Wednesday 7 September 2011

KAL Media finally pay up...

Back in January, Simply Beautiful magazine accepted an article I wrote on aromatherapy for their 'upcoming' issue - this was the first piece of writing I'd sold, but unfortunately it wasn't a great experience. 


This morning, seven months down the line, I received a phone call from a helpful woman in KAL Media's accounts department, saying she had 'found' my invoice and would pay me immediately. Found? I had been sending and resending my invoice to the only contact I had - the editor - who assured me on the rare occasions my correspondence was acknowledged that she was passing on my details to accounts. This information shocked the lady I was speaking to.


I know I won't receive my contributor copy, but at least I now know which issue I was published in at least - they didn't even have the curtesy to tell me so that I could seek out my own copy when it was on the shelves.


Sadly, mine isn't an isolated case. Lots of the talented crafters at Folksy have sold articles, how-to's and patterns to KAL Media's craft magazines, and many are still fighting for their payment. I have been lucky, and my advice to them is to try and contact the accounts department directly as, apparently, there is a severe lack in communication!


I'm just relieved there is some closure now. This has been a huge weight on my shoulders, and for a while it really affected my confidence when I was trying to sell my work. I guess it was bad luck that it was my first time, but I'm glad I didn't meekly submit to the big scary publishers and kept on fighting! 

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