How much are you offering? Nothing? Okay!

I've just spent the last hour or so looking at ads for 'writers wanted'.

I cannot believe how many of these businesses state they "do not offer payment but you can see your work in print". What other line of work expects professional standards for free?

I am frankly amazed that anyone is foolish enough to provide these businesses with their hard work in return for a name check. Would you go to the office for free if your boss promised to put your name on the door? Of course not, so why do it as a writer?


We write because we love it, but that doesn't mean we should be taken advantage of by these people. Everything we write has taken time and effort and this should be recognised.


I know we are told you need to build a portfolio of published works before we can start negotiating fees but I just feel this is a perfect example of an industry taking advantage. If my work is good enough to be published in a 'proper' forum then it is good enough to be paid for. 


I'm not talking about an in-house student mag like Chapter & Verse - that's something you expect to make a contribution to without expectation of pay - but publications that pay everyone else who works for them. Because, let's be honest, that is what you have done - worked for them!

I recently saw a post on the Student forum where someone had a couple of articles accepted without pay because the budget was spent. How did they intend publishing the magazine without a budget to pay for articles? I very much doubt this was actually the case; they probably saw an opportunity to save a few quid and take advantage of our desire to get in print. 

Perhaps we should contact the magazine and ask for free copies as our budget for magazines has been spent. Do you think they'd say "Oh, of course!". No, nor do I.....