John Soares, author of Writing College Textbook Supplements
You’ve done your work well, turned it in, and now you want to make sure you get paid for your efforts.
Ask your editor about the proper procedure for requesting payment. In most cases I send an e-mail invoice with the following information:
1. The date of the payment request
2. The name of the project I’m working on, including the textbook name, author(s), and edition number
3. The specific payment (first, second, third, etc)
4. The amount I’m requesting
5. My social security number
6. My mailing address
7. My full name at the bottom
In some cases you’ll need to fax or mail a document with similar information, or your editor will provide a specific form.
Typical Payment Times
Payment can be as quick as two weeks, but typically takes four to eight weeks. The average time is about six weeks.
What to Do If Your Check is Late
I always wait two months for the payment. If it hasn’t arrived by then, it means that some step in the process wasn’t completed and I won’t get the check until someone investigates what went wrong and remedies it.
I forward my original payment request e-mail to my editor with a couple of polite sentences stating that I haven’t yet received this payment and could she please look into it and let me know what’s happening. Often I wait another four to eight weeks to get the payment.
If this happens to you, be sure to note in your accounting system the date of the second check request. Also make sure the editor gets back to you about the second request. Don’t assume that she will automatically take care of it without acknowledging you.
For details on different types of payment schedules, see my recent my blog post Payment Schedules for College Textbook Supplements and Ancillaries.
(This post is based on Chapter 9, “Accounting Details,” from John Soares’ e-book Writing College Textbook Supplements: The Definitive Guide to Winning High-Paying Assignments in the College Textbook Publishing Market. You can download the Detailed Table of Contents and first two chapters for free.)
