Girl's Life Magazine

[Reece10]

Hi Everyone,

Girl's Life Magazine have been giving a couple of us writers the run around regarding payment for quizzes (with signed contracts) that have been published by them

To date, emails to the editor have gone unanswered!

Has anyone else experienced writing for them? (and...being PAID??)

Reece

 

[Tilly]

Hope you get paid.

You might want to post this in the Bewares and Background Checks forum as well.

 

[Fern]

Could it be the editor hasn't received your emails. . .whether from having gobs of email and not getting to it yet, or possibly on vacation, etc.? I see in their guidelines it says pay on publication. You might send a copy of your contract, a copy of the published piece and an invoice along to the accounting dept. at the magazine.

 

[Jamesaritchie]

Hi Everyone,

Girl's Life Magazine have been giving a couple of us writers the run around regarding payment for quizzes (with signed contracts) that have been published by them

To date, emails to the editor have gone unanswered!

Has anyone else experienced writing for them? (and...being PAID??)

Reece

Have you sent an invoice to accounting? The editor often doesn't know squat about payment, and sometimes accounting sits around waiting for an invoice to show up.

 

[ATP]

Might I suggest that you give us a carefully explained summary as context for those here not party to the 'inner workings' . I think that you would then have a better chance of getting more accurate and targeted information, rather than guesses or stock answers...

 

[AncientEagle]

Might I suggest that you give us a carefully explained summary as context for those here not party to the 'inner workings' . I think that you would then have a better chance of getting more accurate and targeted information, rather than guesses or stock answers...

Just call me simple-minded. I thought the original question was quite clear, as were the responses. And I'm not party to any 'inner workings'. Obviously I don't get the big picture.

 

[JennaGlatzer]

Reece, how overdue are the payments? I may be able to help. Most publishers are not thrilled to hear that I plan to inform our 75,000 newsletter subscribers that they are not paying their writers. PM me for details.

 

[Sonny Palermo]

Jenna has asked the key question, Reece, how overdue are they?
Also, how long have they been publishing?
The magazine biz is tough, even tougher for newer mags trying to cover costs while staking a place in the market.
If you're talking a month or two, don't press too much - many companies work the payables to 60 to 90 days. Not fair, but that's life. And you don't want to alienate a possible revenue source because their accounts payable person is slacking.
If you're talking 4-5 months or more - that's trouble.

And how long have e-mails gone answered? It is vacation time, August is usually a fall-behind-month for many people, September is catch-up time.

 

[Reece10]

Hi Everyone,

Well, I got a reply from the editorial asst who sent the contract for the quiz that was published in February 2006. (yeap you read right)

She was very obliging and apologetic and said she would get a check out to me this week.

So, for now I guess I sit back and wait.

Thanks for all your input. And Jenna, thanks for the offer to "rock the boat", but it won't be neccesary.

Reece

 

[awatkins]

Hope it works out, Reece. Please keep us posted.

 

[momwrites]

Glad you got a response

I have had articles published with Girl's Life and they did pay me for a feature, but it took four months after it was published. The problem I have with them is queries. I had one query about a back-to-school article--I thought it was great--the editor didn't even read it, when I inquired about it two months later, and then told me she must of erased the e-mail! Of course, it was too late!

Hi Everyone,

Well, I got a reply from the editorial asst who sent the contract for the quiz that was published in February 2006. (yeap you read right)

She was very obliging and apologetic and said she would get a check out to me this week.

So, for now I guess I sit back and wait.

Thanks for all your input. And Jenna, thanks for the offer to "rock the boat", but it won't be neccesary.

Reece

 

[Freckles]

UGH! You would think a mag like that would be overdue in payments! Good luck...

 

[Arisa81]

Finally found a thread relating GL, I was told it was around here somewhere.
Well, I have still not been paid. This is my series of events:

Jan. 31, 2006: Acceptance for quiz
May 2006: Finally send an invoice to them (I was told I would be sent a contract, so I was waiting).
August 2006: E-mail 2 people, get one response, saying she will have a word with the people in the accounting dept and have it sent right away.
Of course that same week the contract arrives (very long time, right?) I send it back asap.
Oct 13, 2006: Send another e-mail to GL asking about payment.

 

[limitedtimeauthor]

Reece, how overdue are the payments? I may be able to help. Most publishers are not thrilled to hear that I plan to inform our 75,000 newsletter subscribers that they are not paying their writers. PM me for details.

Wow. I like Jenna's power! And she's on our side. Good.

I hope GL straightens up - I've thought of subscribing and possibly writing for it when the inevitable pre-teen years join our family. (First article by ltd.: "This is your mother. Clean up your room. Don't do drugs.")

It's supposed to have won some Parents' Choice awards or something, and promises not to let our 10 - 15 year old daughters grow up too fast. (Although the cover stories about dating are just giving me an absolute heart attack! What happened to horses and princesses and coloring pretty pictures of trees and sky and clouds? Do we parents get a letter from the teacher when this shift occurs in the universe?)

ltd.

 

[September skies]

I had been thinking of submitting something to them recently. But what does this mean? I was not planning on sending my article, I was sending a query. But, can they keep it forever if they ask for it? (#6)
Also, (#7) -- if they respond to my query and do ask for it, does this still apply?

From the GL submission guidelines:
6. Queries are responded to within 90 days if submitted with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. QUERIES WITHOUT AN SASE WILL BE DISCARDED. For return of original manuscripts, please provide SASE with sufficient postage. If material is not returned in due time, it has been placed in a file for possible future consideration. Girls' Life cannot be held responsible for the return of any unsolicited material.

7. Unless submission is stated to be a possible work for hire, submission will be considered property of Girls' Life magazine.

 

[acousticgroupie]

i wouldn't even consider them after hearing this!

and i'd hunt them down. call. ask for accounting or HR. use the journalism skills you have!

 

[Arisa81]

Edit: decided to remove my comment.

 

[Arisa81]

Edit: Ditto

 

[JennaGlatzer]

April, yes, DEFINITELY call, fax, snail mail... whatever. Don't just hang around waiting for e-mail responses.

 

[Freckles]

Looks like I'll think twice before querying! Sorry about everything, April. Did your quiz even get published?

 

[Arisa81]

Jenna, thanks I will do that.
Freckles, I have no idea. It's supposed to be online, but they didn't give a date or anything. I could check if it's up there now.
This whole thing has just been ridiculous. This is my very first experience with this kind of problem.

 

[vangoach]

Be Careful

Just thought I would share my experience with this magazine so far.

Last february they accepted a quiz I sent and said it would be published on their site in approx. 3 months, at which time they would send a contract and then payment.

So, I sent more quizzes. I emailed several months ago and they said the first quiz would be published soon on line and I would get the contract then.

I just checked their site and found one of my other quizzes that they had not even told me had been accepted. I have received no contract and no payment and did not even know they were using the one that is on there site now.

I will let you know what happens but after reading this thread I am quite disturbed by this.


Be very careful about submitting and if you have sent them quizzes keep checking to make sure they don't get used without informing you.



Christine

 

[Arisa81]

I know someone else had a quiz published by them and she wasn't even told, too.

 

[vangoach]

What really bothers me is that I could have sold the quiz they used somewhere else. Then I would have another magazine angry with me for selling it twice. I could have lost a paying market and gotten a bad rap for it.

I'm not sure what to do here as some of the work of mine that they have is also out to other magazines. I've checked with my other regular teen mag and there is no cross-over but there could easily have been.

I won't be submitting anything else to Girls' Life because of this. I'm just very worried about what they still have and how many more of my articles or quizzes will be used like this without pay or contract or notice of any kind.

Frustration!!!!!! AHHHHHH!

 

[Arisa81]

Whatever you have left with GL, write them and say you want to remove those pieces from consideration. That should be the end of it, but since with them you can't be sure I would double check their site every now and then in case they do pub something.