thread: 2012-03-03 : Ben Lehman: Caveat Scriba: Margret Weis Productions
On 2012-03-04, Vincent wrote:
Hey Chad.
I've done no WFH work. (That's work for hire, right?) I don't believe Ben has either. He can correct me if I'm wrong.
I get that it's a hot topic, with many emotions and relationships involved, both personal and professional. So I'm going to just come back to the facts as I understand them:
1. Freelancers for MWP have talked to Ben Lehman and others about poor financial treatment at the hands of MWP. I consider this confirmed; one of them has now written me as well. (None of you are obliged to take our word for it, but - as others have said - of course there have been financial probs between MWP and its freelancers. There are always financial probs between publishers and freelancers. It's not shocking.)
2. I don't know whether the probs are because of miscommunication, bad expectations, bad faith, accident, error, cash flow, or what. I don't know what work, nor what terms. Are the complaints legit? Are the freelancers' contracts not being honored, or should they have read their contracts more carefully and known better what to expect? Should they chill out and be patient, or have they in fact been aggrieved? I don't know. I don't expect to ever know.
I imagine that Brand is right when he says that it's complicated and not abnormal.
3. Other freelancers for MWP have confirmed that they've been financially well treated by MWP. This doesn't surprise me a bit.
4. Cam Banks has asked any freelancers who continue to have probs with this to contact him directly. This seems like the crucial point to me, and the one on which my own personal judgment stands: whatever the problems, the person responsible is acting to take responsibility. I'd do precisely the same.
