No one ever said freelancing was a sane business, but there are some things that are truly weird. When those things involve getting paid you tend to seriously notice them.
One of those peculiarities is August. Don't be surprised if all sorts of weird things happen to payments in August. Checks will be delayed, invoices will be lost and nothing seems to go right.
The reason: August is vacation month in New York. A lot of the office staff leaves and the people who are filling in for them -- well, let's just say they're not always up to the task. Since freelancers are low on the organizational totem pole anyway, guess who feels the brunt of this holiday making?
The best thing you can do as a freelancer is to anticipate the situation. Expect payment schedules will go out the window in August. Remind editors -- gently -- when an invoice goes over 30 days. Assuming of course the editor isn't on vacation as well.
And remember, things usually get better in September.
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