I read a post a few months ago about online magazine owners not paying their writers. I was interested, but didn’t think it was an issue for me.
However, I was pitched this week about joining the writing staff of a soon to launch webzine, with a section for parenting and opinion. Whilst initially interested, I skimmed the email looking for what I would get out of it. Exposure? Payment? I wasn’t sure.
I had to look a fairly long way into the email and there it was: Payment by ad revenue sharing, with the writer to get 70% of the ad revenue. We’ll ignore the issues I already have with Ad.Sense and look at it objectively.
I know that sidebar advertising makes very little money for most bloggers and webzines. If you calculate how much 70% revenue from one post is, I’d say we’re looking at miniscule money and I’m sorry, but I don’t work for peanuts.
Even if the exposure was likely to be huge, I was turned off by the list the length of my arm of what I could and couldn’t do, what they did and didn’t want (no self-deprecating humour? REALLY?) and how many posts I would be required to write every month.
Okay look, I get strict guidelines for writers. I GET it, that they want their webzine to be exactly what they want and how they want it – that’s their prerogative.
But seriously, if I’m going to put that much energy into posts, I’m going to do it on my own website, or on something I truly believe in. Not a webzine who form lettered me, asking me to apply.
BECAUSE YES. Oh wait, what’s that at the end? If I want to write for them, I need to apply first. Even though they approached me.
It’s a bit crappy.
Look, if a friend approached me and asked me to write for their website, because they felt that I had something to share, I absolutely would. I’ve contributed to the Mummy Blogger Blog before and I will again, because I believe in it, and what Louisa has done with it.
You know what would have been more effective? Spending the $50 to advertise on Problogger’s Jobs Board, because that way, you wouldn’t have offended me with the work for peanuts mentality. I would have just ignored the ad as not for me, and moved on.
I’m not a fan of working my arse off for someone else’s project, unless I adore that person, or think that the benefits for me personally will outweigh the work. I’ve done it a few times now and it hasn’t worked out for me. I’ve had to take a step back and say selfishly – what does this do for me? Do I get any recognition for doing what I’ve done? Am I being paid? Is my own profile being raised? Well then, no thank you, but I don’t want to do this for you anymore.
So for me, I’m not going there again.
If you want me to write for your webzine, it has to benefit me personally, in some way. Or, I have to love what you’re doing and want to be part of it.
Otherwise, thanks, but no thanks.
This blogger doesn’t write for nothing.
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Great post & I am more than thrilled to have your contribution – written and thoughtful on the blog and GREATLY appreciate it and look forward to the day when I can pay for them!!
Yes, I am more than happy to write for things when they’re brand new and still growing, for no money, especially when it’s something I feel strongly about, like MBB.
I’ve “liked” your FB page and will try and join in on Friday.
Have sick boy atm and things chaotic to say the least.
Tell them you don’t get out of bed for under $10,000, and it’s another $10,000 to sit at the keyboard, lol.
Yay! I’ll look forward to it.
And sorry to hear your boy is sick, I hope he gets better soon. Mine is just grumpy. Too many lights at the supermarket today.
And Social Media Chat is on tonight, if you’re about? I’m not sure why people think it’s Friday…
Well said, Veronica. It all comes down to putting a value on your time.
If I’m not being paid, it must be of mutual benefit. I refuse to do something for nothing.
Makes me wonder if there’s a mentality that we’re mothers and therefore don’t expect pay – because we’re not getting paid already! Hmmm….
I’d really like to think that it isn’t about us being mothers – the webzine is going to be about all areas of stuff by all accounts. But agreed – if there’s no pay, it has to be something that is beneficial to me as well. That’s why I’m happy to do product reviews still, because I’m getting something out of it.
I am always surprised at how much work people do for the benefit of other businesses. Odd really, they wouldn’t ask you to clean the house for nothing or do their tax, or be a contract lawyer or anything else that is required to get the product to completion, but they do expect the main offering to be done for free.
Maybe I am bitter and twisted but other than guest posts on other peoples blogs – which is voluntary and usually starts organically or is in answer to a request put out to everyone – why spend your precious time providing product for someone else?
I guess it all depends on how important exposure is to you. Maybe some people have a plan and writing for others and getting their name out is within the plan. I could understand that.
Well yes, that’s my opinion too. I wouldn’t clean someone else’s house for free, so why do their blog housekeeping for nothing? Sadly though it seems that the written word is widely undervalued on the internet.
I’m so with you….
I am all for supporting friends and blogs I believe in, good causes and charities…. but a commercial site that stands to make money from my words needs reimburse me fairly for my time and skill.
I’ve learnt the hard way that working for other for free does nothing but take time away from my own pursuits and my family, and right now my time is precious so I am not prepared to give it away without a very good reason.
Tweet me and remind me friday night – if I am online I’d love to join in!
Agreed. And the Social Media Chat is tonight if you’re about, not Friday?
See – we are all overworked, underpaid mothers who have no idea what day it is, lol.
I agree entirely V.
I posted about this the other day – someone wanted 4 food posts a week, plus quality food photography. The return was a vague share in ad revenue. When I asked what the forecast was, I met with a chilly resonse….
Needless to say, I left it at that…
Oh I hear you. One of the first things I learned as a freelance writer, many years ago, was you don’t write for nothing. Never. One, you devalue your own worth; and two, you mess up the whole market and value of writers. There are a couple of exceptions: Occasionally if you’re a new writer, an editor will ask you to write something on ‘spec’. That means you write it, and if they like it, they publish it and you get paid; if they don’t, it’s a risk you’ve taken and you might be able to sell it elsewhere. I did that for my first ever freelance job – a story for New Idea in my early 20s – and at a magazine in London which then offered me a full-time job. Occasionally I do writing jobs for free to help friends or causes I believe in, for charity, or in return for something that interests me. I am gobsmacked at the number of online ‘magazines’ wanting people to do their work for them for basically nothing!
I don’t think that that is selfish at all. Ultimately, your time, energy and creativity are worth something and if you feel that you are not being compensated enough for it then it is your right, your perogative, to say “Thanks but no thanks”.
Jenn
I charge out at an stupidly high hourly rate for private copywriting jobs …. why would I do it for free?
I’m waiting for someone to try starting a cafe and saying to their staff ‘we don’t have any money yet because we’re just starting up, but we’ll give you a bit of the profits if we get any. It’ll probably take a year or two.’
There seems to be this image out there that bloggers and especially mum’s who blog are too stupid to understand how businesses work. In reality it’s the ‘business people’ who either don’t get it or are unethical enough to think they can exploit people.
Absolutely agree with you!
I got the same email and it really amused me how snotty it was. Especially as it was blatantly obvious they were sending the email out to as many bloggers as they possibly could – so all the bleating about quality control was really a little redundant.
I sent them an email back giving my freelance rates – and got another snotty letter back 🙂
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