Introduction and a beware
Sep. 12th, 2011 11:44 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
Hi all!
First, I'd like to introduce myself. Most folks call me Spearcarrier or Blue. I'm an artist and I format e-books & flat comic pages for a living. It's really the only "job" I've ever been able to stick at. =^-6=
Now for my beware. Well, I have a lot of them... but this one is my worst, and I've sat here long enough on it. I've often over the past few months wished there was a place like this so that others won't be hurt or scammed by this person. Came very close to making one myself. Glad I stumbled across this one through DA instead.
Anyway, this person is not a DA member. They're a writer. They go by the pen name Charles Jolivette and wrote Etouffee, for which I did the cover.
They paid me for that, and on schedule. I have to give him credit for that. Then he had me format his book and paid me a reasonable price for the work promptly.
But then it was like I was their personal inhouse slave artist. I like to do things for my clients like give them extra freebies so long as it doesn't take me a long time (like resizing the artwork I'd already done for something). He started with needing that. Then he started asking for other work that shouldn't have been free, expecting to pay nothing.
At first I went along with it because he'd paid me so well to start with. But when the requests kept coming with no end in sight I finally had to tell him I was too busy to keep that up.
Then he contracted me to design three t-shirts for him to sell to promote Etouffee. He promised payment. Weeks later I still had not received it. Then he disappeared.
A couple of months later he asks me to format the sequel to Etouffee. Despite the t-shirt fiasco, I agreed and did so. I set aside everything else just to get his book done. I sent him his book and once again he fell silent.
I checked Amazon and sure enough, he'd went ahead and uploaded the newly formatting book and got it going. So I knew he was online. Then he contacted me again and said he'd only formatted it as a test, and as one last favor I ended up fixing his cover image for him. He'd tried to upload CMYK as his cover. I probably shouldn't have, but remembering the start of our working relationship I decided it was his LAST chance to make good.
I billed him a composite bill that included the price of formatting AND the t-shirts, which was about 1/3 or less of what he'd paid me before. Still nothing. I sent and resent the bill, and nothing. I emailed him privately and explained hey, I have bills too and I'd done him a favor and even put him first. He wrote me back and said he wasn't aware of the t-shirt amount and that he'd pay me. Then nothing again.
A couple of weeks ago I got an email from him saying he was having hard times and really was going to pay me. The thing about that?
I accept partial payments. $10 on the amount due here and there would have paid off the bill by now. It's only $40. It could have been paid off several times by now in increments of $5 even.
I don't know. Maybe this person truly is having hard times. I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt on that. But if you are contracted by this person, know that they haven't paid me for a lot of work. They may not pay you.
To end on a positive note: I'm happy to say 90% of my clients are good people. But I intend to use this forum from now on to keep an eye out for who to look for and beware of!
Thank you to whomever founded this place.
Oh, and as per request, here is a screenshot of the bill to at least back that part up.

And another edit: here he is using artwork he never paid me for... and obviously he has the money. I'm going to reiterate: beware this guy! And now my complaining is done. If he ever comes to me again, he's going to get told off quite good.
http://www.indiegogo.com/The-Babies-Need-A-Home?a=250963&i=addr
First, I'd like to introduce myself. Most folks call me Spearcarrier or Blue. I'm an artist and I format e-books & flat comic pages for a living. It's really the only "job" I've ever been able to stick at. =^-6=
Now for my beware. Well, I have a lot of them... but this one is my worst, and I've sat here long enough on it. I've often over the past few months wished there was a place like this so that others won't be hurt or scammed by this person. Came very close to making one myself. Glad I stumbled across this one through DA instead.
Anyway, this person is not a DA member. They're a writer. They go by the pen name Charles Jolivette and wrote Etouffee, for which I did the cover.
They paid me for that, and on schedule. I have to give him credit for that. Then he had me format his book and paid me a reasonable price for the work promptly.
But then it was like I was their personal inhouse slave artist. I like to do things for my clients like give them extra freebies so long as it doesn't take me a long time (like resizing the artwork I'd already done for something). He started with needing that. Then he started asking for other work that shouldn't have been free, expecting to pay nothing.
At first I went along with it because he'd paid me so well to start with. But when the requests kept coming with no end in sight I finally had to tell him I was too busy to keep that up.
Then he contracted me to design three t-shirts for him to sell to promote Etouffee. He promised payment. Weeks later I still had not received it. Then he disappeared.
A couple of months later he asks me to format the sequel to Etouffee. Despite the t-shirt fiasco, I agreed and did so. I set aside everything else just to get his book done. I sent him his book and once again he fell silent.
I checked Amazon and sure enough, he'd went ahead and uploaded the newly formatting book and got it going. So I knew he was online. Then he contacted me again and said he'd only formatted it as a test, and as one last favor I ended up fixing his cover image for him. He'd tried to upload CMYK as his cover. I probably shouldn't have, but remembering the start of our working relationship I decided it was his LAST chance to make good.
I billed him a composite bill that included the price of formatting AND the t-shirts, which was about 1/3 or less of what he'd paid me before. Still nothing. I sent and resent the bill, and nothing. I emailed him privately and explained hey, I have bills too and I'd done him a favor and even put him first. He wrote me back and said he wasn't aware of the t-shirt amount and that he'd pay me. Then nothing again.
A couple of weeks ago I got an email from him saying he was having hard times and really was going to pay me. The thing about that?
I accept partial payments. $10 on the amount due here and there would have paid off the bill by now. It's only $40. It could have been paid off several times by now in increments of $5 even.
I don't know. Maybe this person truly is having hard times. I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt on that. But if you are contracted by this person, know that they haven't paid me for a lot of work. They may not pay you.
To end on a positive note: I'm happy to say 90% of my clients are good people. But I intend to use this forum from now on to keep an eye out for who to look for and beware of!
Thank you to whomever founded this place.
Oh, and as per request, here is a screenshot of the bill to at least back that part up.
And another edit: here he is using artwork he never paid me for... and obviously he has the money. I'm going to reiterate: beware this guy! And now my complaining is done. If he ever comes to me again, he's going to get told off quite good.
http://www.indiegogo.com/The-Babies-Need-A-Home?a=250963&i=addr
no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 07:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 07:26 pm (UTC)Furthermore, all of this has happened over the course of a full year. I simply don't have much of it anymore. And before I learned of this community I gave it up for a lost cause and deleted much of everything. I had no clue I would ever need them for this.
The most I can give these days is a screenshot of the unpaid invoice. I doubt there's much to that. So believe me or not. I'm not into libel, and if it ever came to such an accusation the other party would be forced to prove I'm lying. I'm okay with it either way.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 07:30 pm (UTC)For the future, it's best to keep everything just by email and keep all "finished commissions" in a folder. That way you have it if you ever need it. Watching this community has taught me to save things for a couple years. I know it seems too paranoid, but if you ever need it, you'll have proof about everything.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 07:48 pm (UTC)But my point is: I can at least back up that he doesn't pay. That's something. Not sure if I can add screenshots to a post reply or not, though. Doesn't look like it.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 07:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 07:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 07:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 07:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 07:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 08:10 pm (UTC)In transit with our stuff still to be delivered are two terragig (?) drives my hubby managed to acquire while in Iraq. (It's amazing how bartering works in third world countries.) They were supposed to come with us, but.. alas. They didn't make it.
I think when they finally arrive, I'll take your advice and create a backup server. If I can figure it out.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 08:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 08:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 08:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 09:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-15 03:21 am (UTC)You can even run OS's from them. :D
no subject
Date: 2011-09-15 03:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 08:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 11:12 pm (UTC)Also, Dropbox has become my new friend. That's something else I should have thought of.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 09:15 pm (UTC)In the future, just politely refuse freebies like that. I know it can be hard if you're trying to keep the customer happy, but usually they end up expecting you to do it and it becomes increasingly harder to refuse.
I know you don't have much backup or proof, but I'd love to see the little you do have. I suggest posting them for sure, it'd add some weight to this beware. And is there any other name this person goes by? Any website? What about their book listings?
no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 11:13 pm (UTC)I'd like to post the proof onto this original post if possible: I can take screen shots fine. I'll probably only have 1 or 2 good ones that really will back me up, though. Is that possible? I remember I had to get approved for this post. OR will I have to post a new one?
no subject
Date: 2011-09-15 03:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-15 03:11 am (UTC)I actually have a customer who calls himself my "preferred customer." :| He spends a lot of money on me, but he refuses to wait in line for commissions, and won't pay me in full, and requests discounts (even though he wants me to stop everything and do the commission right now).
I refuse to do requests for him, because he would take advantage of me, just like your client has done to you. I have to make sure he pays me in advance, because otherwise I will be waiting three months for the payment, and only get part of it (because he "forgets" how much he owes me).
Good reasons never to do freebies for clients, and to take at least partial payment up front!
no subject
Date: 2011-09-15 03:17 am (UTC)When it comes to paying in advance, the few times I've asked for that I've lost my customers. So I've stopped asking.
Instead I make it clear that if payment isn't given, especially on a cover, rights to the cover will be revoked and the cover will go into my premade cover section to be sold to someone else. This usually works, because places like Amazon and Barnes and Noble,where much of my work ends up, don't tolerate art theft.
My problem here is the bill isn't for art. It's for formatting a book. I just started doing that for the extra coin. It's apparently easier to rip someone off with that because, well, it's not their book. They just formatted it for you.
I don't do extra anymore if I can help it. I simply don't have the time.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-15 03:47 am (UTC)The above isn't just for art, it's for any sort of freelance work. Alternatively, you could complete it, tell the customer it's complete and say that you require payment before they get the final product.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-15 03:49 am (UTC)Another thing I do is when it comes to art itself, I send images that are too small to be used as an e-book cover.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-15 04:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-15 02:38 pm (UTC)I wouldn't want to go as far as completing without any kind of payment. If it's a specialized piece and the customer decides ('meh, I won't pay afterall') then you've lost quite a bit in time and reselling without modification could be tough.
It's not mean or unheard of to ask for at least a partial payment before you start. It's business and risk management.