I’ve spent a good portion of my editorial career getting hassled by freelancers over payment. Filthy scum! Why aren’t they grateful just to be published? For the exposure? Can’t they see I’m busy? This is an old joke that somehow remains forever young, and somehow forever true, in the subconscious minds of media companies large and small. My current gig is pretty smart about timely payment due to my employer’s genuinely good intentions and my militant spreadsheet-mongering. What I consider pretty good in today’s market is (a) paying 30 days from acceptance, (b) being able to hit that target 80% of the time or better, (c) getting better about hitting that target each cycle, and (d) when the target is missed, communicating thoroughly and getting it resolved as a personal top priority.
The Paymaster's Lament
The Paymaster's Lament
The Paymaster's Lament
I’ve spent a good portion of my editorial career getting hassled by freelancers over payment. Filthy scum! Why aren’t they grateful just to be published? For the exposure? Can’t they see I’m busy? This is an old joke that somehow remains forever young, and somehow forever true, in the subconscious minds of media companies large and small. My current gig is pretty smart about timely payment due to my employer’s genuinely good intentions and my militant spreadsheet-mongering. What I consider pretty good in today’s market is (a) paying 30 days from acceptance, (b) being able to hit that target 80% of the time or better, (c) getting better about hitting that target each cycle, and (d) when the target is missed, communicating thoroughly and getting it resolved as a personal top priority.