[From the Archive] Giving it Away

This was written in late 2009. In light of the new Anti-Spec campaigns and last week’s revisiting to paying creative professionals…some still stands. I’m rethinking the marketing bits.
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‘Tis the season for giving gifts – gifts of all kinds. Sometimes writers even give away stories for during this time of the year. This brings me to this week’s topic, Giving It Away. Among some writers and publishers there are discussions about the value of giving your work away for free. Many point to Yog’s Law (Money Flows Toward The Writer) as a reason to not give anything away. Others claim, “Exposure is something you die from.”

Am I one of those writers? Sometimes. There are circumstances where absolutely not, your writing should be paid for – period, end of statement. This is usually when dealing with Vanity and Subsidy Publishers who not only don’t want to pay their writers for their work, but think it’s perfectly fine for the writer to pay them. That’s wrong. End of statement. But there are also times when I BELIEVE it’s perfectly acceptable to give your work away. When do I think it’s okay to give away your writing?

• Charity Events — If there’s an anthology or a special themed magazine or even an auction where the proceeds are going to a cause you feel passionately about? Then by all means, donate your work.
• Convention Program Books — Many conventions ask their writer and artist guests to donate a piece to go into their program books. Do it! Especially if you’re a newer writer. Why? One – it gives you an automatic readership. Two – you can be like me and end up having a story share a table of contents with Larry Niven and Elizabeth Moon. Three – Good Will. If you participate in the program book, and don’t make it seem like the convention is ripping you off, then you’re more likely to be asked back to said convention. Four – new readers and something to autograph. If you’re a new author, this is a great way to something in the hands of people who’ve never read you before and to give you something else to sign at the autographings.
• Holiday Gifts – If you’re strapped for cash, what better gift can you give than a story? Already established? Put a holiday story or some other story up on your website as a blanket gift to your fans. Again, it comes down to garnering good will.
• Marketing — this is probably the most controversial. There is a line of thought that says, “You get what you pay for”, so people tend to feel something “Free” is almost the same as “Not Good”. That’s not necessarily the case. Sometimes, it’s more like being a drug dealer – give them the first taste for free, after that, they’ll buy your books. There are a growing number of authors who’re trying this out. I’ve been one of them, and am about to embark on another marketing experiment that could be great or blow up in my face. We’ll see.

Does this mean I think you should drop everything and hit the “For the Love” markets? Absolutely not. That’s crazy. We’re all out – if we’re honest with ourselves – to be the next JK Rowling and Stephanie Meyer. If you’re serious about being a writer, start high. Always hit the highest paying, best possible markets for your work first, then work your way down the monetary ladder. But I’m also saying that sometimes, it’s okay to give it away – because under the right circumstances, it could launch you into bigger and better things. Just ask Cory Doctrow.

Tags: AntiSpec, paying professionals., Writing