Published on January 7, 2009
A local publication owes me $325 and change for several stories of mine it published in October and November (originally scheduled for September, but they cancelled that issue). Over the past six weeks I’ve received probably a half-dozen promises that payment was forthcoming (“at the end of the week”, “next week”, “overnight by Friday”, etc.). Finally, after much frustrated follow-up, I received an e-mail from the publisher saying that advertising has been slow (which I knew), he is owed a lot of money by advertisers, he hasn’t taken payment himself in three months and he hopes things will be better after the new year.
I’m sympathetic, but this doesn’t change the fact that I’m owed money for work I did at his request more than three months ago – and a portion of what I’m owed is even repayment for an expense I incurred at his request.
Do you have any tips for squeezing blood out of a turnip, as it were? What is my recourse? Is there any binding way for me to make sure that when money does come in to him, he pays me before he pays expenses for a next issue?
Published on January 7, 2009
One not-so-ordinary day, I opened my email to find a request that I write an abbreviated cookbook proposal for a book packager. The book packager planned to use the proposal to attract a publisher; if the cookbook was a go, I was promised the job of writing it.
I had not pitched this idea, nor had I ever worked for this company. I wasn’t even clear on what a book packager did.
What was so extraordinary was that the company found me – online.
Published on December 31, 2008
Our holiday guests have departed (sniff) and we are officially “on vacation” for the rest of the week, recovering from the mayhem.
Please be careful on New Year’s Eve, everybody!
Angela
BOOK PROPOSALS THAT WORKED! Real Book Proposals That Landed $10K – $100K Publishing Contracts – Want to read real book proposals that landed these contracts? Simon and Schuster – $100,000; Berkeley Books – $25,000; Osborne-McGraw-Hill – $19,500; Random House $15,000; and many more! See a complete list here: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/3332.html
QUERY LETTERS THAT WORKED! Real Queries That Landed $2K+ Writing Assignments – Want to read real query letters that landed these contracts? Woman’s Day – $2,800; Redbook – $3,500; Ladies Home Journal – $3,000; DiscoveryHealth.com – $2,000; Lifetime Magazine – $3,000; Life Extension Magazine – $6,480; Natural Remedies – $11,300; and many more! See: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/1409.html
Published on December 31, 2008
Is This a Scam?
In all likelihood, the situation the writer presented is a scam. Many people posting items for sale on the internet are being contacted by people allegedly located in foreign countries. The scam has 5 main stages:
1. The seller is contacted by someone from another country. This person offers to buy a large number of items.
2. After several email communiques, the buyer states he will send a check to cover the purchase.
3. The check arrives, but is for far more than the purchase cost. There is also a letter advising the seller to deposit the check in seller’s bank account. The seller is to keep the enough money in the account to cover the purchase cost plus 10% service fee. Seller is then to withdraw the overpayment and send it to some third person. This third person will use the money to arrange and pay for shipping.
4. If the seller follows these instructions, seller will receive notice in about three weeks from his bank that the check bounced.
5. Seller is then obligated to pay the his bank back.
Scott
Published on December 31, 2008
Many writers are stressed at the end of the year, not because of holiday parties, last-minute shopping, or a second batch of cookies, but because it’s time to plan next year’s writing progress with the dreaded New Year’s resolutions. Instead of getting stumped on the same “write more, write better” goal, these 31 writing-related resolutions – one for every day of January – offer ideas every writer can embrace for a productive and profitable new year.
Published on December 31, 2008
I turned on the television one day to find a famous journalist contemplating his retirement. “What will you do with your time now?” asked the interviewer. “Well,” he answered. “if you look in Writer’s Market, there are hundreds of trade magazines. I’m going to start at A and work my way through to Z.”
Published on December 23, 2008
We have a house full of family and friends this week to this issue will be abbreviated.
We wish all of you a wonderful, warm, loving and FUN holiday week!!
Angela
P.S. WANT A GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEA? How to Reborn a Doll in a Day by Angela Hoy. See pics here:
https://www.writersweekly.com/books/1670.html
Also:
BOOK PROPOSALS THAT WORKED! Real Book Proposals That Landed $10K – $100K Publishing Contracts – Want to read real book proposals that landed these contracts? Simon and Schuster – $100,000; Berkeley Books – $25,000; Osborne-McGraw-Hill – $19,500; Random House $15,000; and many more! See a complete list here: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/3332.html
QUERY LETTERS THAT WORKED! Real Queries That Landed $2K+ Writing Assignments – Want to read real query letters that landed these contracts? Woman’s Day – $2,800; Redbook – $3,500; Ladies Home Journal – $3,000; DiscoveryHealth.com – $2,000; Lifetime Magazine – $3,000; Life Extension Magazine – $6,480; Natural Remedies – $11,300; and many more! See: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/1409.html
Published on December 23, 2008
Letters will return after the holidays.
Published on December 23, 2008
I’m active on a new forum and have received two emails from someone in Spain asking to buy 40 “combo” packages ASAP. I had to repeatedly explain that I don’t do that kind of shipping and he should contact my publisher.
Is this a scam?
Published on December 23, 2008
Writers are idea people. We take the glimmer of an idea and turn it into something fully formed like an article or a book or even a series of books. Of course, I’m aware of this. I devote entire articles and book/workbook chapters to the process of idea gathering. So imagine my surprise when I didn’t recognize my own book-worthy idea.
