The Price of Writing by Jennifer Niesslein in Creative Nonfiction is an interesting piece and informative for us. Her essay deals with different types of publications for short writing. Niesslein describes them as existing in three different realms. Whether or not the publications can pay contributors, or even staff, is a factor in determining its realm.Payment Or Exposure?
A lot has been written over the last couple of years about publications wanting writers to work for nothing. Niesslein refers to one such case involving The Atlantic. Just two months ago, Wil Wheaton wrote about being approached by The Huffington Post, which wanted to republish a piece of his work for no compensation. I've also heard stories about self-publishing writers asking illustrators to work for nothing, on the theory that publishing with them will give the illustrators exposure that will be wonderful for their careers.
The exposure is like money, but different argument, has not gone over well with that portion of the publishing world that creates work and supports itself by doing so. But Niesslein's article gives a different spin to this issue. Some journals that are very "poor" in terms of finances have given their unpaid authors their start in publishing. She gives Brevity, which publishes flash nonfiction and that I thought was quite well known, as an example of a publication in that category. It's been around for eighteen years.
So where should an author submit? In particular, where should new, Weekend Writers submit? Go right for the money and the high-end paying publications? Or hope exposure is like money, and, like Niesslein, look for publications that publish work they like?
Everything In Life Is Situational
This is another one of those things in life that is situational. As Wheaton said about his experience with HuffPost, "I’m very lucky to not need exposure or “reach” or anything like that, at least not right now and not this way...If I’d offered this to Huffington Post for nothing, because I hoped they’d publish it, that would be an entirely different thing, because it was my choice." And as Niesslein said, some people are in a life situation in which they can work for nothing, gaining some connections within the publishing world by doing so.
Do we need to write to pay the rent and feed the kids? Or can we write to support our careers with writing credits? Answering those questions will help us determine our situations and what kinds of publications we can submit our work to.
no
editor is getting paid, and writers are paid nothing or almost nothing.
- See more at:
https://www.creativenonfiction.org/online-reading/price-writing#author-biography
When
we talk about “the publishing industry,” we’re really talking about
three different realms, both in terms of business and writing. - See
more at:
https://www.creativenonfiction.org/online-reading/price-writing#author-biography
When
we talk about “the publishing industry,” we’re really talking about
three different realms, both in terms of business and writing. - See
more at:
https://www.creativenonfiction.org/online-reading/price-writing#author-biography
When
we talk about “the publishing industry,” we’re really talking about
three different realms, both in terms of business and writing. - See
more at:
https://www.creativenonfiction.org/online-reading/price-writing#author-biography
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