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The Writer's Mentor: A Guide to Putting Passion on Paper by Cathleen Rountree
When I need writing advice, I always start with the Write Great Fiction series. I own this one.
Should You Write for Free?
Many writing organizations instruct their members that professionals don’t write for free. I disagree with that, but this article will help you to evaluate for yourself whether or not you should write for free, and, if you do, how to choose who gets your free work.
The argument against writing for free is that it encourages publications to earn money without paying their writers. The feeling is that if the publication is making money, they should share it with the writers. They also feel that writing is work, and work should be paid for.
The argument for writing for free is that it helps a beginner to build credentials. They may be small, but a few of them build confidence and give the writer something to put in his cover letter. The credit line can lead to offers of other work and promote the writer. In addition, some writers write for reasons other than to develop a career, and some who write professionally do certain types of writing free.
Those are the simplified answers. The question for writers who are considering writing for free is to decide when to write for free, and when to demand payment. Here are some points to consider:
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What is your purpose for writing on this topic?
I will often place homeschooling articles free in smaller publications if they include mention of my book in the credit line. I consider this the equivalent of purchasing an ad, so it’s written for promotional purposes. I place religion articles for free because I do a great deal of religious work free anyway—that’s service. In other words, I might give you an article on my passion for free. If it’s something I have no personal purpose for writing, I’m more likely to request payment.
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What type of publication is requesting the material?
A large, professional publication generally has the money to pay for articles. As a result, I expect the New York Times to pay me. However, Tiny Town Monthly probably has no more than is required to pay for the costs of their paper and a small underpaid staff, so it’s probable I can be talked into loaning them some material if asked. Tiny Town’s few readers might happen to be homeschoolers and buy my book after reading my article.
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What are they going to do with the article?
Because of what I write online, most of my requests are for use in classroom settings and local newsletters. Those requests, when not placed online, don’t concern me at all once I’m able to verify who the organization is. However, if the group wants to place the article online, I have to give it more thought. I don’t want one of my articles to appear on thirty websites, nor do I want my entire site reproduced on someone else’s site. In addition, I’m more particular about the quality of the site. I’ll take extra time to study the site and be certain I’m comfortable with their message, the quality of the material and the size of the site. (A major site is more likely to be able to pay, although that’s not always true. Some simple research usually reveals the financial status of the website.)
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Is there an altruistic purpose in donating the article?
I’m a compulsive volunteer. I am forever volunteering for things and so, to me, giving away an article just feels like volunteer work. However, the types of articles I currently write help to create that feeling. I write on homeschooling, family, and religion, for instance. All of these are areas where I often speak, interview, or mentor for free. To me, offering a free article is not much different than giving a radio interview on the subject or helping a friend over lunch. If I wrote humorous fiction, or mystery stories, I would feel differently. Those, I think, I would expect to be paid for because I wouldn’t feel I was helping others by sharing my article.
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What’s in it for me?
Even though I often give my work away as a service, I do, admittedly, pay attention to what is in it for me. As I said earlier, the author credit is important. I want them to mention my book or my website, which then makes the article an advertisement. This also means the article needs to be going someplace where potential readers will be found. If my article is published on a major religion website, the readers will be drawn to my religion website, where, if I’m lucky, they’ll buy books through my affiliate links. If the article appears in a homeschooling newspaper, the readers are all potential readers of my books. In that sense, I’m not writing for free…I’m just not collecting my pay in cash. As a beginning writer, those freebies built my credit list. I didn’t want a lot of free credits, but one or two made me feel more confident when I put them in my cover letters.
Other times, a free article posted somewhere drew the attention of someone who pays and the free articles led to getting a paying writing assignment. The free articles then served as my resume. My websites have articles I don’t charge you for. Unless you buy a book through my affiliate link, it’s likely I’m giving away the content, but I’ve chosen to allow that because the payment I want isn’t necessarily money. (Not that I object if you want to buy something...)
Only the author can make the choice as to whether or not to give away his content. Think it through and evaluate the consequences, both good and bad. If the benefit is more than the cost in terms of your time, labor, and talent, then giving your material away can be a positive experience. Whether you choose to sell or give, the important thing is that you feel good about your decision.