I have been freelance writing for 18 years but I often ask myself why I carry on with the business when faced with the following:

Having to wait more than 6 months for a decision on work submitted. For example, I submitted an article to `The Lady' back in January 2003 and although I did receive an acknowledgment, I have not heard anything since despite chasing it up. It's a long time to wait for a decision and I know that the editor's job is a difficult one, but a writer has got to make a living just like anyone else.

Late Payments Even if you get an acceptance and have your work published, some magazines can take a couple of months to pay, which doesn't help your cash flow!

No Acknowledgement Despite sending the obligatory stamped s.a.e., some magazine editors do not bother replying or even returning work. I have found this with quite a few publications.

The problems I have had on the whole, tend to be with UK based magazines (mostly mainstream). Small press magazines, on the other hand, have been pretty good to deal with! They've been quick to respond and quick to pay out for work published, which is encouraging even though payments tend to be much lower.

Over the last few years, I have produced more content work for print and Internet publications in the USA and other countries, and these publishers / editors have been professional in their approach, mostly treating writers with considerable respect.

It would be interesting to find out how other freelance writers find the UK magazine market. Have you had good or bad experiences? Have you any suggestions on how the industry can improve their relationship with writers?

I think the late payment scandal is one that affects all writers in all media, across all genres, and it is one of the most frustrating things in the world. In my field- mostly play and screenwriting, residencies etc- if people are contracted to pay me by a certain date and don't, I start charging 10% for late payment... which goes up to 20%...etc. They pay up and some. Of course, they may never want to hire you again but since the people not paying you are the finance/admin departments as opposed to editorial/creative, the twain rarely meet... and the editors/producers I work with and have to hassle are never the ones responsible, so they are embarassed about the lateness. And I have to say, having an agent has never speeded the procees up for me. Grr. So I empathise, Zing. And yes, let's hear of others experiences- cos any tips/tricks etc people have (rather than just whinges) will be useful for us all. Like, say, specific ways to approach people by phone that gently hurries them up for both decisions and payments. And remember- tell us about good and bad experiences you might have had by adding those comments on the Directory- so others can be forwarned. But nothing libellous..

Thanks Anna for your reply. I think the idea of a late payment charge is workable and if more of us apply this to our invoices, then we might get paid a little quicker.

Perhaps we need to be more business-like in our approach when it comes to getting paid. So many writers -especially when starting out - neglect this aspect of their profession.

It would be interesting to hear how other writers cope with late payment or even just getting a decision from a magazine on work submitted for publication.

Hi Zing,
i think the treatment of freelancers is dire here compared with Australia. There you could email a newspaper ed with an article pitch and they'd get back to you. Here, they very rarely do.
Re mags like the Lady, I'd definitely submit the same elsewhere.
Re payment I think I've been lucky here. I've found it's pretty speedy if it's from national newspapers as they take your account details and pay promptly on publication.Even elsewhere, I've found that invoices are usually dealt with in a timely way.