[Writing Post] To Pay or Not To Pay – The Eternal Question

Can I tell you how much I HATE the “Writers/Artists Should/Should Not Work for Free” debate? Especially since there IS ONE??

I shared a link to this article in The New York Time Op Ed section called, “Slaves of the Internet, Unite!” It’s one writers opinion of writers – professional writers – being asked to contribute material or speak to a group for free. Apparently it’s caused a hailstorm of responses – both pro and con. The Writer Beware facebook page posted this article in rebuttal called “No, writing for free isn’t slavery, and other misconceptions about the economics of online media”.

Honestly, I don’t agree 100% with EITHER article, but the second one gets my hackles up more than the first. I absolutely believe if your blog, publication, organization CANNOT afford to pay an author or artist for their work – and it doesn’t even have to be a “professional” rate (though for our industry “professional” is still freakin’ pathetic) – then maybe the entity shouldn’t be trying to publish at all. It is a respect issue.

My time, talent, and skill set has value. NO, not everyone can just sit down and pound out a brilliant story – or heck, even a coherent one – this is a learned skill that has taken time, effort, and training to do even passingly well . Don’t think so? Ask why so many self-published works are crap. It’s because so many people think they can just hurl works on a page or a screen and it’s done. No, not even close.

The “no one does surgery or plumbing for free” argument is actually valid. This is a service and a commodity that I can provide. I went to school for it. I’ve practiced my craft – just like any other professional – and as a professional, I should be treated accordingly. THIS APPLIES TO EVERY. SINGLE. AUTHOR. ARTIST. JEWELRY DESIGNER. CREATOR. We have time, money, effort, and sometimes blood sunk into our chosen profession – just like any other trade or profession.

The argument that “plenty of people like to write for free”? Yeah, I don’t know many of those. I will, absolutely, write something for free – FOR SPECIFIC REASONS. There are SF conventions to whom I’ll give stories. I write for my church because it’s something I can do to support their ministry because I DON’T HAVE ANY MONEY, and they stretch me to learn new skills – thank you, playwriting. I spoke to a writer’s group for free because it’s a new group and I’m part of it already. Some charitable causes, I’ll consider writing for because I believe in the cause.

BUT… this in deluge of free content (or horribly low paying contents) is only begetting more of the dreck we’re battling in the epub and self-pub world. If so many people are willing to give it away, why would anyone pay a decent rate for it? Sure the free stuff is (by and large) less brilliant than the paid content, but it’s free – it comes down to “You get what you pay for”. And…in retail environments, there’s a concept of “perceived value”. If a product or service is perceived to be of high value/quality, the price the customer is willing to pay for it will reflect that. And if a product is perceived to be low value/quality…the return is equally low.

But Rhonda, you write this blog for free… yes, and I’ve been starting to wonder how I can monetize it to some degree (I’m up for suggestions). And the pen blog does net me stuff occasionally, which may not be money but at least it’s not a further expense. I love to write. It’s my passion. It’s who I am – not just what I do. I’m just tired of worrying about money. It’s exhausting. I’d much rather put that energy into writing.