Writing for Free

Adrienne Conway, an accomplished writer of hit Brit TV sitcoms and other works, was kind enough to send me an endless, but also endlessly provocative article by Danuta Kean on the subject of the morality and practicality of writers writing without monetary compensation. By the way, this Adrienne Conway is not to be confused with Adrian Conway, the pathetic presence that infects my debut novel, Slipping on Stardust, and its about-to-be-released sequel, Turner’s Point.

Let’s define our terms. A writer is not just anyone who has ever written an email, a laundry list, or texted a message cancelling or confirming a date. A writer is someone who uses and arranges the same words used and arranged by Shakespeare for some artistic purpose.

I think a writer’s default setting could well be expressed by the great blues song: “If I can’t sell it, I’m going to sit on it because I ain’t givin’ nothin’ away.” And I must confess that when faced with entry-fee-based contests, this is precisely the rubric I employ in passing on the project. Indeed, in some cases I was so bold as to charge a “perusal fee” as a condition to reviewing my work. Needless to say, the proceeds of this gambit did not significantly augment my retirement funds.

But this “no pay” policy is simplistic in today’s market. There are situations when non-monetary rewards make it sensible to consider casting free bread upon the water in the hope of buttered returns. “Exposure” is the most commonly promised compensation. I have been writing play and book reviews for free for decades, to the extent when my by-line might be confused with Coca-Cola. I am considering launching a review-for-bucks service, so we’ll soon see how productive this “exposure” has been.

Another exception is blogging for causes that mean something to the blogger. To promote these crusades, I will write for free until they wrest this quill from my dead hand.

Offering a completed work for free on the internet is a question I leave for another day. It’s a very complex question that I don’t feel qualified to address.
But I'd welcome any thoughts.