Understanding the Worst
Sadly, you are likely to encounter a situation where a mistake has not been made and where you are going to have to put up a bit of a fight if you want to get paid for work that you've completed. It happens to all magazine writers at some time during their careers, and it never gets any less frustrating.
How can you tell when you're not likely to get paid?
The editor's tone on the telephone — if he even answers your calls — is one dead giveaway. Unanswered e-mails are another bad sign, as are telephone transfers that end up hanging up on you instead of placing you into the voice mail of yet another person with whom you've been asked to speak.
The first thing you need to do is determine why you're not getting paid. If a mistake hasn't been made, then the odds are you're either getting the runaround, being put on hold by your editor, or dealing with a magazine that is having serious financial issues.
You're Getting the Runaround
In the world of magazines, getting the runaround on payment usually means that you're being asked to speak with multiple people at multiple times, and that they're all directing you to speak with other people at other times. These people can be editors, business managers, accounts payable agents, or even vice presidents.
The titles of the people you're dealing with aren't the most important factor in terms of determining whether you're getting the runaround. Instead, look for a pattern in which you are shuffled from person to person without having anyone actually offer to help you get paid.
Some startup magazines with limited budgets, or magazines that are truly unscrupulous, will give writers the runaround on payment because they don't expect the writers to follow up. Many writers don't enjoy the confrontations that business can involve, and some magazines prey on that quality by assuming you will simply stop calling even if they don't pay you.
When you're getting the runaround, all you can do is make a pest of yourself and keep placing those calls. It's not an ideal situation, and it may not have a happy ending, no matter how hard you try.
Your Editor Isn't Happy
Sometimes, your payment will be withheld because the editor feels you have not lived up to your end of the contract or story assignment. In this case, your invoice usually sits on the editor's desk until you do whatever he feels you failed to do the first time around.
This can be difficult territory if you disagree and believe that, in fact, you have done everything requested of you. Especially if it's a magazine you would like to work with again, you often have to be an expert at diplomacy to argue your cause — and even then you may end up having to do more than your contract demands in order to finally get paid.
It's usually not a good idea to go above and beyond your contractual obligations when dealing with an editor who refuses to pay you. Most reputable editors will ask you to complete only the work you have agreed to do — while unscrupulous editors may try to squeeze lots of extra work out of you with no intention of ever paying you at all.
If you find yourself at odds with an editor over whether you have met your end of a contract for a writing assignment, your only option is usually going to the editor's boss to argue your case. You may win the paycheck in the end, but keep in mind that you'll probably never again land an assignment from that editor.
The Magazine Closes Shop
There are far too many cases of writers crafting beautiful articles for magazines that end up going out of business before the words can be published. It's one of the challenges that goes along with writing, and it can happen with a startup or with an established title that has fallen into financial distress.
If you find yourself in this situation, your only course of action may be to hire an attorney and file a legal action against the magazine's parent company. As the lawyer is likely to cost you more than the total amount you're owed, you will have to assess whether fighting to get your paycheck is truly worth the time and effort.
