Freelancers Donate Work To Keep Paste Magazine Running
Wednesday June 10, 2009
Wow. In May, Paste Magazine, a monthly glossy focusing on "signs of life in music, film and culture" had to mount a comprehensive campaign to keep its coffers full ... or, at least, functional. The article I read in Media Life magazine on Paste's campaign called it a "donorship drive."
Apparently it worked, but I bet you'll find this interesting: In spreading the word about their monetary issues and donorship drive, they spoke with their freelancers, some of whom forgave/donated the fees owed to them!
Talk about dedicated writers! What do you think of that? Would you have done it?
It’s funny but when I read this, I thought ‘Well, if I really liked the magazine I would support them.’ But when one of my jewellery shop clients couldn’t pay their bill for stock received I was furious and almost took them to court. Strange how I would give away my time and skill, but not my stock. I think writers tend to feel gratitude to anyone who has published them, and perhaps that is a mentality that we need to snap out of.
It’s noble to donate time, energy and talent. People do it around the globe for worthy causes. In this case, I think the writers made a personal decision about what was important to them. If the cause is meaningful, why not? However, I agree with Angela — far too many writers underrate their time, energy and talent. I would never expect my physician, accountant, trainer, etc., to offer services for free during a “trial” period with the shady promise of “more work to come if you do a good job.” So why should writers? Many writers are habitually taken advantage of and honestly, it’s their own fault.
Paste did what was necessary to run the business, and her writers were quick to shoulder up. There’s nothing wrong with that! There *is* something wretched about working for free (or low pay) to “prove” yourself and wondering why you can’t make it as a writer.
Yes but there is no easy way into freelancing.There is no qualification that you can take and no piece of paper to prove what you can do. I think at the moment we are so aware how little money is around we accept nothing to continue to write and to keep our portfolios up to to date!Then again I do like to be a freelance its a little like being a mercenary ‘the rules are there are no rules’ that kind of thing..
Paste advertised that if you donated $350 or more that you would then have a lifetime subscription (CD and mag – no fine print). Today when I looked at my account info it said my subscription expires on 2022, that’s 13 years. Hardly a lifetime subscription, beware!