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Chrishayden
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 3475
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 26, 2007 - 02:57 pm: | 
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e-drum@topica.com
From: "Kalamu ya Salaam" <kalamu@aol.com>
Subject: POV: hope's hopeless rant on getting paid as writers
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:15:19 EST
>>POV: hope's hopeless rant on getting paid as writers
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HOPE'S HOPELESS RANT...
What is the difference in not getting paid for your writing
versus almost getting paid? I'm talking about publications
that pay pennies a word...paper publications, mainly. I'm fussing
about those who gloriously flaunt the fact they pay you $10 or
$5 or, better yet, three copies of the book or magazine, and tell
you to be happy you received compensation. They tell you to take
that check, frame it on the wall and be proud.
In the meantime, the printer, the cover artist, and the
distributor, get paid. In most cases, the editor, too. The
excuses range far and wide...
- we're a nonprofit (my favorite)
- we're a fledgling publication, but once we're on our feet...
- the cost of publication is too much to pay the writers.
My question? Why are they publishing in the first place?
For publicity? For recognition? First of all, who is flipping
through these no-pay publications looking for writers to
snatch up, offer contracts and pay big money? Secondly, if
the only credits a writer has is in nonpaying publications,
then what are those credits worth?
Every other entity involved with the book/magazine receives
compensation for their time and talent. The writer is the last
person on the list to be considered, and most times, isn't
given the courtesy of a consideration. After all, since writers
are supposed to struggle, and since they're a dime a dozen, why
should an editor go out of his/her way to pay them when nonpayment
is a viable option?
A thousand words for $5 or $10 is a joke. Payment in copies is
an insult. No payment ought to be a crime called stealing.
Writers can be cannibals. Editors used to be, or still
consider themselves, writers. They know they can find a higher
income editing. They are higher on the pecking order. You'll
probably find that the friggin' interns get paid more than the
writers in an anthology. Don't you love that concept? Get paid
to intern to learn how to write for nothing.
If you sell a commodity, you are in business. Businesses are
supposed to make a buck, or quit operating. The term nonprofit
doesn't mean you aren't supposed to make ends meet. Nonprofits
are supposed to be self-sustaining, or they can be considered
defunct entities. They have an obligation to make sound business
decisions, and if they cannot publish, pay the writers and make
a profit, then they need to quit publishing until they find
enough financial means to pay the worker-bees who provide the
honey in the editor's honeycomb.
I could take this rant into ten pages, if I allowed my fussing
to gain momentum. My husband has already listened to it, poor
thing. The vicious cycle never seems to end, and I see it gaining
ground, gobbling up more newbie writers in its spin. Hell, it
eats up mid-list writers much of the time, all in the name of
exposure.
If you write for free, fine. Don't ever complain about not
making enough money. I don't want to hear it. There are a few
reasons to write for free, and I know them well. But if you
choose to exercise your right to pen words for no money, then
you lose your voice to seek higher pay.
For those who are in the business of writing and publishing,
and like a writer's work, for goodness sake, pay him or her
a respectable income. Otherwise, write the dang stories yourself.
There's no prestige in making less than minimum wage...and I'm
not talking about the new increase, either.
Hope
Hope is the moderator of Funds For Writers
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Emanuel
Regular Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 270
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 26, 2007 - 04:00 pm: |
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I totally agree about getting paid for your work. I started off writing for free to build a writing resume. For instance, when I found out an anthology was being published by Little, Brown and Company, I submitted even though the payment was only a copy of the book. But you best believe that Little, Brown publishing credit goes on all my query letters now. Of course, there will always be new writers looking to build a writing resume so little pay or no pay pubs will continue to exist.
Now I only submit to paying publication. Plus I charge to write book reviews when queried by other authors. Since I'm a volunteer reviewer at the Midwest Book Review and the reviews go to another e-zine and get posted at online bookstores, I think I deserve to get paid when asked to review a book I wouldn't normally obtain for myself. Otherwise, the book itself is my only payment.
Thanks for the post! |
Chrishayden
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 3477
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 26, 2007 - 04:21 pm: |
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The way I look at it doing free work is like paying your dues--just like singers and musicians compete in talent shows or play on he corner or for their friends dances--you have to build a resume and build skills and get experience.
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Emanuel
Regular Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 271
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 26, 2007 - 06:30 pm: |
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That's true Chris but some pubs do take advantage of eager writers. If a publication is being sold instead of given away and ads are being sold, the pub owners should have money to give to the writers. After all, content is king. What good is a magazine if there are no articles? |
Chrishayden
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 3478
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 27, 2007 - 10:24 am: |
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I suppose that's true about the owners of the Apollo theater on amateur night. They after all are charging tickets and are not paying the amateur night people anything--
Then again the amateur night people ain't got no name (although many of them have plenty of talent, my homeboy David Peaston was a four time winner, which launched his pro career) so they are SOL and grateful for the opportunity.
Advantage? Exploitation? That is capitalism. That is the game. You can always publish yourself or start your own mag and keep all the money--and all the headaches. |
Chrishayden
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 3479
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 27, 2007 - 10:27 am: |
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Last night I lay awake thinking about all the great writers I know who are dying to have anybody publish them anywhere and can't get it.
I ain't got no sympathy for the writer of this article. That's the game.
I recall that episode on "The Corner" where Gary comes up with this idea to steal people's cars and take them to the junkyard. (I think also he even tells the owners--they report the cars stolen and nobody is the wiser) He finds a guy with a truck and they do one.
Later he is standing on the corner when the guy goes by with another car.
"That's my idea!" Gary wails.
"You the nigga with the idea, he the nigga with the truck," Scalio tells him. |
Troy
Veteran Poster
Username: Troy
Post Number: 505
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 29, 2007 - 02:43 pm: |
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Wow. Hope, the author of hope's hopeless rant on getting paid as writers sounds very naïve or young; it does not sound like she has any experience in publishing.
Chris, Emmanuel you both make good points. The statement; …That is the game. You can always publish yourself or start your own mag and keep all the money--and all the headaches. sums it up perfectly. Technology has allowed some writers to publish their own stuff. One example are Blogs, but few blogs are read by more than a handful of people. It takes a lot of work building an audience – most writers do not have the energy/talent/time to do both – hence the need for publishers.
AALBC.com pays all writers from who we solicit or commission content (that was not always the case – it took a few years to get to that point). I also often publish unsolicited work written by an author who provided the content for free. Sometimes I’ll pay a nominal fee for unsolicited work, but that depends upon my relationship with the author and the quality of the work.
Obviously, writers submit work without monetary compensation because they perceive some value or benefit in doing so. The most obvious benefit of submitting work to AALBC.com is that a lot of people will read the work.
Look, the author of the work chooses to provide their work for free. At the early stages of a writer’s career – it is usually a good choice. Over the course of a writers career, assuming they have some talent and have built an audience, they will not be at the “submitting work for free” stage, forever.
Writers usually go through a few developmental stages in a career that might last a few decades. The duration at each stage depends on many things (interestingly enough talent is not always the strongest factor – but that is a topic of another post)
Stage 1 - The writer has made the decision to make a living as a writer, perhaps has already completed some formal education or other form of preparation. Has published a few articles but has never made much money. Only serious writers make it past this stage.
Stage 2 - has developed many contacts with various publishers is often compensated for their work, but may still have a “day job” unless they live in a city with a very low cost of living, subsided by a spouse, loved one or parents, or are just independently wealthy….
Stage 3 - A full fledged writer earns a living by the pen, has name recognition in the general public.
Stage 4 - A writer who surpassed stage 3 to such an extent that they can provide their work for – you guessed it free. They are now helping publications who, in turn, help writers. (few writers reach this stage).
Of course publishers need content. However many publishers, especially those without a boatload of money, go through the same stages as writers; and are not, usually able to compensate writers for content at the early stages. This also means that publishers are usually stuck with stage 1 writers (or the godsend of a stage 4 writer).
Writers need publishers, publishers need readers, and readers need writers. The associations are determined by the writers, publishers and readers relative developmental stage.
Finally, there are exploitive publishers, any Stage 2 author can readily identify them...
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Emanuel
Regular Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 272
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 30, 2007 - 04:30 pm: |
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Great post Troy! |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 7076
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 - 12:46 pm: |
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Yes, it was a good article, Troy. I am a writer who writes for the love of the craft which is why after I retired, I self-published a couple of books just for the sheer fulfillment derived from doing it allll myself. My official writing career started waaay back in the 1970s, when I was approached by "Chicago Today" a newspaper owned by the prestigious Chicago Tribune and which is now defunct. One editor was so impressed with the irate opinions I would send in to their letters-to the-editor-feature that he wondered if I would be interested in writing a regular column on the "black" experience. Naturally I said yes, and I was paid the princely sum of $25.00 per submission. Which even then was chicken feed but was better than nothing. My editor told me that the reason the fee was so low was that the paper was running in the red which was why it eventually folded. But I did have the satisfaction of having my work published and my picture appear above my by-line. And, boy, was I read! The newspaper was swamped with letters from white readers totally aghast and indignant about the things I would say. After this newspaper went out of business, my editor suggested that I start writing to the letters-to-the-editor feature of the Chicago Tribune which was, of course, its parent company and that maybe I could again parlay my letter-writing into a regular column. I never really got back into it but I did have my 15 minutes of fame. The paper even did an article on me because so many folks were curious about this outspoken black woman. And I recently had a gratifying moment when at my hometown's centennial celebration, popular Chicago Sun-Times columnist, Mary Mitchell, who lives in my hometown and who emceed the event, surprised me by paying tribute to me for "paving the way for black female columnists like her", prompting a standing ovation. Anyway I digress. It's been said that writing is the loneliest profession in the world. Anybody who is lucky enough to earn a living at it is fortunate, but few writers would deny that having people read what you write is the greatest reward. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz |
Chrishayden
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 3512
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 - 01:36 pm: |
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Cynique:
I can truly say here that as infuriating as your posts are if you got back in the game you would be as big as Rush Limbaugh.
The irate emails and letters from me alone would swamp your publication's mailroom. |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 7086
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 - 02:00 pm: |
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I'm glad I infuriate you, chrishayden. It means I'm doing something right. heh-heh |
Troy
Veteran Poster
Username: Troy
Post Number: 507
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 01, 2007 - 09:19 am: |
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Cynique,
Honestly your, presumably off the cuff, discussion baord posts are better written and more insightfulthan some of the stuff I read that is in syndication.
Emanuel and Cynique thanks for the nice words.
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Mzuri
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Mzuri
Post Number: 3316
Registered: 01-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 01, 2007 - 09:53 am: |
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Rmglaelia
First Time Poster
Username: Rmglaelia
Post Number: 4
Registered: 03-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 06, 2007 - 02:15 pm: |
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Bravo to Hope. To add to her righteous indignation, consider that writers now have the opportunity to REVOLUTIONIZE a staid and cumbersome industry. Fact: Writers who self-publish via digital means are receiving quite good contracts from trade publishers after exceeding a number of copies sold. The publishing industry consistently makes bottom-line decisions like this. (Do you think these people are literary giants?)
In the scant nobility remaining among publishers in their business, they do however keep a backlist of strong literary work, whether they sell massively or not. It is up to a writer to decide whether to enter the game holding better cards (a book previously self-published which sold well), or to hold out for building a loyal "literary" audience and critical recognition. Both the grassroots approach and the "snob appeal" route work for me. The main thing, if God has lain this on your heart, you will find a way through the MASSIVE IGNORANCE of mainstream America society and its self-defeating anti-intellectualism.
Notwithstanding Troy's "like it or lump it" attitude, there are alway multiple ways to skin the cat. Unite with other writers who share a common vision, start your own publishing entity and work for yourself -- and clean up royally! You can't argue with the numbers of eliminating the middle man. If you need help, seek out others with the needed expertise, but don't give up your profit margin via teeny tiny percentages allotted to you in book contracts.
The master's tools can sometimes dismantle the master's house. Think guerilla warfare, get busy and change the game. Black people ARE buying books; find an investor or someone who is business minded and knows this market and become entrepreneurial. That will make you "day job" more palatable. If you can write well, you can think well, and most likely do almost anything -- like for instance, promote literacy in the African American community and hope for trickle down to our "cousins"; and remember that literacy is more than subject-verb agreement. Ideas, analytical thinking, vision, will ensure our future as a people. Find a workshop to keep your spirits up and focus intact.
Our literary legacy is great and was undertaken against all odds. You are needed, and by all means, GET PAID. God bless and take heart. |
Troy
Veteran Poster
Username: Troy
Post Number: 510
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 06, 2007 - 04:01 pm: |
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Rmglaelia my post was in reation to the piece written by Hope and her inability to understand why she is not being paid more for what she writes.
Ascribing that specific post to a "like it or lump it" attitide on my part, when you talk about "...common vision, start your own publishing entity and work for yourself"... is comparing two different things.
There is no dispute writers can (and should) ban together with business people, folks with money to create quality work.
Indeed there are already publishers doing this very thing. I frequently mention Black Classic Press known for publishing important but obscure books. BCP is run by W. Paul Coates a former leader of the Black Panters.
There is also Third World Press, led by Haki Madhubuti. TWP was started about 40 years ago "in a basement with a mimeograph machine". Today they are publishing book in all genres including the #1 NYT bestselling bokk the Covenent with Black America.
We also have Just Us Books, Seaburn Publishers, Moore Black Press, Africa World Press, Africa World Press, and that is just off the top of my head.
Bottom line, we have the talent and can quickly assemble the infrastrure, given the benefits of modern technology. We just have get folks to pool resources and intellect.… But that is the topic of another post.
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Rmglaelia
First Time Poster
Username: Rmglaelia
Post Number: 5
Registered: 03-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 17, 2007 - 04:24 pm: |
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Troy, thank you for your diligence.
I was published for the first time two decades by one of the above mentioned presses. I have never received a dime, or a statement of account, for that matter. I have since been published more successfully by a trade publisher.
My point is that the model needed for serious writers to be both productive and continuously rewarded does not exist in America. For that reason, we must take a revolutionary stance; the last time I checked, that meant creating something new.
B. B.King is quoted as saying, “I had never seen a contract; I knew how to plow.” Ray Charles on the other hand insisted on owning the rights to his music and every other right he could get his hands on. Writers typically don't know, don't understand or feel daunted by the game. We have to realize we have the power to change it, and should also be aware of what is at stake.
Nonblack writers' fortunes are just as unstable in a society where most people do not read books, resulting in a negligible industry profit margin from year to year. Somebody gets shafted in the process, and that is usually us. Luckily, there are other societies and global markets enamored of black cultural currents. Wonderfully, the current market for black books is vibrant as it has never been before. Hopefully interest will shift to material that reflects more consummate artistry, in the interests of uplift throughout the Black Diaspora.
We, as writers, have an opportunity to be proactive in our own interest if we clear the cobwebs, examine the realities and act strategically to revise our loyalties and always in our interests. I urge self-publishing or co-publishing with an entity which retains a high literary standard.
Sublime artistry signals the vast potential of our culture and thereby our people’s limitless possibilities. We can reject the bohemian model of European origin, romanticizing the artist's poverty, to our benefit, and enact an entrepreneurial agenda. We can, and we must.
In America, pornography will always be a commodity, ‘Jerry Springer’ books a route for escaping the marvelous challenge before us. We can contribute art that enriches our children’s future, or we can give them to America and trust that they will somehow thrive.
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Troy
Veteran Poster
Username: Troy
Post Number: 535
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 18, 2007 - 11:41 am: |
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Rmglaelia,
Would you mind emailing me off line with the name of the publishing. There is, amoung one of the publishers listed above, the I've heard your story more the than once --- authors not being paid.
I may discontinue mentioning this publisher. Becuase while the publisher may have been legally justified, there are too many circumstances mentioned by too many people I respect who were not paid. Please sahre the information.
The problem we often have is we do not share unfavorable information about our businesses as a result too many of us are being burn over and over again.
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Check out this article by Kalamu ya Salaam
Get Published Not Exploited
http://aalbc.com/writers/placesto.htm
It is the first step in making sure you are not ripped off as a writer.
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I agree with you:
We, as writers, have an opportunity to be proactive in our own interest if we clear the cobwebs, examine the realities and act strategically to revise our loyalties and always in our interests. I urge self-publishing or co-publishing with an entity which retains a high literary standard.
However, making money and maintining a high literary standard and making money is not very easy. But we have to continue trying...
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