. Even once she was not paid, she sent nice notices, always being patient when the answers asked for more time. Ultimately, she wrote me and asked for help. I wrote the editor in June and asked that she be paid. Otherwise, I had to mention his website/publication to my readers as one not to trust in terms of payment. The website did post on March 4, 2019 (https://therelationshipblogger.com/spring-break-call-for-submissions/) that they were only taking reprints (for no compensation), but my friend had already been published in February. Yallwere only talking $15 for a poem. His response to me (verbatim): We are no longer a publication anymore, and I am no longer accepting any paid submissions of any kind. We ran into funding problems due to the recent decline in our income streams in December last year. Sadly, we were unable to fulfil the writers payments, and as soon as that happened we stopped taking submissions that we paid for. I do plan to pay the writers for that month, but until I can build myself back out of the hole Ive found myself in, I cant. If I pay one, then I have to pay them all if that makes sense. I am absolutely willing to take her poem down, though. I have kept most of the work the writers have done over the last year in the archives out of respect to them because we have semi-high DA (Domain Authority), and linkbacks are always good. Hope that is ok, Kind regards, Editor (name removed) Sadly, this writer didnt get her $15. While that doesnt sound like much, when you have bills to pay, it helps. So, as a reminder on the basics of freelancing, do the following: 1) Screen-print  the submission guidelines for future reference (for when they disappear later). 2) Keep a file of emails accepting your work along with any mention of conditions for acceptance. I have a spreadsheet of my submissions to include the emails used, rights purchased, expected payment date, etc. 3) When they do not pay,  be professional  and remind them. Then remind them again every few weeks. The next suggestions you may not agree with, but they are from my experience and general outlook: 4) Determine based upon the payment due to you whether your time is worth investing in pursuing compensation. Look at the hours you lose writing for another market and decide how youd like to best use that time. While I might not have pursued the $15, someone else might need it desperately. 5) If you wish to contact someone like me with a site that mentions non-paying markets, dont expect to also collect your ounce-of-flesh (retaliatory satisfaction). While I often do collect compensation for writers with a single letter, sometimes I dont. Ill write once but wont take up the torch, so to speak. 6) Dont attach your name to anything public that depicts you as a disgruntled soul who wants to get even. That means anywhere. . . Facebook, newsletter, Instagram, etc. You want the public to remember you in a positive light, regardless of how deeply you  feel burnt. You dont want your wrath to appear in someones Google search of your name. Writers have eroded entire careers duking it out with a market or publisher, with their writing long forgotten in the fight. 7) Finally, get over it. Not only will you serve yourself better