The Guide To Getting Clients To Pay Up: Interview With ASJA Director Alexandra Owens

Freelancing is tough enough without getting stiffed by clients, but it happens to everyone. Sometimes the mistake is really just that—a mistake—and a couple calls to Accounts Payable is all that’s needed to rectify the situation.

Sometimes the issue is more dire.

We spoke with American Society of Journalists and Authors director Alexandra Owens about your options.

First, you need to figure out what’s going on. Is the company not paying you because they’re just jerks, or are they in serious financial trouble? If the latter, Owens says, you don’t have much recourse, but you should “put them on notice that you’re a creditor, just like their landlord is a creditor,” she says.