Guest Post: Three Times Lucky or Three Times Stupid?

by Mridu Khullar

I’m officially declaring that I will no longer work with start-ups (and if I do, hit me, will ya?). Here’s why:

Magazine Editor No. 1:

The editor loved not only my work, but me as well. So much so that she paid me in advance, offered me a regular column at three times their usual rates and sent me a copy of the issue as soon as the magazine hit the stands. But I’m guessing she fell in love with too many other freelancers as well, because the magazine soon went out of business, and while my second check arrived as promised, I never received a copy of the issue in which my brilliant personal essay appeared. (I’ve been told it looked stellar though.) The editor informed me that she sent the copy three times (sure, I believed her) but stopped replying to e-mails soon after (hmm… eventually stopped believing her).

Lesson Learned: Just because it starts well doesn’t mean it’ll end well.

Price Paid: First rights to piece gone, but don’t have the clip to show for it.

Signs that should have tipped me off: (1) Yahoo e-mail address. (Screams unprofessional. Yes, I’m stupid– read the title of this post.)
(2) Three times their regular rate? Who am I– Madonna?
(3) The “we’re just regular ol’ housewives trying to make a difference” e-mail. (Refer to title again.)

Magazine Editor No. 2:

This editor loved me as well (hey, I’m a lovable person!) and thought we’d work a lot together in the future. That’s, of course, two weeks before she disappeared into oblivion along with her website and my money! I was a little wiser though– I hadn’t agreed to her “write one article for free” condition. I said you either pay or you don’t. There’s no one-for-free business going on here.

Lesson Learned: When they ask you to do a piece for free and you refuse, they’ll usually try and get it for free anyway.

Price Paid: A couple hundred dollars.

Signs that should have tipped me off: (1) Her mentioning that they no longer had a budget for freelancers. (I should have started to push for my money immediately.)
(2) Her asking me to write the first article for free.

Magazine Editor No. 3:

My most annoying experience so far. The editor was vague, dumb to the point of absurdity, and did way too much to-and-fro on each idea. I felt like I was actually handholding her.

Lesson Learned: If it seems like they don’t have a clue what they’re doing, they probably don’t.

Price Paid: I got the payment and clip, but lost hours of time trying to communicate with this editor. Hours that might have been better spent on other editors and publications.

Signs that should have tipped me off: (1) No question ever answered directly. (Ever seen a therapist at work–”And what do you think?”)
(2) Poor grammar and spelling. (She’s the one who would be editing my work.)
(3) Too much useless discussion on finalizing ideas (if the editor’s any good at what she does, she’ll be able to give you a direction in five minutes flat).

So there you go, writers. I’ve sacrificed my pride so you don’t have to. Read, learn, and pass on the wisdom. (And if you’re in an especially giving mood, leave a comment. My shattered pride will thank you.)

Mridu Khullar has since learned from these mistakes and gone on to be published in Time, Glamour, Marie Claire, Elle, Ms., Self, Parade.com, Women’s eNews, US Airways, Writer’s Digest, and The Women’s International Perspective, among others. She has also contributed to the books Chicken Soup for the Pre-Teen Soul II and Voices of Alcoholism. Visit her website and read her blog.