In 1994, I walked into my boss’ office at a major encyclopedia company to tell him that I needed to quit my job as an editorial coordinator because my husband had been accepted into a graduate program in another state. What I expected to hear was something like “sorry to see you go” or “you will be missed.” Instead, he said, “How would you like to stay on as a freelancer?” With no better prospects, I gladly accepted.
Next Step Magazine – Writer claims threats / payment issues
E-Spirit Holdings, LLC, publishers of Female Entrepreneur Magazine / Female Physician Magazine / Vancouver Health and Wealth Magazine / Fem New York / Fem Texas – Another writer posts complaint
picture.com – Photographer says there should be a law against doing business like this
Ashton International Media / Doll Reader Magazine – Columnist claims non-payment
We’re back home after our unplanned funeral trip to Indiana, and things are settling back to normal…well, almost. Okay, I don’t do this often, but I have to today. I must eat my words…
This Week:
I can vividly remember the green envelopes I used to receive once a week from each of my three newspaper employers. With paychecks enclosed, the tightly sealed business-size envelopes were usually distributed late in the afternoon. Sometimes, the checks were dispatched into employee mailboxes. On other occasions, the checks were dispensed in a silly ritual conducted by an administrative secretary or a middle management-type. The check distributors always seemed arrogant. They’d hand me my check and then stand there waiting for a “thank you.” They acted like they were doing me a favor
All I wanted for my third birthday were pencils and paper, my parents say. That writing passion still burns. At nine, I won poetry trophies. By 19, I was selling articles and poems to national magazines and newspapers for money. A teenage essay I wrote sold to the New York Times Op-Ed page. Soon after, Reader’s Digest sent me a check for reprint rights to excerpt that essay. When I married, I sold several short pieces to Modern Bride. I also sold dozens of opinion and inspirational articles to national religious magazines. The checks kept on coming. And they still do…
We’re still on the road, though now heading home to Maine. It’s been a sad, yet nostalgic trip for me, a fun trip for the children, and a stressful trip for Richard (because he does most of the driving).
This week:
It is only within the last forty years that any such right was conferred to American citizens. Beginning in 1966, the Freedom of Information Act was passed by Congress. States began to feel the pressure and passed their own versions. As is the propensity for such things, the release of information, not a natural thing for a government to do despite the best advice of its founders, is strictly regulated. What that means is that there are classifications of types of information not available for release under nearly any circumstance. For the rest, as any good legal draftsperson knows, when you want controversy, you can build that in.