Where Is My Money?

Did I miss a newsletter or something when I started doing this freelance thing?

Is there some guidebook that I didn't pick up that explains how getting paid pretty much is never going to happen, because it sure as shit seems that way.

Passion Magazine is now 100% officially tits-up without every having put a dollar in my pocket. Three issues, four articles, some 6,000 words amounting to zero dollars and zero cents. I know there is the exposure of having a byline in a national magazine, as well as a picture in one, and the clippings are great for my portfolio, but none of that puts money in my hands.

On the heels of Passion's non-payment comes the situation I currently find myself in. All the spots I write for, save for one, have yet to pay me for some very good work I have done and I'm starting to get more than a little concerned.

I'm wondering if my lack of cents comes from a lack of sense. Should I have known it would be like this?

I filed my article for Trot Magazine a couple months ago, after several hours of interviews and work, plus a rewrite to better express the tone and voice the magazine was looking for with the piece.

As it hasn't been published yet, this one doesn't have me as worried, especially because I actually get emails back from my editor, which is more than I can say right now about Canadian Sports Magazine at the moment.

Same story as with Trot - interview done and put together, complete with additional pieces should they want to make the piece larger, invoice sent and...

Nothing. Not even a reply to acknowledge they got my invoice.

Most nerve racking of all is Bugs, simply because I've never run into this situation there before.

It's July 17th and I haven't seen our June numbers yet.

Normally this wouldn't matter much to me as I tend to make around $1.87 a month. But last month was a banner month for me, complete with an SI Extra Mustard link and some serious pub thanks to my on-going tete-a-tete with the Drunk Jays Fans.

Not that I'm expecting millions, but this could be a hundred dollar month and a guy could really use a hundred bucks right about now.

Instead, I'm left checking my Gmail account thirty times a day to see if I've gotten the email yet, only to be disappointed time and again.

I know the Bugs thing will work itself out - I have the utmost faith and respect for my boss over there and he's never given me any reason to doubt him in the past.

Just, when everyone who owes you money stops returning your emails and phone calls, you start to get a little paranoid.

And broke.