Patrick Forsyth
When I was absurdly young I worked for a major publisher. On occasion I was sent out on a sales trip and I remember once returning with what I felt was an exceptional order. So much so that I went and handed it to the sales manager in person. To be fair he was liberal with his praise, but he also gave me an invaluable lesson, saying: Always remember: it’s not an order until the money is in the bank. Many a writer finds that getting paid is not just a matter of submitting the copy and banking a promptly delivered cheque. To avoid slow payment or bad debts you need to do a number of things: