Dear Angela,

I haven’t seen this type of difficulty expressed in your excellent publication.

As a regular contributor to antique trade publications, I am always sent copies of the issues in which my articles appear. When I wrote to one of them asking if my Christmas article had been run, the editor advised me that it had. I responded, asking for a copy of that issue and my payment. According to this editor, the check had been sent. I told her I’d never received it, or the issue.

This month, I finally was paid. The first page of my article had been photocopied and sent along. I wrote and asked for the “jump” page. The editor said she copied the story from a bound volume and couldn’t send the continuation. I checked the publication website and found a complete list of last year’s articles. If one wanted a copy of a particular article, I read, one could send along $3.00.

I immediately wrote to the editor and told her about this. She wrote “I’ll have that department photocopy all of your article and send it to you.”

Is this publication trying to save money or make extra dollars?

I am confused.

Cordially,
Marlyn Margulis

Hi Marlyn,

I have never heard of an editor only sending one page of a “clip” before. This editor is either a tightwad, or just plain lazy. Add this to the fact that they never notified you that your article was being run, and yet claimed that they’d already mailed your check and clip…I have to assume that this editor is also either terribly disorganized, or trying to pull a fast one.

With all this in the mix, I, for one, would avoid writing for them in the future.