I don't much care for the Avastar

German run tabloid, the Avastar, is hardly my favourite reading. In fact, I don't read it at all, except on the rare occasion that someone tugs on my arm and points me to something specific.

Why?

Well, let's see. When they started up, one of their staff contacted me and demanded that I send writing samples to them. Demanded. Also that I justify myself and tell them why I thought I was good enough to write for them.

Well - rather than sending any such thing back, I asked about their pay-rates. Mostly out of curiousity, as I'd already been turned off the notion of writing for them by the first contact.

The response I got gave me the impression (correctly or incorrectly) that they hadn't actually considered paying. When a figure was finally named, it looked like the token minimum to transfer the author's copyright to the publisher (a bit like the token 1USD to seal a contract or transfer property).

Someone else got in touch with me after that, in similar rude and peremptory tones. Later, a third person - though this time polite and considerate. A bit late, sorry.

I'm apparently mentioned in there once in a while. Like this top ten thing in the latest issue.

Problem is, that despite there only being a dozen or so words involved, the tiny scrap is not even factually correct.

Rude, demanding, incivil, inaccurate. Need I say more?

(This is, of course, my personal opinion. In case you're hard-of-thinking and believe that I intend that this should also be yours, well, that isn't so. Have your own experiences, and form your own opinions - don't let me or anyone else do your thinking for you)