Imagine That

I've spent the last three Saturdays assisting my b/riend in teaching an adult education class at the local community college on how to e-format your document, create a cover, and publish your e-book.

It was mostly seniors who were afraid of computers and weren't quite sure what to do with a mouse--one lady I sat next to thought that if you put the cursor next to a line of text or a graphic that it was Highlighted. I don't know why I couldn't get her to understand that. Sweet lady.

But it was a lot of fun and I learned a lot--the e-publishing environment changes, if not weekly, then daily. It really is that fast-paced.

I spent a lot of time getting up and down to help people yesterday, and man, my ankle was throbbing by the time I got home. I iced it, but it's still a little sore today

But the day went quickly and I had a ball in addition to learning all kinds of neat stuff.

I also need to buy Office 2010. Ouch. I've been putting it off as long as I can, but I'm going to have to buy it, and soon.

At any rate, when I got home yesterday evening, after also going to Pic-N-Sav (Big Lot's) for birdseed (VERY cheap!!), and then Trader Joe's for a couple of items, (ankle ow), there was a check for me in the mail. Yay! For more than I expected for one gig. I'm still waiting on the July gig. Otherwise, everyone has paid.

And my boss was kind enough to tell everyone in the class that if they wanted to pay to have their books e-formatted and published, that I would be the person to do it and everyone asked for a card!!! She said that because I met these people outside of the employer I'm contracted through, that I can freelance these and actually get paid more by not going through XYZ publishing. WOW. See what I mean? These are really nice people, they're bookkeeping is just in the stone ages. It doesn't change anything as to what my plans are, but yes, I will keep one foot in the pool because I do enjoy the work.

I then came home, collapsed, ate an apple, thought about dinner A LOT but was too tired and sore to get up, watched the season premiere of FRINGE (eh), and fell asleep for several hours in the living room. I got up at 11pm, went to bed, read for an hour or two, and then slept all day. Guess I was a tired gal.

Yesterday was a good day.

Still

This blog is turning into a place where I can vent my frustrations about my "job." Every job has them, I get it. But the payment problems are different...that's just...disorganization.

So now I'm back to my old complaint: Not getting follow-thru with my requests.

I have a client--my favorite, I confess--who is ready to publish book no. 2, and two weeks ago this person and I had a conversation about what he wanted to do with it, and I forwarded it to my boss to draw up and send him a contract. We used to do our own contracts, but starting in February, it has to be one of the two owners who draws them up. I always thought it was weird that they trusted me--a new contracter/employee--to draw up contracts. Whatever.

If you already guessed "still waiting on the contract," then you guessed right. Two weeks. No contract.

So I sent a reminder over to the publisher.

Getting SO tired of this.

My mood is not great, so everything like this, not going as planned, helps my mood plummet, but jeez. Really? Do I have to ask multiple times for everything? Maybe you take on too much and you need an assistant? *sigh*

And no, still not paid for July gig or mid-August gig. Whatever.

Two Checks Received...

...and banked. I'm still owed for two more projects, one which finished in July, and a second in August. It's not like I'm rolling in dough, but we did go straight to Lil Caesars and get a $5- pizza and some wings. (Foodies. Heh. It was a long day and I didn't feel like cooking. And we hadn't had pizza in months.)

But, my cell phone will be paid, the cable/net/landline fone will be paid, and enough left over to see the retinologist and oncologist in October. I also opened a savings account with one of those online banks--very difficult to get at your money there, so perhaps I'll be a better saver. That's my hope anyway.

I'm still done. Done freelancing. At least, with this particular organization as my only income stream. I'll still take a project here and there, just because I *do* enjoy it, but the light is on, and the coffee has boiled over about expecting to make a living doing this. I get it. At last.

So I've got two packages that went into the mail today for a two positions with the state--they have to be applied for separately, so all the same info, except the job title on page one of their application. I had to enclose the following:

--Their application (7 pages)

--Their questionnaire (5 pages of essay or short sentence answers)

--resume

--cover letter

--list of additional jobs with addresses and phone numbers

--references

--copy of editing certificate

--copy of diploma

I started it on Thursday, and finished it off today. I needed to look something up for one of the questions to complete the questionnaire. THEN I noticed that for my first package, a different position than package 2 but with all the same materials required, that the paper I'd printed them on had evidently had coffee spilled on it at some point because all of the pages had brown stains at the very bottom.

*blast*

New paper and re-print.

Re-package, go over checklist, carefully check everything is signed, yes, done.

Print postage using Stamps.com (another blog post about them another time).

Send husband to post office as deadline for apps is tomorrow.

Keep scouring the Internet looking for jobs--at this point, as long as I can sit down (back issues), I don't care what it is. Well, no call centers. EVER. Just...NO.

I'm also having a conversation tomorrow night with a dear friend who's run his own business for years, and perhaps about starting my own small business, officially, not just "work on the side," but an actual business. It should be an interesting conversation.

I saw one of my bosses yesterday as they are teaching a class at a community college nearby, adult education, in publishing, and I got to attend in order to help them and the other students in the class. They were all smiles and gratitude, and the money problem was not discussed. They did seem glad to see me, I'll say that.

Like I said, I'll continue to take projects until I find something with more solid ground under it, and then, after that, the occasional project for fun and extra $.

But the crazy-making waiting on the mailman bullshit is over.

***

Since for whatever reason, I am unable to leave responses to comments on my blog, I'm posting my response to HD here:

Yep. I've come to the same conclusion. It's time to move on, although I'll keep one toe in the water because I like the work and I do like my "briend", boss/friend.

But...moving on. Stepping back into the real world.

Jewels

Update

No response from either boss to my e-mail; however, an email from the bookkeeper stating that two checks came in today and they are on the way to me, clear across town. *snort*

One of them I wasn't expecting, so it's a bit more than I was counting on. And fab.

Now what?

Don't know.

I'll let you know when I do.

I Think I'm Done

This is the reply from the bookkeeper to my question about--where's the money. (I was much more polite, I promise).

I'm not sure what answer is, these were billed September 11-14. I know the customer has 30 days, but do they normally pay sooner?

So a project I finished, told my boss I finished, on July 18, was not billed for almost two months?? W.T.H?

It's almost like not having a job, but with all the frustration of having one. Now I'm crying.

I don't know what I want to say or do. So I'm going to wait. No, wait, I should write the other boss. No, No, I should wait. Hell, I. Don't. Know. What. To. Do. Ugh.

I have to (I want to) assist one of my bosses in a class this Saturday, and I'm interested in what we'll learn in the class, too, but between now and then? I need to think about this. Honestly, what will I lose?

Maybe I'll just be quiet until I get a new job.

*fingerscrossed*

BUT I AM SO UPSET!!!!!!!!!!

Advice? Thoughts? I need it.

***

The bookkeeper wrote back and said she is not doing the invoicing at this point, but to contact the two owners who did. So I fashioned an e-mail, got some input on it from various people, and this is what I sent---no reply back as of yet:

Hi ladies,

Work I’ve completed is not being billed in a timely manner. I’m not sure why this is. I finished a project July 18, and Peggy just advised me it was not billed until last week. Also, a project completed August 18 was not billed until last week, and then a Benford project that I completed my portion of on August 19 was not billed at all until I asked about it.

I was expecting to be paid for at least two of these jobs by now—it’s almost October.

It’s concerning to me that this is happening. It creates difficulty for me. Although I really enjoy the work and being part of the XYZ team, I’m starting to question if this is the right place for me. Although I would do this for free, that is not the way of the world, and I have a share of bills that I need to pay, also. It is very difficult for me to live with this whole “I wonder when I’ll get a check?” situation. My debtors don’t understand it, either, and are not partial to kindness.

I don’t know what the solution is—or which solution the two of you would prefer—but this way does not work for me. I’m sorry.

Thoughts?



Jewels

I Can't Take It Anymore...

So I emailed the bookkeeper, who is my boss' mother-in-law, the following:

Hi P,

Not to be a nag, well, I guess I am :P ....but it's been two months since I finished MM, and a month since I finished TSPoM (andDTRR was billed late), but could you tell me when I might expect payment? and try to budget somewhat?

I would appreciate it, thanks.

Jewels



Now I wait, with bated breath.

Wile E. Editor, SuperGenius

One of my clients wants a small graphic image, reminiscent of events in the story, inserted before each chapter head/title. We were going to use Word ClipArt, but after some research, discovered we did not have a license for commercial use.

So I hunted around on the web and found some royalty-free graphic art and just what my client is looking for.

One of my boss' is doing the InDesign layout. So last night I emailed it to her with an explanation and told her that I just needed the client's approval before she could move forward.

This morning she wrote back, "great, etc., 'e-mail me the graphic.'"

*crickets*

Uh, it was attached to the original email.

Honest to dog, it's hard to respect this kind of idiocy.

I realize that people aren't perfect, I'm certainly not, but when it happens with every. single. interaction? There's a problem. I'm seriously wondering about dementia or Alzheimer's -- this person is in their 60s so it wouldn't be out of the range of consideration. I've heard of it starting in people as early as the mid 40s.

But just...wow.

Still Waiting

But it's moot, anyway. That money has been earmarked for out-of-state visits to the retinologist and oncologist next month. If it's not here by then...? I can't tell you the enormity of anger I'll be feeling then.

We still haven't paid our rent this month. I'm not exactly sure what happened, because my husband and I keep separate accounts (it's just better this way), and my husband is getting unemployment, so that's the bulk of our monthly income. So we're fortunate to have an understanding landlady. Considering that 10% of the units in our complex of some 300 units have remained steadily empty since we've lived here, she's probably just happy to have renters. I feel like an ass. I always paid my rent before anything else. I may not have had food or money to put gas into my car to get to work, but my rent was paid. I don't like being in this position.

I'm doing everything I know how to do to increase incoming funds--I've got stuff for sale on Etsy; I've applied for several jobs, although pickin's are thin. If I wanted to be a Fellow in hand neurosurgery instruction or join the Army, there are plenty of jobs available. *sigh*

I've suggested selling our second car, but my husband said no.

I'm exhausted.

I had an asthma attack in the middle of the night last night--I'm not sure where that came from--and it took a while to get my breathing stabilized, even with a rescue inhaler, and then I was afraid to lay down for fear of inability to breathe, and I finally fell asleep sometime around 4 or 5am. And I felt like a wrung out dishrag all day. Bleah.

So yeah, this is me whining.

Not very grown up, I'm afraid, but there it is.

Frustrated and Perturbed

Since it's nearly the middle of September, I took it upon myself to email the bookkeeper and ask if the three projects I worked on had even been billed--and I'm so glad I did.

A project completed July 17 was billed;
A project completed Aug 18 was billed;
A project completed Aug 19 was NOT billed.

*argh*

My boss with the memory of a gnat forgot to bill the client.

*sigh*

This is not working.

Other than keep looking, I don't know what else to do.

This way lies crazy-making.

Show Me the Money

Still waiting for my payment. It's September 11 (and yes, I am thinking about that day.).

Not only that, but I'm project managing an e-book to print conversion. I have two bosses, one of them knows InDesign. She said she would start laying it out after Labor Day, so September 4th. I had emailed her the week before to remind her, and then this week to see how it was going. The result? She just started it yesterday.

*grumble*

Her memory makes mine look like an Encyclopedia. I swear to dog.

Then, the cover art was supposed to be finished by the end of August. But the artist never got his budget or contract from my other boss.

Granted, she became seriously ill and was in bed, sleeping, for about ten days, but she had two weeks prior to that to send him the budget and contract--she spoke to the author about that, not me.

So I emailed both her and the cover artist yesterday to ask if work was progressing, i.e., the contract had been signed, and I've yet to hear from either one of them.

It's frustrating. You asked me to project manage a project, yet you do not follow my instructions. So my question is, Why? Why am I PMing something if you're not going to pay attention to me? I don't get it.

I love the work, I do, but the business is not being run very well. I hope I'll be in a position someday to say, hey, there's some things that need work or I can't play with you guys anymore.

Today is not that day.

So I bitch. Yada yada yada.

***

A painful thought: I'm planning a big party for November. I hope to hell I have the money to pay for it. JHC!

Halfway Between the End of Summer and Fall

Or thirteen days until "official" fall, although I've felt it in the air for a few weeks now. And yay.

This is the time when I was expecting to be paid for three jobs I finished, one in July and two in August. But, alas, it is my fate to wait. As usual.

I wish that they would set up a regular payment schedule, like the 1st and the 15th, that way when those dates pass, and I haven't received a check in the mail, I know the client hasn't yet paid, and I can simply look to the 1st for the next payment cycle.

Instead, it's willy-nilly, whenever someone has time (or is in the mood) to process payables to the sub-contracters.

A bookkeeper was hired in July which was supposed to mitigate this scattered approach at bookkeeping and paying it's staff, but that has not been the case.

I'm disappointed.

I've talked to many people about this, some small business owners, and they've all agreed with me that this is not a good business model. The first thing you pay is payroll. The End.

I once worked for a transcription service who had mis-billed a large client $4,000 instead of $40,000. The owner gathered us all together and told us she wouldn't be able to make payroll and she wasn't sure when, but at least two weeks. All while she owned the building we worked in and should have had an emergency escrow account for just such situations, and drove to work in her Mercedes Benz 450SL two-seater convertible while we had conversations with our landlords, and scoured our cupboards for whatever was left. Uh, yeah, that went over well with the staff. NOT.

Within the month, more than half of us had quit. I had to be nasty to get my last paycheck. I didn't deposit it, but cashed it at a check cashing service for a small fee. Every check I received from this employer was written on a different bank--I wasn't taking any chances. A week or so later, I received a call from my former employer, yeah, I'd found a new job, to tell me they were sorry, but the check was going to bounce. I told her--the owner's cousin *rolleyes*--that I had cashed it at Alligator ASS check cashing...there was a pause on the other end of the phone as she thought of the repercussions of that particular business coming after them--and charging them beau-coup fees, more than I would have. Heh.

So I'm not DYING (that I know of), or going to be evicted, or starve, or even have our internet or cable TV turned of...BUT, the waiting is unpleasant. Fortunately, I don't rely on this money for a living, but for extras, like my cell phone and the cable (which I ordered and pay for because my husband is just not a TV watcher), and maybe out to eat once in a while (with a BOGO coupon, of course).

No, but it still stings to wait. It makes me feel marginalized and unimportant, and I don't like that.

One job I finished July 18th, I checked. The client has 30 days to pay, so even with a little cushion time, I should've had a check last week. But nope. No check.

I could quit with only a small impact to my lifestyle, but I really enjoy what I'm doing. I just really dislike being at the bottom of the barrel.

I will, I think, continue to put out feelers for freelance work from other sources.

OK, rant over.

Thank you..

PS: Retinologist and oncology appointments have been moved to October as both my husband and I have been, and are still, sick with a nasty version of bronchitis. It's going on two weeks, and we're still coughing and feeling lousy. Ugh. ***

RESPONSE TO COMMENTER HDSILVERSMITH--For whatever reason, I am unable to leave comments on this, my own blog. So here is my reply:

I agree wholeheartedly. It makes me cry, also. A "come-to-Jesus" moment is in the making. But not yet. I was hoping you-know-who would have a job by now so I would have more stable ground to stand on, but it's not happening. I will never be able to go back to work in a corporate environment. Not physically, not emotionally, not psychically,so for now, I wait. But the moment I feel I can speak up, and live with any consequences, such as never working for them again, I will.

I have a contract, but it doesn't include any clients I find on my own, only current clients. So there's that. And either side may nullify the contract at any point. So, we'll see.

They're nice people, but really lousy business people.

I'm on several other freelance sites (like elance, which pays so very low, mein gott,) and I've not gotten any work as of yet.