I Would Never Write for Them Again

An iconic magazine tapped me to write a story. I was honored and thrilled to do the job. I met my deadline and then my editor ghosted me. After several emails and phone calls, another editor stepped in and we went back and forth with edits for another month and then my piece was published. Since their contract stated they “paid on publication,” I assumed the money was on its way. I checked in after 30, 60 and then 90 days and got lots of runaround and empty promises about the proverbial check being in the mail. In the end, they did pay me—but it took 6 months for me to receive that $500 for my work.

If I add up all of the time spent tracking down the payment, on top of the time I took to write the piece and interview sources, I earned less than minimum wage on this particular article. Not to mention that it’s humiliating to have to beg for money that is owed. Some places are better than others about paying on time, but this was the worst. I swore I would never write for them again.

Of course I got paid to write this true tale of writing-related horror, but it’s also a testimonial—the money came from OutVoice within a few days, easy breezy.