If you’ve won in small claims court, congratulations. You feel justified, even rejuvenated. You’ve been through a lot, and you’ve come out victorious. Or have you? Most publishers will pay you within a month of the court date. On rare occasions, however, they won’t. In that case, you’ll have to hire a City Marshall to…
As an example for videogame journalists, I’m detailing a small claims suit I filed against a travel magazine that was led by, in this case, a less-than-honest editor in chief. So what happened when I took the train downtown to court on a chilly spring evening? In front of a genial mediator, I pled my…
You’re going to have to sue. At some point in your writing life, you’re going to have to sue to get paid. Thankfully, it doesn’t happen often. It happens to me about once every five years. The process of suing for payment in New York City’s small claims court is time consuming, but not at…
Most outlets should pay you within 30 days of receipt of your invoice. Interestingly, even if there is a 30 day clause in your contract, it doesn’t leave you, as a writer, with much recourse to add a penalty if a web site or magazine doesn’t pay. If you create your own contract in a…
It’s going to happen at some point. You’ll pen a story. You’ll put all of your blood, sweat and tears into it. You’ll get tough interview subjects to participate. Your editor will say ‘I love it!’ The fruits of your labor will be published. Maybe you’ll even get a cover story on the Web or…