AVOID! Dragonfire -renamed Smart Set Magazine

[angelahoy]

January 13, 2006

Amy L. Webb, Editor In Chief - editor@dfire.org
Rachel Buchman, Managing Editor - audio@dfire.org
Rick Valenzuela, News, Politics & Law Editor Business & Technology Editor
- rickv@dfire.org
Pennoni Honors College - mcmenaab@drexel.edu, honorsr@drexel.edu
Dragonfire
3210 Cherry Street, 2nd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19104
P(215)895-6469
http://www.dfire.org

Drexel University Pennoni Honors College
3141 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19404

WritersWeekly.com has received a complaint about:
Dragonfire / http://www.dfire.org / Rick Valenzuela /
Drexel University Pennoni Honors College /
http://www.drexel.edu/honors/

WritersWeekly.com is a publication that publishes information for and
about freelance writers. The publication is the largest-circulation
freelance writing ezine in the world.

As part of that information, WritersWeekly.com publishes a Warnings
section on its website and in its newsletter. This warning section
contains reports about publications that are unprofessional in dealing
with writers, have refused to pay writers money owed to them, who have
not abided by their contracts, or who have unfair contract terms.
These reports are used by WritersWeekly.com's subscribers
to decide which publications they should and should not work with.

Your firm has been submitted to us for inclusion in the
WritersWeekly.com Whispers and Warnings section.

Step one of our investigation of this report is to gather all relevant
correspondence between your publication and the person submitting the
complaint so that we can piece together that person's side of the story.
Step one of our investigation has been completed.

A.P. (writers name has been removed here for publication but was, of course,
provided to the publisher) alleges you owe him $250.00 for an article that was
published more than 2 months ago (URL of article was provided to publisher
here) and that you have repeatedly ignored his emails concerning this matter.
He further alleges the article was published without notice and before
dragonfire sent him a contract and that his request for a contract was
also ignored. See detailed allegations under my signature.

-----------------
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
-----------------

The second step in our investigation is to send this communication to
your firm to get its side of the story. If you have evidence
disputing these allegations, or would like to make your own
statement about these allegations for publication in our report,
please email angela@writersweekly.com within two business days.
All correspondence for our investigations must be in writing and is
subject to publication.

Our report on your firm is scheduled for inclusion in our publication
next Wednesday.

If there is no response to these allegations, WritersWeekly.com will
still publish this complaint, but our readers will not be able to read
your side of the story.

We appreciate your prompt response in this matter.

Angela Hoy
Publisher
WritersWeekly.com

~~~~~

INITIAL COMPLAINT:

From: A.P.
Subject: Magazine Not Responding to request for payment

Hi Angela,

The online magazine Dragonfire is not responding to my requests for
payment. They advertised on your website.

My article was published here (on their website) on October
25th. Most of my correspondence with them is below. If you need more
emails, then I have them too.

I am tired of their unprofessional manner and hope their derisory attitude
to writers is reported.

Thanks.

A.P.

~~~~~

My emails are below and the sum owed is $250.

I always spoke with Rick Valenzuela rickv@dfire.org He was always very
busy and slow to respond when we discussed the article, but a magazine
has a responsibility to pay its writers and at least inform them of the
situation. When my article was published, I was not informed, and only
found out when checking their website.

http://www.dfire.org/x234.xml (Their guidelines)

A.P.

~~~~~

From: "Rick Valenzuela" <rickv@dfire.org>
To: A.P.
Date: Fri, 02 Sep 2005 16:12:45 +0000
Subject: Re: Editorial Submission/News, Politics & Law

I would love to jump on this article from you. How
soon could you turn a 700-word story? I would like to run this Aug. 13,
which would mean a deadline of this coming Wednesday. Although we are
startup and tight on budget, our rates are set to be competitive with
other online news sites, as well as weekly newsmagazines such as The
Economist; for a 600-word news story or feature, we pay $200. For this,
we could do $250, and another $50 for a couple of photos. Is this
possible for you?

Bests,
Rick Valenzuela

~~~~~

As per their contract:

"Contract
Once your query has been accepted and assigned, you will be sent
(electronically) an Independent Contractor writing agreement that you
should print out, sign, and return to us via the postal mail. You will
also be sent an invoice template that you'll need to return. Once your
paperwork is processed and your piece runs, you will receive payment
within 21 business days. (It may take a little longer for international
addresses.) "

As I said before I asked for the contract to be sent. I sent my bank
details and requested payment. ALL my emails have been ignored.

Dragonfire is produced by Drexel University Pennoni Honors College,
3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19404.

Thanks very much.
A.P.

~~~~~

PUBLISHER RESPONDS

From: Rachel Buchman <audio@dfire.org>
Subject: Re: COMPLAINT about Dragonfire / Pennoni Honors College
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 10:15:16 -0500

Hi Angela,
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Be assured we are
looking into the matter and will be in touch shortly.

Best,
Rachel Buchman
-------------------
Rachel Buchman
Managing Editor
Dragonfire

~~~~~

PUBLISHER RESPONDS AGAIN

From: "Amy L. Webb, Dragonfire Editor In Chief" <editor@dfire.org>
Subject: Re: COMPLAINT about Dragonfire / Pennoni Honors College
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 11:58:02 -0500

Ms. Hoy,

(A.P.) has not been paid for his work because he did not invoice
us. I would be very happy to submit paperwork for processing today
on this story. He will need to send me an invoice with the date of
work, amount, his address (complete with zip code), social security
number, phone number, and international bank routing number and bank
account for wiring purposes.

Meantime, I have looked through the Email accounts of my managing
editors, my finance director and Dragonfire Invoice. I do not have
any messages from (A.P.) regarding this matter. In addition, I do
not have any messages from (A.P.) directed to me.

I'm surprised to hear that you've completed step one of your
investigation without hearing, at all, from those he worked with at
Dragonfire. I would be very happy to discuss these matters with you
either via Email or on the phone.

Sincerely,
Amy L. Webb

~~~~~

WRITERSWEEKLY RESPONDS

To: "Amy L. Webb, Dragonfire Editor In Chief" <editor@dfire.org>, audio@dfire.org,
"Rick rickv@dfire.org" <rickv@dfire.org>, mcmenaab@drexel.edu,
honorsr@drexel.edu
Subject: Re: COMPLAINT about Dragonfire / Pennoni Honors College
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 12:23:05 -0500

Hi Amy,

Step 1 is to collect data from the writer. Step 2 is to
contact the publisher, which we have done.

You need to contact the writer directly and request copies
of what he sent in. He did send in his bank info., etc. He also
requested a contract, which was never sent. His article was
published without his consent, without a contract, and without
payment. He sent emails that were ignored.

Please contact him directly if you're willing to quickly resolve
this matter. His email address, as you know, is (removed for
publication).

Angela Hoy

~~~~~

WE DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING FOR 11 DAYS SO I EMAILED THE WRITERS ASKING WHAT WAS GOING ON. HE REPLIED:

Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2006 09:48:50 +0000 (GMT)
From: A.P.
Subject: Re: (Fwd) Re: COMPLAINT about Dragonfire / Pennoni Honors College

Hi Angela,

They didn't acknowledge my first email with the invoice. But, I sent a second email asking for confirmation about five days later - and Amy Webb gave a reply.

I am going to the bank tomorrow to check on it. The plan had always been to check at this time and let you know.

Thanks for asking.

HE FOLLOWED UP WITH THIS:

Have checked my bank statement. Money not yet received. I sent my
invoice on Saturday 14th January. Just looked at Amy Webb's email again
(below) and it seems that they must send me paperwork first. They wanted
my postal address.

Can you email them again, as that seems to wake them up?

Or shall I pester them again?

They have always been very slow. One writer does not rank high on their list of priorities.

WRITERSWEEKLY SENDS PUBLISHER FINAL EMAIL

To: editor@dfire.org, audio@dfire.org
Subject: Re: COMPLAINT about Dragonfire / Pennoni Honors College
Cc: rickv@dfire.org, mcmenaab@drexel.edu,
honorsr@drexel.edu
Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2006 10:39:54 -0500

Since this matter was not resolved, and since it's quite clear you're
once again giving this writer the run-around, we will be issuing a warning
about your company on Wednesday, February 1, 2006.

Angela Hoy
WritersWeekly.com

[angelahoy]

From: "Amy L. Webb, Dragonfire Editor In Chief" <editor@dfire.org>
Subject: We already responded!
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 17:00:07 -0500

Angela:

I am extremely upset to have received the message you sent on January
28th. We responded, as requested, to (A.P.) on January 20th
explaining that we have processed all of his paperwork. (See below.)
Did you not speak to him first?

I hope that you are not still planning to issue a warning on Feb. 1st
-- it would be highly unprofessional of your organization, given that
we have cooperated as requested.

Amy Webb

~~~~~

WRITERSWEEKLY RESPONDS

From: Angela Hoy
To: "Amy L. Webb, Dragonfire Editor In Chief" <editor@dfire.org>,
mcmenaab@drexel.edu, honorsr@drexel.edu
Subject: Re: We already responded!
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 08:16:03 -0500

Of course we contacted him. He's been waiting for over a week for
his paperwork. And, that was after you ignored another one of his
emails and only responded to the second one he sent.

You've had ample time to take care of this situation. The writer
has been waiting three months for a contract, any response and
payment and he's still waiting.

He's the one who asked us to intervene yet again because it's obvious
you're still giving him the run-around.

Angela

[angelahoy]

From: "Amy L. Webb, Dragonfire Editor In Chief" <editor@dfire.org>
Subject: Re: We already responded!
Date sent: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 14:20:18 -0500

Angela,

You clearly did not read the Email message that we sent to (A.P.) on
January 20th and which I pasted below. This message was forwarded to
you yesterday.

If you would like to discuss this matter further, you can contact me
directly at 267-342-4300. Please be advised that I have forwarded
all of your messages to one of our lawyers.

Amy L. Webb
Editor In Chief
Dragonfire
www.dfire.org :: editor@dfire.org

WRITERSWEEKLY RESPONDS

Hi Amy,

You published someone's article without sending
them a contract. You also didn't send payment. Nor did you
even bother to tell them the article was published. This
is copyright infringment.

The writer found the article on your website and emailed
your representatives. He claims most of his emails were ignored and
more than two months later he still hasn't received a contract nor
payment, even though he has provided you with the necessary
info. to process payment more than once.

Only after he contacted WritersWeekly.com did anyone bother
to start handling this mess. We contacted you on January 13th.
The writer heard from you on January 14th. When I asked him for
an update this week, he said, "They didn't acknowledge my first email with
the invoice. But, I sent a second email asking for confirmation
about five days later - and Amy Webb gave a reply."

You asked him for his postal address. He gave it to you. He says
he's received nothing since.

As of today, he still has no paperwork, no contract, and no payment.
If someone had owed you money for three months, you'd be complaining
loudly, too.

This mess certainly warrants a warning about your company. Be
sure your attorney knows you published this article without a
contract or payment (copyright infringment).

You've had three months to clear up this mess and writers deserve
to know what kind of company Dragonfire is before they do business
with you. It is this writer's constitutional right (freedom of speech) to
tell others what your company has put him through.

Angela Hoy
WritersWeekly.com

[angelahoy]

Cc: audio@dfire.org
From: "Amy L. Webb, Dragonfire Editor In Chief" <editor@dfire.org>
Subject: Re: We already responded!
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 15:27:15 -0500

This message is to notify you that I'm forwarding this to our
lawyers. I will not communicate directly with you from here forward.
--
Amy L. Webb
Editor In Chief
Dragonfire
www.dfire.org :: editor@dfire.org

3210 Cherry Street
2nd Floor Offices
Philadelphia, PA 19104 U.S.A.

[angelahoy]

Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 13:27:39 +0000 (GMT)
From: (A.P.)
Subject: Re: (Fwd) Re: We already responded!

Hi Angela,

Sorry for not responding earlier, it's been Chinese New Year here. Been out and about.

I wanted to ask Amy Webb when the paperwork was sent. China Post is usually very good, but I can check with the post office if Dragonfire claim the paperwork was sent.

It looks like Amy wants to raise the stakes, but all she has to do is pay me.

Anyway, thanks for all the effort you've put in. It's very much appreciated!

A.P.

The author states he received the email below from Dragonfire on 1/13/06. But, he has not yet received the paperwork promised in the email.

13 Jan she (Amy) sent this:

Mr. (P.),

As mentioned below, we have not received paperwork from you. If you
will, at your earliest convenience, please forward me an invoice with
your address, social security number, phone number and international
bank routing number and account, I will make sure that paperwork is
generated for you to fill out. Please be aware that our finance
department will be closed Saturday, Sunday and Monday (in observance
of Martin Luther King Day), which means that if I do not hear back
from you by 5:00 p.m. EST today, we won't be able to send you
paperwork until Tuesday morning.

I do wish that you would have contacted either me or one of our
managing editors with this matter much sooner.

**

I sent email and invoice Jan 14. So the paperwork must surely be on its
way or really it should be here.

Her last para was odd, because you know I sent a ton of emails. (I
forwarded you the long list of them to her and Rick Valenzuela).

A.P.

AUTHOR SENDS MORE INFO

As said before - I got all emails but am confused as to what they are
exactly doing. Are they sending postal mail or money? I still don't know.
They just don't talk. They don't acknowledge an email.

Here are their guidelines from their website:

**

Contract
Once your query has been accepted and assigned, you will be sent
(electronically) an Independent Contractor writing agreement that you
should print out, sign, and return to us via the postal mail. You will
also be sent an invoice template that you'll need to return. Once your
paperwork is processed and your piece runs, you will receive payment
within 21 business days. (It may take a little longer for international
addresses.)

**

Why don't they adhere to their rules?

They've sent me no writing agreement.

Thanks very much.

(A.P.)

[angelahoy]

SENT TO WRITERSWEEKLY.COM VIA EMAIL ON 02/01/06:

Subject: Also hate Dragonbreath or whatever that is

I see your letter to that Amy at Drexel Univ. They suck.
I sent them a query for a complicated story on the disproportionate
enrollment of Asians in the top univs...good, bad, indifferent?
Anyhow she asked for more info...then approved it and said
1000 words for $150. Huh? Forget it! Then I saw a listing
of their prices at $150 to $1000. I wrote again--why didn't I get the
thousand offer? Oh, it's not a story that would take much reporting.

Now...I find I might not have gotten my $150.

I did not appreciate her attitude. It takes quite a bit of reporting
to get people to say there are too many of an ethnic group in a class.
Or other groups are being slighted. Or this is not a pure meritocracy or
whatever. People don't want to talk about this--and Amy said
their names had to be used.

S.

[angelahoy]

What I wanted to warn people about are those demands for information by
the publisher of Dragonfire, (I believe that was the name). Why, for
example, are they wanting his social security number? I don't see where
that would be any of their business, but from reading some of the
responses from that Amy, I can certainly see why it might be a very bad
idea!

Thanks,
Ben

[angelahoy]

Date: Sun, 12 Feb 2006 02:04:54 +0000 (GMT)
From: (A.P.)
Subject: Re: (Fwd) Re: We already responded!

Hi Angela,

Checked at my bank on Thursday 9th February - no money from Dragonfire. Checked my post yesterday (11th February) and nothing received. It's clear that Dragonfire have no intention of paying, just of creating outright lies and smokescreens. I would have to question Amy Webb's mental state, when she issues bold statements about her lawyers contacting you, because you brought this matter up on my behalf.

The article I wrote was about the Beijing 2008 Olympics and was published on 28th October 2005. It would be nice if I could get paid *before* the actual Olympics start.

I received your other mail today, where there was another complaint about Dragonfire. I have also seen the thread in the "Whispers & Warnings" section. It's clear that Dragonfire are a collection of deadbeats and they're not going to survive much longer.

(A.P.)

[angelahoy]

To: editor@dfire.org, audio@dfire.org,
rickv@dfire.org, mcmenaab@drexel.edu,
honorsr@drexel.edu
Subject: ANOTHER COMPLAINT about Dragonfire / Drexel University
Date: Sat, 11 Feb 2006 11:32:03 -0500

February 11, 2006

Amy L. Webb, Editor In Chief - editor@dfire.org
Rachel Buchman, Managing Editor - audio@dfire.org
Rick Valenzuela, News, Politics & Law Editor Business & Technology Editor - rickv@dfire.org
Pennoni Honors College - mcmenaab@drexel.edu, honorsr@drexel.edu
Dragonfire
3210 Cherry Street, 2nd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19104
P(215)895-6469
http://www.dfire.org

Drexel University Pennoni Honors College
3141 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19404

WritersWeekly.com has received ANOTHER COMPLAINT about:
Dragonfire / http://www.dfire.org / Amy L. Webb /
Drexel University Pennoni Honors College /
http://www.drexel.edu/honors/

WritersWeekly.com is a publication that publishes information for and
about freelance writers. The publication is the largest-circulation
freelance writing ezine in the world.

As part of that information, WritersWeekly.com publishes a Warnings
section on its website and in its newsletter. This warning section
contains reports about publications that are unprofessional in dealing
with writers, have refused to pay writers money owed to them, who have
not abided by their contracts, or who have unfair contract terms.
These reports are used by WritersWeekly.com's subscribers
to decide which publications they should and should not work with.

Your firm has been submitted to us for inclusion in the
WritersWeekly.com Whispers and Warnings section.

Step one of our investigation of this report is to gather all relevant
correspondence between your publication and the person submitting the
complaint so that we can piece together that person's side of the story.
Step one of our investigation has been completed.

L.M (writer's name removed for publication, but was, of course,
provided to the publisher) alleges you owe her $200.00 for an
article that was published in December and that you are now giving her
the "run around." See complete allegation under my signature.

-----------------
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
-----------------

The second step in our investigation is to send this communication to
your firm to get its side of the story. If you have evidence
disputing these allegations, or would like to make your own
statement about these allegations for publication in our report,
please email angela@writersweekly.com within two business days.
All correspondence for our investigations must be in writing and is
subject to publication.

Our report on your firm is scheduled for inclusion in our publication
next Wednesday.

If there is no response to these allegations, WritersWeekly.com will
still publish this complaint, but our readers will not be able to read
your side of the story.

We appreciate your prompt response in this matter.

Angela Hoy
Publisher
WritersWeekly.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
INITIAL COMPLAINT:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From: L.M.
Subject: Dragonfire slow payments
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 06:15:03 -0600

Dear Angela:

I was dismayed - but not totally surprised - to see Dragonfire listed in
Whispers and Warnings. In early December, I was notified that one of my
short stories had been selected for publication. I signed a contract and
returned it for the promised payment of $200. On January 13, I was
notified by Henry Disraeli, editor, that he needed my zip code so that
payment could be processed. Three weeks later, I have yet to receive
payment. I've been patient but as the days pass, my concern has grown.
And, my story also was up on their website before they received my signed
contract.

L.M.

~~~~~~~~~~
FOLLOW-UP
~~~~~~~~~~

From: L.M.
Subject: Re: Dragonfire slow payments
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 07:54:41 -0600

They promised payment thirty days after publication in the contract which
I signed, dated, and returned to them on December 22. just a few
days later the story was put up on their site and it's been well over a month.
The last message I had was from Henry, the fiction editor, on Jan. 13 w
hich asked for my zip code so that they could send payment.

I've e-mailed both Amy and Henry this morning. I thought I would give
them the opportunity to respond today.

We writers are so often left alone without support and the work that you
do on behalf of writers benefits us all.

Thank you!

L.M.

~~~~~~~~~~
ADDITIONAL FOLLOW-UP
~~~~~~~~~~

From: L.M.
Subject: Re: Dragonfire slow payments
Date: Fri, 10 Feb 2006 13:29:00 -0600

I was planning to contact you today if I had not received the
check from Dragonfire and I have not (the mail just arrived).

Amy Webb did respond - twice - but neither answer has been satisfactory to
me. I contacted her on Feb 2 and she responded that the payment had
either been sent out or would be within a few days. When I received nothing, I
e-mailed her again and she responded with a less than professional message
repeating the same thing: the check is/was/would be sent out in the next
few days.

I decided I would wait until Friday but no check has arrived. I can't
help but feel like I am getting the run around.

Here's the e-mail I sent to Ms. Webb, the fiction editor, and several
other staff members at Drexel:

Two months ago today on December 7, 2005, I was delighted to be informed
that my short story, "Sister Carleen Swanson's Revelation", had been
accepted by Drexel University's new literary online journal, Dragonfire.
Appropriate and requested edits were made, the writer's license agreement
and invoice were signed and returned by postal mail, and the story
appeared in Issue 12 of Dragonfire. This issue was out on December 20, 2005. I
returned the paperwork on December 22, 2005. I have since been patient in
waiting for payment.

The agreement stated that payment would be made within 30 days of
publication. The writing guidelines on the Dragonfire site specify
payment will be made 21-30 days after publication. Both periods have been
exceeded by a considerable margin.

On January 13th, I was contacted by Henry Israeli and asked to provide my
zip code which I did.

Last week I noted a listing in Writer's Weekly, in the Whispers and
Warnings column that included Dragonfire. After noting the time had passed well
beyond the promised period for payment, I contacted Amy Webb and Henry
Israeli regarding payment for my fiction. I chose to make direct contact
myself rather than ask someone else - such as the owner of Writer's Weekly
- to inquire on my behalf.

Both Ms. Webb and Mr. Israeli responded to my inquiry; Ms. Webb indicated
that payment would be made within a few days if it had not already been
sent. She indicated that payment had been processed as soon as the zip
code had been received and that payments were sent from a different office.

Nearly a week has passed and I have not yet received payment.

Perhaps you can understand my concern. I am a full-time freelance writer.
Money earned through the written word is my bread-and-butter. I have no
advocate to speak for me save myself.

My purpose today is to ascertain if payment has been made and whether or
not said payment has been mailed.

If Ms. Webb could provide contact information for the appropriate office
from which payment originates, I would gladly contact said office
directly.

Thank you for any assistance in this matter,

L.M.

Her response:

(L.M.)

As I explained when I answered your original Email message on
Thursday, February 2nd, it takes 14-21 business days to process
payment. Once we received your correct information, we sent your
paperwork in for processing. Your payment will be mailed by the end
of the week, if it has not been already. Check requests go through
several different departments at Drexel, so I cannot physically write
you a check myself.

I appreciate your concern, however it is just now reaching the end of
the allowed 14-21 business day period.

Amy Webb
--
Amy L. Webb
Editor In Chief
Dragonfire
www.dfire.org :: editor@dfire.org

3210 Cherry Street
2nd Floor Offices
Philadelphia, PA 19104 U.S.A.
Voice: 215.895.6469 (direct)
Fax: 215.895.6288
AIM: dfireEditor


Angela,
If you don't mind helping, I would appreciate any assistance you can
provide. It's the principle more than the money but I was promised
payment and should receive it.

Thank you.

L.M.

~~~~~
PUBLISHER DIDN'T RESPOND TO WRITERSWEEKLY SO WRITER SENT THIS EMAIL TO PUBLISHER
~~~~~

From: L.M.
To: <papadakis@drexel.edu>
Cc: "Amy Webb" <aw73@drexel.edu>, <angela@booklocker.com>
Subject: Non-payment for work published in "Dragonfire"
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2006 18:39:37 -0600

Dr. Papadakis:

My name is (L.M.). I am a professional writer. In
December, my short story was accepted by the
fiction editor of Drexel University's literary magazine,
Dragonfire. Fiction Editor Henry Israeli informed me that I would be paid
$200 for publication of this story. I was provided a Writer's License
Agreement which I completed and returned.

The story appeared in Issue 12 of Dragonfire that debuted 22 December
2005. I was not informed that said story had been published although I
discovered it independently.

The agreement stated that I would receive payment within 30 days of
publication. I did not receive payment. On 13 January 2006, Mr. Israeli
e-mailed me to request my zip code so that payment could be processed and
sent.

In early February, I was alarmed to note that Dragonfire was listed in the
"Whispers and Warnings" section of Writer's Weekly, a popular site for
writers online. Another writer claimed that he had not received payment
for work submitted and published last autumn.

I contacted Dragonfire editor Amy Webb as well as Mr. Israeli on 2
February. I was told that the check had either been mailed or would be
mailed within a few days. One week later, I e-mailed again to inquire and
receive a rather hostile response from Ms. Webb that reiterated the same
message: the check had or would be mailed within a few days. Ms. Webb
further informed me that she could not write the check - something I did
not expect. I do, however, expect to be paid as promised for my literary
contribution to Dragonfire.

Ms. Angela Hoy, founder and operator of Writer's Weekly, has offered her
assistance in gaining this payment. You might be interested to note that
on her site Drexel University and Dragonfire are termed "deadbeats". This
is a far cry from the prestigious university that ranked among the top
colleges in Newsweek's annual rankings.

Writing is not a hobby; it is my livelihood. I have been a writer for
more than twenty years and it is not unrealistic or aggressive to expect
payment when payment is due.

I contact you in the hopes that perhaps, as top link in the chain of
command at Drexel, can see that payment is provided as promised to writers
whose works appear in the college's literary journal. I am tenacious and
I will continue to press this issue until payment has been made.

Ms. Webb has threatened Ms. Hoy with legal action. If she threatens me,
my attorney will begin proceedings to recover the payment I have yet to
receive.

Thank you. I hope that you will respond in a professional fashion and
restore my faith that Drexel University's reputation remains solid (and
that neither the university nor the literary journal are "deadbeats".

Sincerely,
(L.M.)

~~~~~
PUBLISHER RESPONDS TO WRITER AND CC'S WRITERSWEEKLY
However, despite our requirements in the warning letter ("All correspondence for our investigations must be in writing and is subject to publication") she now says we can't quote her. No problem. I'll paraphrase:
~~~~~

Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2006 21:30:51 -0500
Subject: Re: Non-payment for work published in "Dragonfire"
From: Amy Webb <aw73@drexel.edu>

She says she wants to make a few clarifications.

(1) She says the agreement does not promise payment within 30 days. She says they explain throughout the process that it will take a min. of 21 business days
from the time they receive the writer's info. to process payment. She then says
the writer should know, being a writer, that most pubs pay writers after 60 days.
(This actually isn't true and really has no bearing on this incident since the publisher promised payment in 21 days. And, the writer did indeed provide the paperwork requested.

(2) She then admits they've had one other payment problem in addition to this writer's. Funny that she doesn't mention that the other writer (see posts above) STILL hasn't been paid! She then says the posts on WritersWeekly don't include the "many messages" they sent to that writer requesting his info. Well, we'd be happy to include those messages if Dragonfire wishes to share those. However, they've never sent us any such messages. She then accuses the writer of not sending the info. for 2 months (when he spent 2 months trying to get them to pay him - see complaints above).

3. She denies threatening WritersWeekly with legal action (see her emails above and make your own conclusion there). She accuses me of being unresponsive to her earlier emails. I responded to EVERY SINGLE ONE of her emails. She's the one who refused to continue to responding to MY emails (again - the proof is in her emails above).

4. She then says it isn't their obligation to inform writers when their work appears. Huh?
Since when can a publication publish a piece without a contract and notifying the writer?

She then says she noticed that the writer copied me on the emails. She then reminds us both that we can't publish her emails without her express written permission. So, I guess she wants us to not include any part of her part of the story? That's odd indeed.

She then says she'll be happy to help the writer with clarification, includes her phone number, etc. and signs her name - Amy Webb

~~~~~
WRITER RESPONDS TO PUBLISHER
~~~~~

From: L.M.
To: "Amy Webb" <aw73@drexel.edu>
Cc: <papadakis@drexel.edu>
Subject: Re: Non-payment for work published in "Dragonfire"
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2006 22:25:02 -0600

Ms. Webb:

You again fail to comprehend my message. I will continue to contact you
until payment is received. I was not informed at any time what issue, by
number, date, or any other indication what issue "Dragonfire" my work
would appear within. The agreement I have does indeed state "payment will be
made within thirty days after publication". It is very clear. More
than thirty days have elapsed. Therefore, I am well warranted in my efforts to
receive payment. I have copied the previous message as I will this one to
Ms. Hoy. I have not given her permission at any time to "publish" the
message; it is merely for her edification since she has offered to assist
me in this matter. Ms. Hoy has an impeccable reputation for coming to the
aid of writers. I will also copy this message to Dr. Papadakis.

I also reiterate that the information requested on 13 January (i.e. zip
code) was included in the regular submission and any failure to maintain
this information lies in the hands of the editors of Dragonfire rather
than my own. Payment is long overdue.

You remain obtuse; thus any attempt to telephone during your business
hours would result in a complete waste of my time as well as your own. And, of
course, there would be no paper record of anything said within a telephone
conversation. You may rest assured that I have maintained all
correspondence regarding this matter. However, I will remain in contact
until the promised payment has arrived.

Sincerely,
L.M.

~~~~~
PUBLISHER RESPONDS
~~~~~

From: "Amy Webb" <aw73@drexel.edu>
To: L.M.
Cc: <qapres@drexel.edu>
Sent: Monday, February 13, 2006 8:22 PM
Subject: Re: Editorial Submissions: Original Works

Once again, Angela will paraphrase:

Amy Webb says that she'll once again explain that it takes the A/P department
a minimum of 21 days to pay bills. She says she can't speed up the process
and tells the writer she "will be paid."

~~~~~
WRITER RESPONDS
~~~~~

To: "Amy Webb" <aw73@drexel.edu>
Cc: <papadakis@drexel.edu>, <qapres@drexel.edu>
Subject: Re: Editorial Submissions: Original Works
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2006 22:28:04 -0600

Ms. Webb:

Unfortunately I cannot and will not "rest assured" that I will be paid
since payment is long overdue. I have received a continuing spiel of double
talk from you but no confirmed fact of any check issued nor mailed.

L.M.

[angelahoy]

MARK GREENBERG, DEAN AT DREXEL UNIV. / DRAGONFIRE RESPONDS TO L.M.

From: Greenberg,Mark
Cc: Webb,Amy ; Terranova,Philip ; Papadakis,Constantine
Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2006 9:51 AM
Subject: RE: Dragonfire non-payment

(L.M.)

You do not need the assistance of anyone in securing what is
legitimately owed you from Drexel University. You also do not need to
contact our President. I will look into this matter today and, if we owe
you money, you will receive it very shortly-indeed, as quickly as a check
can be processed and sent.

I apologize for this delay. You should not have been put through such
an unconscionably long wait. And I can promise you that as soon as
humanly possible, this issue will be resolved.

Mark Greenberg
Dean, Pennoni Honors College
Honors Center - 5016 MacAlister Hall
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA 19104
T: 215.895.1267
F: 215.895.6813
greenberg@drexel.edu

~~~~~
WRITER RESPONDS
~~~~~

From: L.M.
Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2006 11:14 AM
To: Greenberg,Mark
Subject: Re: Dragonfire non-payment

Thank you, Dr. Greenberg.

Yours is the first professional and courteous response I have received
regarding the amount as yet unpaid for publication of my fiction, "Sister
Carleen Swanson's Revelation" in Issue 12 of Dragonfire.

With sincere thanks,
(L.M.)

~~~~~
THE DEAN RESPONDS
~~~~~

----- Original Message -----
From: Greenberg,Mark
Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2006 12:05 PM
Subject: RE: Dragonfire non-payment

Ms. (M.),

I understand from Amy Webb that a check already has been mailed to you. I
know it's a cliche, but on this you can count. Please contact me directly
if there are any other mishaps or should you not receive the check in a
day or two.

Mark Greenberg
Dean, Pennoni Honors College
Honors Center - 5016 MacAlister Hall
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA 19104
T: 215.895.1267
F: 215.895.6813
greenberg@drexel.edu

***4 DAYS LATER***

From: L.M.
Sent: Sat 2/18/2006 3:04 PM
To: "Undisclosed-Recipient:;"@drexel.edu
Subject: Fw: Dragonfire non-payment

Today is Saturday, February 17, 2006. My mail has been delivered and no
check has arrived. As per your request in the following e-mail, I am
notifying you of this.

What might you suggest next in this ongoing effort to collect payment as
promised for use of my work?

L.M.

***MORE PROMISES***

From: Greenberg,Mark
To: L.M.
Sent: Sunday, February 19, 2006 4:55 AM
Subject: RE: Dragonfire non-payment

(L.M.),

If the check does not arrive by Tuesday (Mon. is a holiday), I will
personally contact Accounts Payable to find out why. Please understand:
the check has been cut and you will be paid.

Mark Greenberg

________________________________
Dr. Mark L. Greenberg
Dean, Pennoni Honors College
Honors Center - 5016 MacAlister Hall
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA 19104
T: 215-895-1267
F: 215-895-6813
greenberg@drexel.edu

***WRITERSWEEKLY.COM'S OPINION***
We're not surprised...

[angelahoy]

The first writer above, A.P., has now also contacted Dean Greenberg. His email to the college is below:

From: A.P.
To: greenberg@drexel.edu
Subject: Non-payment of article for Dragonfire
Date sent: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 10:06:21 +0000 (GMT)

Dear Dr. Greenberg,

In your position as Dean of the Pennoni Honors College at Drexel
University, I am asking for help regard non-payment from the magazine
Dragonfire.

An article of mine was published on 25th October 2005 in the online
publication Dragonfire. As of today, I have still not been paid the $250,
which was the agreed price for my work. It can be found online here:
(url removed to protect writer's privacy).

I wasn't informed when it was published, and once I found out contacted
Rick Valenzuela and then Amy Webb about my payment. My repeated emails
were completely ignored. You can see all my correspondence below.
Eventually, I got sick and tired of being treated in such a rude and
unprofessional manner, that I had no other alternative but to contact
Angela Hoy at WritersWeekly.com, who helps writers in such situations as
this.

Amy Webb and Rachel Buchanan responded to Angela's email on 13th January
2005, and after I sent my invoice in the next day, I was informed payment
would be made in 14-21 business days. I checked my bank account on 9th
February, and nothing was received.

Amy Webb also raised both my eyebrows, by querying my lack of contact
before. This is complete insanity, when I emailed her continually and
politely, and the evidence backs me up. As I said to Amy Webb, I don't
enjoy making a complaint and actively go out my way to avoid
confrontation. Any complaint by a writer effectively ends a business
relationship. I'm in this profession to make a living and not to make
trouble.

Never have I been treated in such a way before. I didn't expect
Dragonfire to tell outright lies and waste my time in such a manner.
Nearly four months have elapsed, and I haven't been paid or received a
written contract as stated so clearly in Dragonfire's writing guidelines.

I would be grateful if you could speak with the relevant staff at
Dragonfire, so the money owed can be promptly paid.

Best regards,

(A.P.)

[angelahoy]

As you may recall from above, Amy Webb sent us an email on January 30th that states:

"We responded, as requested, to (A.P.) on January 20th
explaining that we have processed all of his paperwork. (See below.) "

Well, it seems that she wasn't exactly telling the truth. Yesterday (16 days after the previous email), the writer, A.P., received this email from Amy:

From: "Amy L. Webb, Dragonfire Editor In Chief" <editor@dfire.org>
Subject: URGENT!!! Payment
Date sent: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 14:05:28 -0500

(A.P.),

Your invoice was submitted to payroll and was returned because we're
missing a signature form. I've reattached the necessary documents.
It's very important that we have your written signature on these
forms, as plain text will not be accepted.

Please fill out this paperwork as soon as you can and either fax them
or Email them back directly to me. I will then immediately hand-
deliver all the documents to the person at Payroll who can process
everything while I stand there. I'll be able to confirm once you've
been entered and also be able to then give you a wire transfer number
and information on exactly when the money was sent.

Thanks,
Amy

WRITERSWEEKLY'S OPINION:

Funny how Amy didn't bother to respond to A.P. about this until he contacted the Dean at the university. We don't believe any of these excuses for a minute.

THE DEAN'S RESPONSE TO A.P.'S EMAIL FROM YESTERDAY

"Greenberg,Mark" <mlg25@drexel.edu> wrote:

(A.P.)

Because you did not supply us with proper information on the invoice we
asked you to complete, your payment was delayed. You may rest assured
that e are now processing your payment, and you will receive it shortly.

Mark Greenberg

A.P.'S RESPONSE

From: A.P.
To: "Greenberg,Mark" <mlg25@drexel.edu>
Subject: RE: Non-payment of article for Dragonfire
Date sent: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 08:52:35 +0000 (GMT)

Dear Dr. Greenberg,

Thank you for the prompt reply. I also received a reply from Amy Webb,
which finally contained the documents that need signing. I will check them
and return them soon.

You mention "Because you did not supply us with proper information on
the invoice".

What was the problem and why wasn't I told it was wrong? I would like to
know the specifics.

Thank you.

(A.P.)

WRITERSWEEKLY SAYS: All of this hubaloo over a lousy $250?! Give us a break and just pay your bills already!!!

[angelahoy]

On February 13th, Amy Webb of Dragonfire sent an email to L.A. that stated this:

A few clarifications:

(1) The agreement does not promise payment within 30 days...

That is a lie. We have obtained a copy of L.A.'s contract with Dragonfire and it specifically states, "Payment shall be made within thirty (30) days after publication."

It is interesting to note that Dragonfire has since changed their payment terms on their website. However, they are bound to the terms of L.A.'s contract.

***UPDATE***

From: L.A.
Subject: Re: Fw: Dragonfire non-payment
Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 13:02:53 -0600

Angela,

The long awaited check arrived today, 2/21/06. I noted that the check was
written on February 15 - the day AFTER I contacted Mark Greenberg and Dr.
Papadakis along with Amy Webb and mailed on February 16. All the claims
that payment had been sent were bogus - and I have no doubt that if I had
not contacted you or continued to request payment I would still be waiting.

A million thanks for your help and support,

Lee Ann

[angelahoy]

According to dfire.org, located in Philadelphia, managing editor Rachel Buchman "has produced news and original programming for public and commercial radio stations, including National Public Radio." See: http://www.dfire.org/x354.xml

We then found this article, Spam Rage Causes Radio Reporter to Lose Her Job, which states Rachel Buchman, a freelance reporter for WHYY-FM in Philadelphia (a National Public Radio affiliate), sent an email from an online lobbying group, which she accused of spamming, that said, " God hates you and he wants to kill your children. You should all burn in hell."

See: http://www.sophos.com/pressoffice/news/articles/2004/12/sa_spamradio.html

Anybody know if this is the same Rachel Buchman?

UPDATE:

Just received this from a reader:

I saw the post about Rachel B. from Dragonfire today and it appears to be
the same one - here's a link:
http://www.philebrity.com/index.php?s=rachel+buchman&submit=Search

[angelahoy]

Angela:

I read the Dfire.org account. I submitted a piece to
them last spring, and was told in a nutshell by Amy
Webb, that my work wasn't good enough for them for
various reasons. Ironically, it was around my
birthday when she rejected the work.

Boy, this is one time I am sure glad I got a
rejection: what a birthday present when it's by
dfire.org! An acceptance would've been an anti-gift I
bet.

Another medium accepted that work of mine a bit later
and paid me right away.

-Name not published on request