#EbonyOwes Is Bad Business Ethics
Freelance writers of every race and age are screwed over by publications. Ebony owes money more likely because they are clearly being poorly managed, and with all the hands they have gone through, sadly, it’s expected. But they should know and do better, if for no other reason than avoiding being a cliché of a Black company dodging paying people.
I worked for a Black newspaper once that was notorious for bouncing paychecks or waiting until the bank was closed so you couldn’t cash it that day (old days).
Freelancers Are Business Owners
One of the hardest concepts for most people to understand is that it is a business. Ebony and other publications are clients. If people are so afraid to stand up for what they rightly earned, they should not be in business. Get a 9–5, no harm no foul.
Freelancing is tough anyway since most still font respect the term. There are some who still view is as unemployed, even though you are in business. As a business, you have to protect your cash flow just like the bug guys. If your clients are not paying, then do what you should to collect, but don’t keep giving them an opportunity to rack up unpaid bills.
You Teach Your Clients
Huffington Post doesn’t even bother to pay the majority of their writers. They pay with “exposure” like a landlord can do something with that. Forbes wants you to bring your audience before they allow you to publish with payments based on clicks and such.
Don’t even get me started on the pay to publish in a book, pay a TV show to have you on, and all the free speeches big organizations expect people to give.
When you are afraid to call out those who are exploiting you, while sending them more pitches, you have told them it’s OK to do it to you.
The Real Problem is Supply and Demand
The Internet has made many think they are writers. Heck, you can get a 1000 words from some person just looking for some clips for pennies, if not free. There are ads on the Web everywhere that are scooped up offering $5 for 5 articles at 500–1000 words apiece. Why? Because some don’t know their worth, or the publication does not care what you think you are worth unless you are a big named writer.
Keep Focused
Ebony may be a great magazine with great content. It may even be a historic magazine for African Americans, but that does not mean they can’t have a flaw, and in this case, it’s paying people in a timely manner. Deal with them as a business woman whose client has failed to pay, not as some some company that YOU feel afraid to demand to be paid for work they used and are profiting from.
