OK, so this doesn’t have anything to do with travel writing, but I think it’s interesting from a freelancers perspective. I wrote an article for the Sept/Oct issue of Women Poker Player and the editor asked me for my Neteller address so she could pay me.
I’m sure you can use it for all sorts of payment transactions, but the only thing I know Neteller from is that I had to get one so I could put money into an online poker room and play on my laptop. I had never used it for anything else. When she said that, I wondered if this was a poker world thing, or if this was a turn in the industry for all kinds of writers.
I think this would make for an interesting article if any of you have writing related outlets. How are people getting paid today and what’s the average time it takes to get paid?
Types of payment:
Check
Automatic Deposit
Trade
Netelller
Pay Pal
Promise to pay but it never happens
My last two magazine assignments have paid promptly both by check and this Neteller situation. But I have to remind/inquire about a payment I should be receiving any time now for another Sept issue mag.
How are you doing with getting paid? Is it timely?
Yes, this is a good topic. All my outlets (mostly travel mags and newspaper travel sections) pay by check and pay promptly–though some publications pay upon publication of the work and some pay upon submission. The latter, of course, is much preferable.
The one publication I’ve perpetually had problems with (and apparently I’m not alone) is BlackBook magazine. Though their contract states that writers will be paid within 45 days of publication, it’s been about 145 days since my last story ran in BB and I’m still waiting….
What have I learned from all this? Don’t write for BlackBook.
Essential topic. I remember this topic coming up at the Paris American Academy. I mentioned a product that helps track all the business that goes into tracking freelance writing transactions. Many times it is not just getting paid but the minutiae that is part of the business side of writing. The product I suggested at the time was “The Working Writer”
https://dolphinsoftware.bc.ca/software/writers/index.html
Download an evaluation copy and see for yourselves.