On the surface, this is a ridiculous question, isn’t it? Writing is work, oftentimes hard work. Writing is a job. When you have a job, you get a paycheck.
Now I know writers can be precious with their writing, with an inflated sense of their works in progress. I’m not talking about getting paid while you’re writing. Who knows whether or not your piece is going to be worth the paper it’s written on. I am talking about work – fiction, poetry, and nonfiction – that is accepted by a journal, print or online, without remuneration. You did the work. It was good enough to be accepted for publication. This is a tremendous accomplishment and you should feel proud. But you should also feel a tiny bit wealthier.
Oh, it’s not like you get nothing out of the deal. Nonpaying markets have their schtick down to an art. You will receive anywhere from one to fifty contributor’s copies. You will be promoted across their social media platforms. You will receive the honor of publication, a reason to be proud. On the one hand, that’s great. On the other hand, so what? I don’t know anyone, writer or not, who wants fifty copies of anything. Out of the thousands of writers I have read and enjoyed online, I remember exactly two of them. I have a full life – children, grandchildren, friends, volunteer work, hobbies; and I have survived deaths and disease and other hard knocks. I don’t need a journal that can’t pay its writers to tell me I should be proud of myself.
I understand many literary journals are volunteer operations, run by a team fueled by love and ramen noodles. Get a grant or two. No one else starts a business with the intention of not paying their workers. And the laudable goal to eventually pay contributors does nothing for anyone. It also rings false, doesn’t it? Why would you start throwing money at writers when you have gotten along just fine using their work for free?
Imagine telling your doctor you are not going to pay in cash (though you really, really want to!) but you will promote her on your Facebook page and she is welcome to a contributor copy of your medical records. Oh, and great job! You’re a great doctor, you tell her, and you should be proud.
Writing is work and work should be compensated.
All writers should be paid. Even privileged white writers who are not struggling to earn each dollar. It’s not the person, but the work, that should be judged on merit. That being said, there is something especially predatory about journals that specifically call for work from underrepresented voices. Black, Indigenous, People of Color and Disabled writers are encouraged to share their stories.
For free.
For the honor of it.
There’s a difference between being interested in a different voice and respecting it.
It’s the difference between voyeurism and relationship. It’s the difference between free labor and paid labor.
Perhaps we haven’t, as a country, come as far as we imagine. Perhaps, looking at the working conditions of journals run by people who, in other areas of life, pride themselves on fairness, we are actually backsliding.
I cannot change the policies of these publications. That is not my intention here. I am talking to the writers. Your work is worth more than a pat on the back. Stop working so hard to build the brand and reputation of people who do not respect your work. Stop writing for free.