It has to be said, many new writers are often the cause of their own payment difficulties so it is important to establish a code of practise from the beginning to avoid trouble before it even starts.

Articles submitted on spec. In case you don't know, this is the term for articles sent to a magazine or website that has not asked for them. The editor is under no obligation to look at your work or even return it. However, if you have done your home work properly you will have ensured the publication concerned welcomes unsolicited material and does indeed offer payment for it. If there are no payment details readily available then ask! Email preferably, or by telephone.

When submitting your article make sure you have either quoted the publications rate in figures or included the words "at your usual rate". This makes it clear that you are a professional and expect to be paid for your work. You also need to make it clear whether photographs or other artwork are included in the fee or if you expect separate payment for them. (You will need to find out the publication's policy on this, most expect to pay a separate fee for photographs, but not all).

Get some inclusion compliment slips printed to send with your article. The one I use contains all my contact information, name of publication, title of article, payment, what rights are offered, details of photographs included and rights offered, usually one time print rights or non-exclusive UK editorial rights. The purpose behind all this is to rule out any possibility of confusion. Both parties should know exactly where they stand.

Hopefully your target publication will say "yes" to your submission so the next step is to send a confirmation or thank you email and ask where you should send the invoice. This may not necessarily be to the editor but to an accounts department. Getting it wrong can cause countless delays while someone makes a half hearted search of the office. Usually you have to resend which often puts you at the back of the payment queue. You also need to know what their payment policy is if you haven't already found this out. Most magazines and websites tend to pay on publication, a few on acceptance. Be clear on this as you need to know

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Commissioned articles These are articles that an editor has specifically asked you to write, usually in response to a query or pitch that you will have posted or emailed.

All of the above applies, but first you need to send some form of confirmation, either by email or letter making it clear what you are offering. This should include a brief description of the article, what, if any, photographs you will be supplying, the agreed rate and of course rights offered.

So far so good. You've presented yourself in a confident and business like way and left no room for misunderstandings over what you will be supplying, rights offered and payment expected.

The next step is to put the collection wheels in motion. You do this by submitting an invoice. This is simply a request for payment and without submitting one you will almost certainly experience payment problems.

This often fazes new writers who fail to appreciate that most publications are businesses accountable to VAT and tax inspectors. They have to keep proper accounts and so should you! In fact you must keep all correspondence including emails, faxes and letters and also record details of phone calls if you suspect there may be a problem.

Writer members of Writelink have a business pack that includes templates for letter heads, invoices and statements as well as a small business spreadsheet for keeping simple accounts. These should form the staple part of every freelance writer's admin arsenal. If you don't have this pack you can easily design your own through most word processing packages.

Your invoice should contain your contact details, the publications contact details, a unique number usually relating to your filing system, date, description of what has been supplied, price, (if you are registered for VAT this should be shown separately), Vat number if applicable and finally your payment terms, e.g. invoice to be paid within 14 days, one month etc.

Send your invoice in as soon as your work has been accepted. Don't wait for publication. With a bit of luck your cheque will arrive when expected, if not read part II - How To Extract Payment From Sticky Fingered Editors!
About the Author

Sue Kendrick has worked as a freelance writer for over 22 years. She contributes regularly to special and general interest magazines and websites as well as providing copywriting services to the business sector. She is also the editor of http://www.writelink.co.uk an on-line community for creative writers.