"I can't pay much because it's my own money." I'm so sick of hearing new publishers say this. Of course, it's your own money, it's your business. If you open a candle store you don't expect the candle makers to give you free candles so you can turn around and sell them at a profit do you? So why should writers give you their words?
Every small business I know operates at a loss the first year and sometimes for two or three. It takes time to build up a business of any kind. And it takes money. If you're not willing to spend your own money to make a profit why should writers trust their work to you?
Please stop whining about YOUR money. Either you're going into business or you're not. Make up your mind and do the work and make the investment. Will you fail? Maybe. But if you're willing to invest the money in your writers your odds will be a whole lot better.
End of rant.
13 comments:
Excellent point!
I think too many of the new publishers consider it a hobby instead of a business, Charles.
Amen! Writers should be paid for their work. You are right, many "publishers" don't look at this as a business, though it is one. I would like to see how far they would get asking a plumber or electrician to work for free.
People expect to pay other workers but for some reason they expect writers to work for free.
When I first started out I didn't mind writing for online zines without getting paid. They were basically the only option for newbie crime writers. And still are at this point. I learned a lot from those editors and it was worth my time.
It's the folks who are starting publishing "companies" that annoy me. They want to make money without having to pay the writers. I don't post these companies as most of them are down the tubes before they get started.
Yup.
Excellent points you make here, Sandra.
I hear what you're saying and it makes sense to me.
Ezines that don't pay, but are not trying to make a profit are one thing. Start up publishers hoping to earn income from the publishing venture are another.
Exactly, Terry!
Heck, yeah.
It really depends for me. I doubt that many of these zines make much of anything on these publications. Maybe I undervalue my work, but even after 100 stories published I still am just glad someone wants my work. A lot of the time, the publication is trying to raise money for some charity. I am sure if I was supporting myself or starting out, I would feel differently. Also, my husband as an academic never gets paid for his articles so I am used to it. Maybe I am a sap.
Yes, the zines are different, Patti. The crime zines for the most part aren't set up to make money. I have noticed that the ones that are selling on Kindle usually are paying markets - small but still paying.
It's the new publishing houses that state in their guidelines that they can't pay because they're using their own money that bother me. Any person starting a business is using their own money (or what they've borrowed from a bank). It's the way business works in general, so why should it be different for new publishers?
I understand how you feel, Patti. I work for almost nothing, too, and am happy to get published.
You tell 'em, Sandra! I write for free for one place right now, and it's my choice. In exchange, I've received a lot of great publicity. But there are a lot of people jumping into publishing now without learning a darned thing about it, and that just hurts authors.
Yes, it's so easy to start up a company these days and without much funding. People jump in and then realize that they actually have to work and then quit. It's very frustrating from a writer's point of view.
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