\t\t\t\tWhen it comes to the daily humiliations of freelancing, I\u2019m a pro. I\u2019ve been taken in by the promise of exposure, dealt with the frustrations of something called \u201cpayment upon publication\u201d and been burned by editors I considered friends. Getting a client to pay up isn’t always easy. I\u2019ve gotten better at those things \u2014 I negotiate rates in line with my experience, invoice regularly and rarely take a job without a contract. But what if you\u2019ve done everything right and you still don\u2019t get paid?<\/p>\n
It recently happened to me. I was well into an ongoing project for a big online publisher. The pay was good, the work was steady and, for months, the checks came like clockwork. And then the job ended unexpectedly. My editor said the publisher\u2019s client had bailed and left her boss holding the bag. They couldn\u2019t afford to pay me just then, she said. I was owed an entire month\u2019s salary. I was upset but I didn\u2019t lose my cool. Here\u2019s what I did instead:<\/p>\n
If I\u2019ve learned nothing else from freelancing, it\u2019s that the best of intentions can lead to the worst consequences. I\u2019d gambled nearly all of my freelance income on one decent-paying job with a brand new client and nearly lost when I couldn’t get the client to pay. In the end though, I\u2019d gotten my money because I\u2019d behaved like a businessperson instead of reacting like a maniac. We may all have different reasons for freelancing\u2014to be our own bosses, the freedom to work from anywhere or family obligations\u2014but the one thing we have in common is the need to eat. Take it from someone who\u2019s learned the hard way\u2014if you want to keep freelancing, keep it professional.\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When it comes to the daily humiliations of freelancing, I\u2019m a pro. I\u2019ve been taken in by the promise of exposure, dealt with the frustrations of something called \u201cpayment upon publication\u201d and been burned by editors I considered friends. Getting a client to pay up isn’t always easy. I\u2019ve gotten better at those things \u2014 …<\/p>\n