Midwest Foodservice News: beware!

HI Angela, I hope you are well. I wanted to inform you of a situation that
occurred when I responded to one of the postings on your ezine. The posting
was for a restaurant writer for the Midwest Foodservice News.
>
Maybe I am over-reacting, but to me the publisher is unethical and
discriminatory. It started out when they asked me to do a few "trial" restaurant features for them, then they offered me the permanent job. >

However, they wanted to change my last name because the owner doesn't
believe in having more than one name. My last name is hyphenated (which makes
it only one name) but that's beside the point. After appealing to them and
seeing his response, I declined the position.

Anyway, please read the communications below > Thanks,
Donna Gundle-Krieg
www.blitzkriegpublishing.com
>
From: Joanne Cooper
Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2004 11:38 AM
To: Donna Gundle-Krieg
Subject: question
>
Hi there,

I wanted to find out if you would like to be our permanent Michigan writer?
Since the magazine is every other month, the next deadline is not until
February 2, then April 6, June 6, August 8 and October 6.
>
Also - and I hope this does not influence your decision, the publisher has a
policy about writers using more than a first and (one) last name. So I
would have to ask if Donna Krieg is acceptable?
Please let me know.
Thanks,
Joanne
>
----- Original Message -----
>
From: Donna Gundle-Krieg
To: 'Joanne Cooper'
Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2004 12:01 PM
Subject: RE: question

HI Joanne, Between you and me, I am very insulted that someone doesn't
respect me enough to let me use my legal name. Why does he think it's his
right to change what I am called?
>
Not only that, I am building up a business. Part of this is getting my bylines out there.

However, I do like doing this job, so I will have to think about it.

Is he like this on a lot of issues? Also, are you going to still be working
there for awhile, or will I have to deal with him directly?

Let me know. Thanks, Donna

> ----- Original Message -----
>
From: Joanne Cooper
To: Donna Gundle-Krieg
Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2004 12:01 PM
Subject: RE: question

If you want, I can ask him about your name but I'm afraid I know the answer.
Joanne
>
> ----- Original Message -----

From: Donna Gundle-Krieg
To: 'Joanne Cooper'
Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2004 12:29 PM
Subject: RE: question
>
Thanks for your response. Yes, it's worth asking him about using my full
and legal name.
>
In fact, you can send this message directly to him if you want, so that he
can hopefully understand how important the Gundle part of my name is to
me.

Using my full name would also benefit your magazine, because many people
in the Michigan food industry would recognize the Gundle part of my name due
to my father, who recently died. He was a self-employed food broker for 40
years and has been featured by your magazine many times.

My father left seven daughters and was thrilled when I kept his name as
part of my legal last name.

In addition to the issues related to my father, I am currently building up
a business. Part of this involves getting my bylines out there. All of my
previous bylines are Gundle-Krieg (which by the way, is one name)
>
I don't want it to jeapordize the job, as I really think I'm the person for this job. However, I still don't know how to react to this request. I have never had this issue before, nor have I heard of it.

Let me know. Thanks. Donna Gundle-Krieg
>
-----Original Message-----

From: Joanne Cooper
Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2004 12:41 PM
To: Keith Hadley
Subject: Michigan writer's request to use her FULL name

Please let me know if we can use Donna Gundle-Krieg as her byline. I had
told her that we have a two-name limit but it seems that this is truly her
legal name.

> ----- Original Message -----
From: "Keith Hadley" >
To: "Joanne Cooper" >
Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2004 1:35 PM
Subject: RE: Michigan writer's request to use her FULL name
>
Are you new with MFN? I didn't think so. Then use Donna Gundle as her name.

> -----Original Message-----
From: Joanne Cooper
Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2004 2:30 PM
To: Donna Gundle-Krieg
Subject: Fw: Michigan writer's request to use her FULL name
>
> Let me know what you want to do...
Joanna _____
>
> -----Original Message-----

From: Donna Gundle-Krieg >
Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2004 3:38 PM
To: 'Joanne Cooper'
Cc: 'khadley
Subject: RE: Michigan writer's request to use her FULL name
>
My legal last name is Gundle-Krieg. Gundle is NOT my middle name, it is not
my last name.

I do not need this position so badly that I would allow someone to change my
last name because they don't like it.
>
Do I need to send you an invoice for the work I already did for you?

I am very sorry that this isn't going to work out, but to me it's as much
your loss as it is mine.
>
Sincerely,

Donna Gundle-Krieg
-----Original Message-----
>
From: Joanne Cooper
Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2004 3:50 PM
To: Donna Gundle-Krieg
Subject: Fw: Michigan writer's request to use her FULL name
>
I am so sorry.
>
Yes, please send an invoice with your NAME, address and social security
number to khadley... with the three story names and total due.

Please copy me on it.

I really enjoyed your writing. Best of luck.

FINAL NOTE FROM THE JERK HIMSELF:

From: Keith Hadley
Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2004 5:50 PM
To: Donna Gundle-Krieg
Subject: Fw: Michigan writer's request to use her FULL name
>
Who are you?
I really don't care about your family history or what you choose to call yourself.
No one's trying to change your last name either-which it appears is Gundle and that's what we'll use for your by-line.
It's up to you if you choose to continue writing for us, as that's Joanne's call.
She shouldn't have gotten me involved in this in the first place-she clearly knows our policies regarding by-lines, but I'll end it.
We're using Donna Gundle as your by-line, if you can't live with that, then move on and have a nice life.
And, believe me when I say that it's no loss to us at all for you to move on.

all I can say is....

OH MY GOODNESS!
I can't believe it

Maybe we should all submit work with really long hyphenated names!

hehehehehehe

_________________
Need writing or editing? Design or recording?
www.drumedia.co.nz
www.sellyourstories.com

Is there legal action you could take?

I mean, they technically aren't giving you your byline. By truncating your legal name, they're attributing your work to a completely different person.

This is such an absurd situation. I'm sorry you had to deal with these people.

I feel sorry for Joanne Cooper. She seems a decent person, and I'll be surprised if she lasts any length of time at a place run by someone like that.

Lol...Small world!

I too recently had a somewhat not good experience with this publication.

I responded to Joanne's post needing Michigan writers. She asked me to
write an article focusing on an independently owned restaurant of my
choice, with the publishers approval. I pitched my story, she got the
approval from the publisher and I was to have the article in by Dec. 6th.

It was posted that the pay for this type of article would be $75. They offered
me less. I was not happy about this and had second thoughts. Then I figured
I'd go ahead and write it. But I wanted a contract guaranteeing my pay. The
last time I wrote for a publication without having a contract, I got screwed
$200. I was not going to let this happen again. So, I wrote Joanne asking about
a contract. She wrote back, but didn't even mention a contract. I asked again.
Nothing.

I decided not to write the article. I found this editor very unprofessional in her
approach. After the pay being lowered and avoiding the contract issue, I wanted
nothing to do with this publication! After reading the exchanged e-mails here, I'm
glad I did not write for them.

Another thought on this...
I'm wondering if Joanne asked you to be their permanent Michigan writer because
I wouldn't write for them. Just a thought after seeing the dates of your e-mails being
Dec. 16th, when the last I heard from her was on the 10th. They seem to be in
desperate need of writers because the e-mails I received after not writing my article
were also forwarded to three other writers by her. Seems everyone had a problem
with them and didn't end up writing their articles.

p.s. Their policy about the writers name is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!

Joanne Cooper has been as helpful as can be throughout my experience. From my communications with her, I get the idea that she is totally in the middle. She has tried to resolve the issues, and she has apologized on behalf of Midwest Foodservice News. She also informed me that that there may be a reply posting from Midwest Foodservice News on this forum.

Will their reply explain their policy on writers' bylines, and on contracts for writers? That remains to be seen.

The true test of the integrity of this publication will be shown when I find out if they use my stories as promised, if they pay me for these stories as promised, and what name they use for my byline.

If they don't use my stories, don't pay me and/or call me something different than my legal name, then I will post that to let others know. I will also keep everyone informed if they follow through on what they promised.

_________________
Donna Gundle-Krieg
www.blitzkriegpublishing.com

Geesh!! What a day. It seems a lot of men have some serious issues which I suspect are ego-related. They start up online businesses and publications and for some reason thing they've 'earned' the right to mistreat people. Well, he's not running TIME WARNER over there, and since I've dealt with that company I can assue you they certainly don't talk like that to anyone. It's just the "I wanna feel POOOWEERRRFUL guys" who pull this stuff. LIttle boys...little minds....little $%^^.....big egos. Be thankful you are not working for him and pray for that poor woman who is, she certainly doesn't deserve to be treated like that. Is he new to the human race??

Cathi

Ya' know...I've been thinking about this publication saying they "don't do" contracts.
Why not? The way I see it, is a publication should have no problem offering a writer
a contract if they are honest. A publication that says they "don't do" contracts,
just tells me that if they feel like it they will back out of paying a writer. Just like this
idiot who has threatened not to pay you.

And him saying..."And, believe me when I say that it's no loss to us at all
for you to move on" is a bunch of bull! Yeah, that's why they have posted
on this board needing writers two or three times already, right?

Yes, I do feel sympathy for Joanne. She is caught in the middle. She really seems
to be a nice woman. It's not her fault the guy's an ***hole. I wish her well.

I am a freelance writer and I use my maiden and married name as my byline. I too am honoring my family name as I am the last one in the line. I wrote for this publication for about 6 months and they always removed my maiden name from my byline. When I asked about it Joanne told me "Keith says 'pick one name and use it'". I was not happy with this reply and went directlly to Keith, thinking if he expained it I might get over it. I sarcastically asked what if my name was Elizabeth Barrett Browing? or Harriet Beecher Stowe, his reply:
It certainly is presumptuous and rather funny that you think of yourself in
the same company as
Elizabeth Barrett Browning or Harriet Beecher Stowe. Believe us, you're not.
Joanne has been very patient with you in not following our style guidelines
and editing your short and rough-and I mean rough articles.
And, by the way foodservice is one word. But, being the accomplished writer
that you are I'm sure that you are well aware of the importance of being
able to correctly spell the words in the title of the publications that you
write for.

Consider this your notice that following the March/April, 2004 issue you are
terminated as a writer for Midwest Foodservice News.

Best of luck in the future in figuring out the spelling of your name, as
this obviously defines you as a person.
I should have posted this back then so that future writers who happen to have a hypenated name or middle initial (he doesn't like those either) wouldn't have to suffer this guy's abuse. Obviously he has no idea what it takes to be a writer.

Or what it takes to be a publisher! At the rate he's going, he's not going to
have any writers! He'll be writing for himself, if he still has a magazine.

You're terminated as a writer for Midwest Foodservice? Uh oh! I guess, your
writing career is over, huh? Lol...What an ***hole!

The more I hear about these people, the more happy I am that I backed out.
I would not have the patiance for this guy or been able to bite my tongue!

Good riddens, Midwest Foodservice!

Donna in my opinion that is just insulting. I have never heard such a thing. You have every right to be offended. Wow the nerve of some people.

I just want to add one thing to what Cathi said " amen".

Looks like somebody isn't up-to-date on names. I suppose he longs for the good old days when names were Anglicized on Ellis Island, too.

If they write the wrong name on your check, can you cash it?

Actually, the "good old days" in the UK has always had "double barreled" names. McDonald was one written Mc Donald and today even Van and Von names are often separated - Van Houghten, etc.

In addition, if a man married a woman in a privileged family the woman's name was often kept - with a hyphen, as the family name to honour the position of the woman's family.

Today it's often done because women have reached some sort of recognition as writers, models, actors, singers, etc. and their maiden names are actually now a brand - but once people have children they want a "family" name, so the hyphen is the best alternative.

Cathi

On the 2nd page of this "magazine" there is a list of 'contributing writers' - it looks like a 4th grade homeroom - everyone has a first and last name - no middle initials - no hyphenated names. When you look at the list you realize how weird it is. Not everyone uses 2 last names but is is quite common to use a middle initial! What a weird hang up!

The whole publication is weird. When ever I called a restaurant to tell them I was going to write about them - they had never heard of it - I wrote about 15 articles and not one time had the restaurant owner heard or seen this publication. When I asked to have a copy sent to the restaurant with their restaurant featured - Keith told me to tell them to subscribe and then they could see it!! Not even a comp copy!