How Long Should It Take A Reputable Magazine To Pay for a Published Article?

Yorwick

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It could be just my lack of experience, but I would really appreciate some feedback from writers who are more familiar with magazine publishing. I am just wondering whether my situation is normal, or whether I am doing something wrong:

A few months ago, I pitched a nonfiction article to a reputable horror magazine. The editor responded very quickly, said he loved the idea and wanted me to get started on the article at once. He promised me $50 and a free copy of the issue my article would appear in.

I was very happy, finished the article within a couple of weeks and sent it to him. It took him much longer to respond this time and I even thought he had forgotten about me altogether. Over a month later, he wrote that he though the article was 'brilliant' and would publish it in next month's issue.

Next month's issue came out and the article wasn't there. I contacted the editor to inquire whether he was publishing the article in a later issue, or had decided not to use it after all. I received no response.

Finally, a month later, the next issue came out and my article was there. I was thrilled and expected to be contacted by the magazine about my address and payment details. No contact was made, so I emailed the editor myself to thank him for publishing the article and send him my invoice. Again no response.

I found the email address of the financial manager on the website and emailed him my invoice. It has been almost a month since the article was published and I have heard nothing about my payment or the free issue.

Is this normal? I am really uncomfortable with the fact that I am unable to get in contact with anyone from the magazine. They are definitely still active and it is quite a popular magazine. Is it possible that they have just randomly decided not to pay me and intend to ignore me until I go away? Has anyone encountered a similar situation?

Thanks in advance!
 

Old Hack

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Did you state your terms on your invoice? If not, they'll probably leave it as late as they can to pay you--cashflow is a significant thing to consider for small businesses.

In your case I'd probably contact the accounts department of the magazine and ask when you can expect to receive payment, and if you don't get a clear answer send them a chase-up email stating your payment terms very clearly, and letting them know that you'll be charging a late-payment fee if you don't receive payment within 30 days. Or something like that.
 

gingerwoman

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I've always found it takes a long time to get payment from small places I've sold to. I've never really expected quick payment, and it's often taken several months for a check to arrive from the US or UK to New Zealand where I live.

However I've always signed contracts for short pieces (4000 word short stories etc...) that I've sold, so it concerns me if they didn't send you a contract.

Thankfully I've never been in a situation where I haven't received payment.
 

WeaselFire

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30-90 days after publication is not uncommon. I have (had, they pissed me off) one outlet that paid promptly when your balance reached $100 US. If you wrote that $50 article and then nine years later wrote a second, you'd then get a check. :)

One thing I learned ages ago was that to survive the process you simply had to send the article and then start the next one. Waiting on the past was futile and counterproductive. If they don't pay to your standards, simply don't write for them again.

I have never had anyone not pay. I did wait nearly two years when a magazine went under while holding my article for publication. The editor landed at another magazine, ran my article there and sent me a check and an apology. I wrote for him until he passed away, even though the rag he went to paid crap.

Jeff
 

Larry M

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In my freelance experience, payment details were always discussed and agreed on before publication. However, one time a publication failed to pay me in the agreed time frame. Much like your experience, it took nearly a year of frequent requests on my part to finally get paid.

Not long after, that publication went out of business.

Reputable publications should operate with the knowledge that if they fail to pay writers as promised, they will soon have a serious lack of submissions from which to choose.

Chalk it up as another learning experience and cross them off your list of possible outlets for your work.
 

Fictional Cowboy

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I've never understood why waiting months to be paid is considered acceptable. Businesses aren't that patient to receive payment from their customers and are quick to add late fees after 30 days.

To expect prompt payment for services rendered is not asking too much. Do the employees there find it acceptable to wait that long for their paychecks?
 

Larry M

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I've never understood why waiting months to be paid is considered acceptable. Businesses aren't that patient to receive payment from their customers and are quick to add late fees after 30 days.

To expect prompt payment for services rendered is not asking too much. Do the employees there find it acceptable to wait that long for their paychecks?

A fairly standard business practice everywhere would be: 'collect early, pay late.'

Not saying it's right; it's just the way many conduct business.
 

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A fairly standard business practice everywhere would be: 'collect early, pay late.'

Not saying it's right; it's just the way many conduct business.

That's been my observation, too. With absolute sincerity and no sour grapes or ranting intended, I'd really like to know why writers are expected to put up with it.

Like Old Hack said (and I wouldn't accept an assignment without doing this), I would lay out my terms prior to the job. 30 days with a late fee added every 30 days up to 90 days. After that, it gets turned over to a collection agency, just like businesses do. Just because I'm a writer, and an individual, it doesn't make my services or billing any less important than the company I'm writing for.

Why shouldn't businesses be held to the same practices that they enforce?
 
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Larry M

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...Just because I'm a writer, and an individual, it doesn't make my services or billing any less important than the company I'm writing for.

Why shouldn't businesses be held to the same practices that they enforce?

You are absolutely correct.

My guess would be that many publications do it because they can. They don't see writers as that important - writers need magazines, etc. more than magazines need writers.

That is to say: magazines, etc. have the luxury of picking and choosing which writers 'get in' and which get the rejections. So many writers, and so few opportunities to be published.

The laws of supply and demand breed a sort of arrogance on the part of editors/publishers.

My 2 cents.
 

rhymegirl

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The worrisome thing to me is writing an article with no contract.

When I wrote for Writer's Digest I had a contract. It spelled out how many words I had to write, when the article was due, and how much I would be paid. They also asked for my contact info ahead of time. When the article was okayed, the editor asked me to send an invoice. I think I was told I would be paid within 45 days. (and I was)
 

Jamesaritchie

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It could be just my lack of experience, but I would really appreciate some feedback from writers who are more familiar with magazine publishing. I am just wondering whether my situation is normal, or whether I am doing something wrong:

A few months ago, I pitched a nonfiction article to a reputable horror magazine. The editor responded very quickly, said he loved the idea and wanted me to get started on the article at once. He promised me $50 and a free copy of the issue my article would appear in.

I was very happy, finished the article within a couple of weeks and sent it to him. It took him much longer to respond this time and I even thought he had forgotten about me altogether. Over a month later, he wrote that he though the article was 'brilliant' and would publish it in next month's issue.

Next month's issue came out and the article wasn't there. I contacted the editor to inquire whether he was publishing the article in a later issue, or had decided not to use it after all. I received no response.

Finally, a month later, the next issue came out and my article was there. I was thrilled and expected to be contacted by the magazine about my address and payment details. No contact was made, so I emailed the editor myself to thank him for publishing the article and send him my invoice. Again no response.

I found the email address of the financial manager on the website and emailed him my invoice. It has been almost a month since the article was published and I have heard nothing about my payment or the free issue.

Is this normal? I am really uncomfortable with the fact that I am unable to get in contact with anyone from the magazine. They are definitely still active and it is quite a popular magazine. Is it possible that they have just randomly decided not to pay me and intend to ignore me until I go away? Has anyone encountered a similar situation?

Thanks in advance!

Honestly, I think you're pushing way, way too hard, and expecting payment far too fast. You shouldn't have e-mailed the editor to ask when and if the article was going to be published after so short a time. Putting a magazine togethe ris a lot like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. Each piece has to fit perfectly, and sometimes you have to juggle an article or story for several months before making it fit.

I've waited eighteen months after acceptance for a piece to actually be published, and I've waited three months to be paid.

As for payment, most pay on pub magazines pay thirty days after. This is more or less standard. Some, whoever, pay quarterly. Generally speaking, you don't pay writers one at a time, you pay a group all at once, and most often on a predetermined schedule of one money, two month, or three month intervals. This helps offset the cash flow problems most small magazines have. I've never found a pay on pub mag that pays more often than once per month.

In the future, if the magazines guidelines do not contain specific pay information, then ask before selling, or better, before submission. The removes all the fuss and muss, means you don't have to pester the editor, and you know exactly how long you'll have to wait.

Be patient. If it is a reputable magazine, you will be paid, and worrying about when won't change anything. Get buy selling pieces to other magazines, and if you're worried about payment time, find out before you write something for that magazine, not after.
 

Jamesaritchie

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I've heard that most big magazines/papers pay after a few months. You could look up http://whopays.scratchmag.net/ to get some info on how long it takes a magazine to pay its contributing writers.

I've never had a big magazine pay more than thirty days after acceptance. I've had a few pay the same day the accepted the piece.

It's really not very smart to expect prompt payment for this kind of work, though, unless by "prompt" you mean thirty days for pay on acceptance, and sixty days for pay on pub.

Cash flow is almost always a problem in small publishing of any kind, and trying to pay each writer as you buy something is simply bad business for the magazine, and for the writer.

Small, pay on pub magazines may be reputable, but this doesn't mean they're wallowing in money. Most live right on the edge of folding, and having to pay every writer immediately would cause them to close their doors. This isn't good for anyone.

Writers who mind waiting from thirty to ninety days shouldn't submit to pay on pub mags because most of them simply can't afford to pay like this. Being able to delay payment saves them a lot of desperately needed money.
 

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I've never had a big magazine pay more than thirty days after acceptance. I've had a few pay the same day the accepted the piece.

It's really not very smart to expect prompt payment for this kind of work, though, unless by "prompt" you mean thirty days for pay on acceptance, and sixty days for pay on pub.

Cash flow is almost always a problem in small publishing of any kind, and trying to pay each writer as you buy something is simply bad business for the magazine, and for the writer.

Small, pay on pub magazines may be reputable, but this doesn't mean they're wallowing in money. Most live right on the edge of folding, and having to pay every writer immediately would cause them to close their doors. This isn't good for anyone.

Writers who mind waiting from thirty to ninety days shouldn't submit to pay on pub mags because most of them simply can't afford to pay like this. Being able to delay payment saves them a lot of desperately needed money.

Would have to agree absolutely with this. Payment for articles in magazines, especially niche ones, can take a long time to arrive. 60 days isn't uncommon, which is why cash flow for freelancers focusing on magazines can be an utter nightmare.

You'd be surprised how many reputable magazines don't even pay for 80% of their content.
 

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I've never had a big magazine pay more than thirty days after acceptance. I've had a few pay the same day the accepted the piece.

It's really not very smart to expect prompt payment for this kind of work, though, unless by "prompt" you mean thirty days for pay on acceptance, and sixty days for pay on pub.

Cash flow is almost always a problem in small publishing of any kind, and trying to pay each writer as you buy something is simply bad business for the magazine, and for the writer.

Small, pay on pub magazines may be reputable, but this doesn't mean they're wallowing in money. Most live right on the edge of folding, and having to pay every writer immediately would cause them to close their doors. This isn't good for anyone.

Writers who mind waiting from thirty to ninety days shouldn't submit to pay on pub mags because most of them simply can't afford to pay like this. Being able to delay payment saves them a lot of desperately needed money.

My perspective is the writer must always--ALWAYS--have a clear understanding going in as to how much and how soon they will be compensated for their submission. If there isn't a contract, you should at the very least know if you have to submit an invoice to the publisher for reimbursement.

If you don't hold up your end then shame on you.

However, I don't feel any reluctance to point out to the publisher they have to hold up their end as well. If they pay 30 to 90 days after publication then I don't feel I'm being pushy by reaching out after 31 to 91 days for the check. Why should I? If we're both professionals and I submitted my article on time, I'm not going to feel any shame in my game in expecting to be paid on time.

That's shame on them.

I'm highly sympathetic to the cash flow of small publishers, magazines, websites and so on and so forth. I've been a newspaper editor and when my publisher had cashflow issues and reneged on paying freelancers for their work, I paid them out of my own pocket knowing I'd never get it back. I wasn't concerned about that. I simply didn't want to get a reputation as a guy who burned his freelancers.

Writing is one profession nobody thinks its weird if you're not making any money from it. You have to establish yourself. Build your brand. Prove you are reliable, can hit your deadlines, follow instructions, and not be a giant pain in the butt to the editor. This means you will likely do a lot of work for free or on the cheap.

But any publisher who strings along, cries poor mouth and doesn't pay the contributors needs to be called out and if they shut down, so freakin' what? One less rip-off artist in the world and good riddance. Bad publishers make it hard for the good ones.

You don't have to be a creep nag-nag-nagging a publisher for $50, but if you're a wimp about going after what is rightfully yours, you're going to get steamrolled and walking around without those beer-and-pizza bucks you were depending on.

Do the job, do it on time, and do it well. But never apologize for expecting that principle applies to the publisher as much as it does to the writer.