Keyboard shortcuts are available for common actions and site navigation.
You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more
THREAD: A few months ago, three publications owed me a total of $5000. Everyone was late to paying me. I tried to hold them all accountable. Here's the story of what happened.https://medium.com/@wudanyan/i-was-owed-more-than-5-000-from-late-paying-publications-47db55dfba2a …
The real take home message here is that freelancing is difficult when others don’t respect us as small businesses. It comes from both sides: if freelancers don’t think of themselves as a business, they can’t expect others to treat them as such.
But even when we try and handle matters professionally, clients don’t take us seriously.
Ultimately, it comes down to the inherent yet ironic power dynamics at play: Outlets depend on freelancers for content and story ideas but can’t seem to actually value our work and treat us professionally.
It’s exhausting to have to stand up for ourselves, but sometimes it can be worth it.
I decided to self-publish this piece because I wanted the story out there without a publication’s scrutiny, and to avoid the irony of possibly getting paid late again for a story. I’d appreciate it if you gave it a read & a share.
Make up an email account, for your “bookkeeper” or “accountant,” which is really you, and send payment correspondence through that. Invoices get paid a lot faster if they think a third party is involved.
I hired an assistant to help take the emotional labour out of following up on late payments.
Also if you must send follow up correspondence, put cc: your attorney on the bottom. It's amazing the increased attention that gets.
This. I also keep an attorney on retainer to follow up if an invoice isn’t paid within a certain time frame. Granted, my lawyer is a family friend, but somehow receiving an “official” letter with the same invoice attached moves faster when it’s from a law office 
Agree with this. If they think they might get sued (for even a tiny amount of money), then their lawyer will have to spend time looking at it...which will cost a LOT more than any attached late fee. At that point, it’s way cheaper for them to just pay it.
This is really great, so good to see someone finally speak up. Can I ask: did you have any issues getting commissioned again from those publications?
I won’t be working with or pitching any of them again
Is this your choice or based on their attitude towards you now? Either ways you are better off finding and creating new professional relationships.
My choice. I have plenty of clients who pay well and on time
I read this and then IMMEDIATELY followed up on stories I haven’t been paid for. Enough is enough. Bless you, Saint Wudan, Patron Saint of Bitch Better Have My Money — from all of us freelancers.
I want this in my twitter bio
That email from June 7th is infuriating, what is that highschool level gossip about "lots of people disliking your late fee"? And mentioning your economic situation as if it was unrelated to them, and then pulling the whole "i understand because my x is y". So manipulative.
Yeah the mention of the freelancer husband rankled me the most. Very "I get where you're coming from, don't be mad at ME."
I hAVE a BlAcK fRIeNd
I keep laughing at this. Even though it's not funny.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.
