| "For free or not for free - that is the question?" | | | | "You are so talented. Have you been published |
| Whenever the 'P' word -- PAYMENT -- gets a | | | | anywhere?" |
| mention, writers are frequently up in arms. There | | | | "No, certainly not!" she replied as if I had said |
| appear to be two camps of thought: those that | | | | something I shouldn't. |
| think we should all write for free, 'because it is our | | | | Then I made the mistake of using the 'P' word. |
| art', and those who want to get paid what they | | | | "You know, you could get published and PAID for |
| are worth as a writer. Of course, you yourself, | | | | poems like that." |
| might fall somewhere in between where you | | | | You'd think I'd hit her in the face with a wet fish. |
| prefer to get paid, but will write for free for good | | | | When she had got over the initial shock, she |
| causes or if it is to promote yourself. | | | | replied, "I couldn't possibly take money for |
| Recently, I queried a new national magazine and | | | | something I love." |
| submitted three articles for the editor to peruse. | | | | I just don't get it, but then again neither did she. |
| She was looking for columnists as well as article | | | | Are some writers so precious about their words |
| writers. Within the hour an e-mail arrived in my | | | | that they feel it is degrading to sell them? When I |
| mail box, [the fastest response I have ever had | | | | told her about some of my own publications, I got |
| from an editor], to say that she loved one of my | | | | the distinct impression she thought I was some |
| articles and wanted to publish it in the following | | | | sort of writing floozie spreading it around a bit, |
| month's debut issue of the magazine. | | | | and horror of horror -- for money, too! |
| Warning bells started to ring at her swift | | | | You'll know you're being ripped off when: |
| response. After all, most of my magazine queries | | | | 1. You're writing for free for a magazine that runs |
| have taken days, weeks or even months for | | | | paid advertisements or that sells a subscription, |
| replies. And as any serious writer knows, | | | | products and/or services. |
| magazines work months, not days, ahead of time. | | | | 2. You've brought your expertise (teaching, |
| Not only did she want to publish my article, she | | | | counseling, nursing, computing skills, etc.) into the |
| wanted to work with me for a further four | | | | article and you're still not offered payment. |
| editions of the magazine. | | | | 3. Everyone else at the magazine is being paid. |
| Sounds fantastic, right? Not so right. The snag | | | | This includes the Internet provider, phone |
| was she didn't intend to pay me a single, solitary | | | | company, electric company, photographers, |
| cent for my time, effort and expertise. It was a | | | | models, and editorial staff, right on down to the |
| case of, 'We'll see how it goes and if we can pay | | | | cleaners. Why should everybody else get paid and |
| you sometime in the future, then we will!" Well | | | | not you? |
| stuff that for a game of soldiers, which is almost | | | | 4. The magazine says they are giving you plenty |
| what I told her, but not quite. Instead, I told her I | | | | of exposure, so why do you need to get paid? |
| thought that writers deserved to be paid and | | | | 5. Or, as one high profile website put it a couple |
| sent her a few helpful links so she could read up | | | | of years ago when they suddenly stopped paying |
| on why writers deserve payment. Cheeky, on | | | | writers, 'If you were learning to play golf you'd |
| my behalf, I know, but I was spitting feathers at | | | | have to pay fees, so why should you expect to |
| the time. I didn't need the clippings that bad. | | | | get paid for something you love doing?' |
| Now, all this is well and good, but when I pointed | | | | You're not being ripped off when: |
| this out to one of my Yahoo writers' groups, | | | | 1. Your writing will help a charity or good cause |
| apart from having a cyber pat on the back from | | | | close to your heart. |
| some of my contemporaries, I was flamed off | | | | 2. It will help further your career as a writer by |
| list for daring to suggest writers should be paid. | | | | advertising a product or service you're selling. |
| We're back to that art thing. I shouldn't be | | | | By the way, the editor of the new national |
| surprised. I recently attended a writers' workshop. | | | | magazine recently contacted me to say they |
| One of the exercises was to write a poem or | | | | would now be paying writers. Whether this was |
| story in a short space of time. A writer sitting | | | | as a direct response to my cheeky e-mail, I don't |
| next to me, who I vaguely knew, came up with a | | | | know, but it couldn't have hurt, could it? |
| fantastic poem off the top of her head. I said, | | | | |