Paddles Magazine = trouble

[Lowri Davies]

For years it seems that people have had problems being paid by Paddles Magazine (or their publisher, Freestyle Publications). This issue seems to have only gotten worse and I for one have finally snapped!



This information will not shock many UKRGB readers who remember the countless other threads about the issue, but just for the record I would like to point out anyway that Ben Love (their freelance editor) is not the cause of this issue - it is Freestyle Publications' utter incompetance and ineptitude. I have been promised the money several times, even in writing by the MD, but nothing has appeared. I have given them warnings and deadlines but to no avail. I am taking them to small claims court, starting tomorrow.



I know of several other people who are owed money due as long ago as Christmas. I also know one person still waiting on money from mid-2007! I'm sure there are more...



If you are owed money by Paddles please email me details (such as how much, which issue, when you invoiced, any contact you've had with them etc). lowri@lowridavies.co.uk

[Mark R]

Freestyle Publications' utter incompetance and ineptitude.

I think you flatter them. The Boss is simply a crook.

[chris s sladden]

Lowri

I don't blame you being irritated by this kind of behaviour one little bit. Unfortunately, you will find this common place as part of the way certain folks run their business. My experience is that it is almost an accepted practice within a certain part of the business world hidden behind the premise of , "it's business", as an attempt to justify it.

Best of luck with your small claims court- they will probably cough up before it gets to that point but after putting you through a lot of time and hassle not to mention emotional waste!


Best wishes


Chris

[magictom]

I had the pleasure of speaking to Freestyle Publications' MD ( can't remember the lowlife's name, don't want to either) last year ( maybe the year before) about unpaid invoices. I was particularly concerned that they had changed editors and I had not yet been paid. After an expensive phonecall from the U.S. during which he stonewalled me continuously I finally threatened to take him to small claims. His reply: "see you in court then"... and he hung up!

I called back and after a lot of tolerant rhetoric ( I shamelessly begged for my money) I finally persuaded them to pay... it was during the time that the MD was the "editor" and he promised to pay IF I promised to submit an article or two ( he was basically trying to withold oustanding payment so I could bail out his lack of ability/ literacy/boating knowledge)... he paid and I submitted the article; to American Whitewater ( who don't pay, but at least the money goes somewhere good).

My advise Lowri.... go to court. To everyone else.... don't write for Paddles. I never, ever will again.

tom

p.s.... why are any of you surprised that Jimmy Jayes is a git? Just a thought.

[Slime]

Lowri I support you all the way. Take them to the small claims court - its simple and cost effective.

Behavour like this might have once been acceptable in the general business community but in these days of the internet and better communications most companies realise that if nothing else, it is simply bad public relations - any company not paying their bills on time is regarded with suspicion.

In 18 years of business my company Rivers Publishing have only had two bad debts and this shows you that by and large, the Canoeing world and the Book business is one where values matter. Freestyle Publications stand out as a Pariah so lets treat them like as such.

Rivers Publishing and myself personally will not be supporting Paddler Magazine and Freestyle Publications in any way for the next year.

Peter Knowles
M.D. Rivers Publishing.

[superman]

Hmm. Interesting. My upcoming article won`t be going to Paddles then.
Seems a great way of ensuring your stock of varied and interesting articles dries up.

[Graham Milton]

They still owe me for an article from June 2007, I do get the impression that Ben Love is not at fault. He told me that Mark Nuttall is the one that should be paying me but he doesn’t reply to any emails.

Good luck Lowri.

I certainly wont be contributing or buying any copy and I hope nobody else does.

Graham

[Chris_Headleand]

Yeah, Id just like to add to what everyone else is saying... Ben has always been very helpful and is doing the job like any other contributor on a part time basis (although he is the editor). I certainly hope that this issue hasn't effected anyone's opinions on him as I would hate it for his reputation within the kayaking world to be damaged by people thinking he is at fault when in fact he is going to great lengths to ensure the matters are resolved.

[AdrianTregoning]

It’s such a shame that Paddles Magazine gets a bad name because of Freestyle Publications. It’s a real mess. And then poor Ben gets thrown into the middle of it. Just to clarify, Benjamin Love does not work for Freestyle Publications, he actually edits the magazine on a part time basis from an office far removed from the clutches of the MD, Mark Nuttall, for those that were wondering what his name was.

When I was due to be paid Ben understandably did not have any control or even information on who was paid and who was not. So hopefully everyone can understand that and not burn him at the stake!

As for you Lowri, I hope you get your cash and I wish you luck. It’s not right that you have not received compensation for your work. I truly hope that everything gets sorted out. Too many plastic people out there.

We have so few decent magazines on this relatively small sport of ours. It’s very annoying that something like this can taint an otherwise excellent publication and representation that the magazine offers, especially with the new blood that Ben has pumped back into it. Keep it up Ben.

[me?]

. It’s not right that you have not received compensation for your work.

I agree its not right that you have not recieved financial recognition for your work

good luck

Andrew

[Mark R]

I simply cannot recommend to anyone that they contribute right now, because there is no assurance as to when/if/how you will be paid.

Whoever takes it on has got to have to cojones to make their employment conditional on 1] a worthwhile editorial budget and 2]Freestyle adopting professional payment terms for contributors

Nobody should say they weren't warned, contributor or new editor.

For what it's worth and to be fair, I was eventually paid every single penny for the large amounts of work I did for Paddles over several years. No payment came faster than 6 months(!) after publication and only happened after Richard Parkin (previous editor) and myself threw several major hissy fits at Freestyle Pubs. My final payments only came after I sent the hapless/hopeless accounts lady some info about the Small Claims Court procedure.

[Strad]

Small claims can be started online - very easy and convenient!....

https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/csmco2/index.jsp

[Lowri Davies]

Small claims can be started online - very easy and convenient!....

https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/csmco2/index.jsp

Indeed!

Interestingly, a cheque for one of my outstanding invoices arrived this morning.

[Chris W]

Good for you Lowri.

I encountered the same problem when I started writing for Paddles and that was 5 years ago. I wondered whether Freestyle Publications was going bust but as the months and years went by a pattern emerged- they were consistently paying me 6 months late. This clearly wasn't the result of someone in their accounts department being 'incompetent' or 'hopeless'.

No such probems with CKUK, which aside from a wobble round about the time Heather sold out to Warners, has always paid within 4 weeks.

To be honest, whilst the 6 month delay in paying bemused me somewhat, it never particularly bothered me. I didn't particularly need the money; they always paid me in the end (every penny) and Richard Parkin was a nice chap. I think the main reason why I stopped contributing was because when Richard left the contact stopped. Funny really-I think the first thing I would have done as publisher/ acting editor is make contact with all past contributors, to try to keep them on board. You know, a bit of 'relationship management'.

Anyway, if payments are taking up to 9-12 months, well, yes, that is taking the proverbial. Why do they do it? Because they can- you all keep sending them articles anyway!

Concerning the Paddles budget, have you noticed how many contributions are from people in the trade? A fair few. Contributing 'editorial' is cheaper and more effective than 'advertising'....

Ben's clearly a good guy and I wish him well but he has taken on a tough challenge....

Chris W.

[chris s sladden]

Hi Chris


your post reminded me- I never did get those slides back from you from one of your articles. Did they go the same way as your payment?

Chris

[mikeybaby]

Two points, did anyone ever sign anything (contract wise) which stated when you got paid?

If you go to small claims make sure you also claim for loss of potential interest earned on that money from your bank account. Probably very small but why should they be earning interest off your money when your not able to.

[Strad]

Two points, did anyone ever sign anything (contract wise) which stated when you got paid?

If you go to small claims make sure you also claim for loss of potential interest earned on that money from your bank account. Probably very small but why should they be earning interest off your money when your not able to.

standard rate of interest for small claims is still at 8% so may be more then you think....

[Chris W]

Flicking through the Sep 2008 issue of Paddles in WH Smiths, I see that their 'Summer Paddling in the UK' guide features a very positive review of JJ's. No mention of recent events.

(and incidentally, the photos provide a nice 'wezzit'- I could be wrong, but I don't think all the photos and venues match up).

Ditto HPP, although that's just plain bad luck given very recent events.

Meanwhile, the Floater' has played it straight for once ('Pyramid building for Dummies' CKUK, Oct 2008) with a well written, impassioned commentary on the proposed changes at HPP and sport for all. Following the demise of 'Canoeist', the magazines rarely get 'political' nowadays. Good work.

Chris W.

[Steve Rogers]

Just an idea, but why don't you just contribute for free to the magazines ? It seems to me all there is, is negativity in this thread.

What are you hoping for? To ensure that freestyle publications sell less magazines and get less contributions ????

In all honesty Paddles magazine probably doesn't make very much money and could quite easily be dropped. This means one less magazine to contribute and one less to look at. Is that what you want ?

At the end of the day, the payment is no less that a token gesture, it will never justify the amount of effort that goes into your submissions, so why not just do it for the love of it? Is that not why you kayak ? Are you ever going to make any money off kayak magazines ? Hardly, you do it for the love of the sport and the enjoyment of creating something.

Seems to me people should stop wasting time with negativity and create the content they want to see instead of complaining about the lack of it.

Less negativity, more creation and forget the poxy 200 hundred quid or whatever they are supposed to pay...........

[Mark R]

I've done the odd job (or ten) for free in the past (and in the case of Paddles, recently) for all of the magazines (and indeed I churned out a fair chunk of 'English White Water' FOC); I don't need reminding that jobs can be worth doing for the pleasure of it.

But I don't share your assessment for several reasons;

- Magazine quality (i.e. professionalism of the contributions) is directly proportional to the payment involved. Compare 'Kayak Session' (best current payer) with 'Canoeist' (never paid a penny).

- I don't know what you earn, but 200 quid is not 'poxy' by any means. That's half a paddling holiday flight.

- If money is promised, then it should be paid. End of.

I would like Paddles to succeed, as I have a sentimental attachment to it - done lots of work on the mag in past years, and because I believe mags are good for our sport. But the mag has lost so much credibility through successive years of dubious business practice that I doubt it will succeed and am losing sympathy with it very quickly.

[AdrianTregoning]

Why don't you contribute for free Steve? Create the content needed.
When you're a kayaker with almost no cash, trying to eek out a living with what little you can gather, any amount of money is much needed. It’s not about the money, it is sometimes about surviving to the next month and keeping a ‘normal’ job at bay. The sad reality is that most 'pro' kayakers really do live on the breadline. Without people actively going out there, taking good photos, experiencing amazing places and then writing about it so that the average Joe can also get a glimpse into paradise, there will be nothing worthwhile in the magazine to look at. It is incredibly difficult to get anybody to contribute anything for free. Maybe things are different in South Africa, but people don’t work for free here. And writing those articles, getting the photos et cetera is work.

[Fatboy]

Don't know about anyone else, but £200 quid hardly counts as poxy.

[TheKrikkitWars]

Don't know about anyone else, but £200 quid hardly counts as poxy.

Well for me its a years insurance premium, and a weeks bloody hard work.

[Steve Rogers]

In essence I agree with your points, but I am just objecting to the negative slant that this thread takes, with no suggested solution.

How does negative stuff like this help people like Ben who is working to try and improve the magazine ? Will your negative tone produce better media for us all ?

All I am suggesting is a more positive way to move forward and make a better magazine, that may in time address it's issues and pay better and more reliably.

Or we could all just boycott Paddles, Ben will loose a job and we will have one less magazine to look at......

As far as my reference to 200 pounds I was referencing it to the investment in camera kit and time spent. 200 pounds is in reality a small amount of money for the amount of time and investment that goes into creating articles and impressive images. After all that is only two tanks of petrol !!

[Mark R]

I am just objecting to the negative slant that this thread takes, with no suggested solution.

I spent several years since 2002 positively and actively persuading folk to contribute to Paddles, through this site and elsewhere. I contributed huge amounts to the mag myself, for much less cash (and as noted, a lot more hassle) than I could have got across the road at CKUK. I enjoyed working on the mag.

It's taken quite a lot to bring me around to my current less-than-positive outlook. I do feel for Ben - and have told him as much - but he's big enough and ugly enough to speak and act for himself where Freestyle Pubs are concerned.

[meatballs]

In essence I agree with your points, but I am just objecting to the negative slant that this thread takes, with no suggested solution.

I am taking them to small claims court, starting tomorrow.

[Lowri Davies]

In starting this thread I had no intention of it getting so negative and nasty. I merely wanted to let people know what was happening and give other contributors a chance to get in touch.



I feel for Ben and he has his full support as he has been very understanding in what is a very awkward situation for him. However, I have no sympathy for Freestyle Publications. If they couldn't pay me (and others) for whatever reason, then they should at least get in touch. My contact details are ALWAYS on my invoices and it's hardly difficult to look me up! It is the lack of communication throughout that annoys people.



At the end of the day it isn't just about the money I am owed and if I knew that I was a one-off case then I'd just forget it as it seems many others have done in the past. (Not to say the money isn't needed, Adrian makes a very good point about this money being of great worth to people such as me - student, pro boater, however you want to look at it) But it is not just me and it not just 'this time'. I know Freestyle Publications are reading this thread, so I would urge Mark Nuttall to contact me as soon as possible if he wants to resolve this. lowri@lowridavies.co.uk - I have emailed him today requesting the same.



I do hope it can be sorted out for everyone without negative effect on the magazine. I have discussed with Ben possible solutions for the future to ensure this situation is never repeated. I am not just causing trouble for the sake of it. I always seek to resolve a bad situation. I hope this is no exception.

[Lowri Davies]

Mark just called me. He made apologies for his lack of communication and for the long delays in payment. He explained that with current business climates it can be very difficult, expecially when advertisers who pay money in to the magazine don't pay or expect to pay very little.

He said I should expect my outstanding payment by next Monday - as long as they have the money there. I look forward to it.

[Ryan P]

Ahhh the life of a 'professional kayaker'

I am aaaaallllll over Sick Boy's solution driven attitude!

Solution suggestion (as I see it, having just read this post) is that if the magazine is not in a state to pay kayakers to submit articles but strives to compete with the higher profile sport mags then it may be necessary for

1. the editor to be more selective with the content, communicate with the manufacturers, events, companies and the plethora of sponsored paddlers for their input.

or

2. the magazine assists us all (cause there's no doubt UKRGB users like writing about their passion) and tells us what they're looking for by way of projects, text and photographs.

There has never been a time where so many people have the ability to submit high quality, easily edited, interesting articles and photographs, the magazine could do with keeping up with the times and 'if they prefer not to pay' then perhaps an article on how to write, photograph etc specifically for this sport would be of mutual benefit......


However, in a sport where the better paddlers are those who aren't sponsored I do often question what sponsored paddlers do; on the basis they receive approx £2k of free kit per year (£2k being 20% of a £17k job after tax) I would have thought it was on condition they have to write a minimum number of articles 'for free' to further publicise their sponsors to the buying market......

Therefore I would suggest the change in the market starts from the top i.e.the mag and manufacturers and the ‘professional kayakers’ can like it or lump it, write a book, make a video and make your money from that, use the magazine to help you! Turn a negative into a positive!

Of course none of this is directed at any specific people just trying to do as Steve R suggests....hopefully 

[Mark Gawler]

Ahhh the life of a 'professional kayaker'

The payment issue is completely unrelated to a paddlers financial status student, pro boaters or other. The point is if a magazine says it is going to pay for an article it should pay. If it doesn't its at the very least doggy business practice, but probably fraudulent.

However, in a sport where the better paddlers are those who aren't sponsored

If it wasn't going to throw this thread completely off topic, I'd have been interested to know how you came to this conclusion.

Mark G.