Canada’s meeting place for freelance writers and creators

Established 2010

There's nothing quite as frustrating to a freelancer as having to chase a publisher down for unpaid invoices. Story Board has reported on late-paying Canadian publishers a couple of times over the past few months. In both cases, freelancers were angry enough to go public with their complaints.

Last fall, a similarly frustrated freelance journalist started a website to name and shame late-paying publishers. With the help of the founders of the journalism crowdfunding site Beacon Reader, Iona Craig launched Pay Me Please, a site dedicated to outing publishers who owe their freelancers money.

And, according to a post this week on the Contently website, it's having an impact. Since the site launched in October of 2013, over one hundred unpaid invoices have been listed on the site. The amounts owing range from a few Euros to thousands of dollars and the late-payers run the gamut from obscure little publishers to major players like Al Jazeera, BBC, Esquire Weekly and FoxNews.com.

The Contently post says that so far 16 of the invoices listed on the site have been paid. But more importantly, Iona Craig says that some publishers have responded to the mere threat of being named on Pay Me Please.

Contently says that as Pay Me Please gains visibility, it will become more and more useful to "disenfranchised creatives" who have few options when faced with non-paying clients. So share widely, freelancers.

And if you're owed by a tardy publisher, maybe it's time to say "enough is enough. Pay Me Please."

Freelance writers, photographers and web developers are advised that a Toronto-based startup magazine is behind on payments to its contributors.The Revelation Magazine, an online publication that bills itself as a "non-denomination Christian lifestyle magazine," published one issue in December before suspending publication in mid-January. More than…
by Rachel SandersWhen you’re offered a juicy writing assignment, sometimes the fee seems less important than the experience, the enjoyment, or the byline you’re expecting to get out of it. But as you move along in your writing career, it’s important to consider what your time is worth. If you want to freelance full-time, you need to earn…
** Update Dec 17/13: Chris Turner has reported that he received his overdue cheque from Venture Publishing this week. Some of the other freelancers that Story Board contacted are still waiting for payment. ** Venture Publishing has told at least one freelancer that it is behind in payments to its contributors, blaming poor summer ad sales…
There was a commotion on Twitter last week. A graphic designer named Juan Luis Garcia claimed he was asked to design some posters for Spike Lee’s new movie, Oldboy. After spending weeks on his designs, he says, the agency that hired him offered an “insultingly low rate” for the use of his posters. He was unable to negotiate a reasonable fee…
[caption id="attachment_7298" align="alignright" width="280"] Image courtesy of dan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net[/caption]If you have a blog -- and there are some who think that all freelance writers, authors and journalists should -- you might have an image problem. Specifically, unless you're a photographer, it can be hard to find decent pictures to…
The Canadian Intern Association is holding its first Vancouver meeting tonight at the Firehall Branch of the public library.The Association was founded last year by University of Ottawa law student Claire Seaborn, who noticed a dearth of advocacy groups to address the growing problem of illegal unpaid internships. Over the past year, the group…
The NDP has launched a petition calling for the implementation of a "pan-Canadian Urban Worker Strategy" to better support the growing number of Canadians who suffer under precarious working conditions.The petition, titled "Urban workers deserve better" singles out unpaid internships as one of the main problems facing urban workers today. It also…
Are you a radio freelancer? Then there’s a new online home for you to explore: Airchecker – originally a news blog for Canadian radio professionals – has launched a social network.Airchecker was created in 2007 by a Canadian radio personality who prefers to remain anonymous. Seeing a need for a one-stop source of radio-related news,…
The Canadian Media Guild is starting negotiations for a new collective agreement. Every time they go to the table, the Guild wants to make sure it's addressing the concerns of its members -- and that includes freelancers. If you freelance for CBC, they want your input.Take a minute to fill out the CMG survey and let them know what's important to…

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