I wanted to talk a bit today about writing for free. Mostly this is on my mind because I hear so many opinions about it. Here’s the story (don’t worry, I’ll keep it short).
A couple years ago I joined Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC…and yes it is fun to say) thinking it was a pretty big step forward to helping me become a “legit” writer. I like being part of a professional association because it helps me take writing seriously. I think before this I was more wishing I was a writer, hoping I could get enough experience for someone to notice me.
One of the first things impressed upon me was about writing for free. I think it’s safe to say the more outspoken members and perhaps even the others feel a professional writer should never write for free, not ever. At least, that’s the party line I heard over and over. But after a couple years I’m hearing a bit more underneath the blanket statement, which leaves me a might confused.
Is Writing for Free Ever OK?
Here are some of the comments I’ve heard in the past couple years.
- Well, I guess if you’re trading services then it’s alright
- If you’re able to network and get other paying gigs as a result of the free work, then you’re doing yourself a favour
- As long as the person asking you to write isn’t being paid either, it’s probably OK
- You can write for free if you have a time limit and good reasons for doing it
So…the black and white rules are a bit muddier now.
I should mention I’m a big fan of making money from things I write, and am not advocating writing for free. In fact I agree with the notion that if you work for free then you undermine the industry. However, there are always exceptions.
And that’s where I’m at today
When I think about writing for free I can’t say I have a firm opinion on it yet. Maybe each situation is different. Or maybe the traditional “you write a story and we’ll buy it from you” model isn’t the only one out there. Maybe there are other ways to make money writing in an…alternative way. You know? Like getting a sponsor, or advertiser, or putting a ton of writing out there aimed at selling a product or service you have. Those also seem like really good ways to make a go of it while not technically writing for free.
Anyway, this was on my mind and I wanted to share about it.
Other Writing Posts
- Why WOULDN’T You Enter a Contest?
- Steps to Keep My Writing Skills from Slipping
- Freelance Writing Update
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5 Responses
There’s nothing wrong with not getting paid if you get something else you value back in return (e.g. a great comment like this.) The problem is that much of the returns offered in place of payment are worthless.
Exposure, for example, is useless when it will only bring in more non-paying gigs. It’s valuable if you can parlay it into actual paying jobs down the road, but you have to weigh the odds of that happening. But if your end goal is just to have lots of people read your words, and money doesn’t matter, then, by all means, write for free for some huge company.
It’s easy for established writers to scorn those who start out by writing for free. But what they’re forgetting is that those newbies place a far higher value on gaining experience and clips, and rightly so. Ideally, incentive to write for free disappears once you have a portfolio of half-decent (but not, usually, great) clips and a resume with a couple references. After that, writing for free becomes pointless – and, often, unsustainable.
Established writers don’t like seeing others write for free because it deflates the market. And sure, unpaid internships are bogus. But if your work can be duplicated by some kid who is so new to the job that he’s willing to write for free, then perhaps you need to change what you’re doing, in some way.
All that said, some companies are more than willing to substantially sacrifice quality to save money. That’s a (bad) decision by the company, though, not the writers.
I agree Tyler, thanks for sharing.