This is a very important post imo. You may have noticed I write less often now than I did before. This is because I refuse to go beneath a certain amount of $ per article (or really, per word), because to do so would literally prevent me from paying my rent. I get incredibly uncomfortable with the idea that I’m a successful writer insomuch as success being linked to financial security. Being a freelancer is it’s own kind of hellish work and comes with some financial sacrifices if you aren’t lucky enough to have contracted print work or a cushion side job as a consultant or in copy-writing (both of which pay much more than writing does, but editors are less likely to hire you for pieces if they know you have consulted for brands in your field before – so it comes with sacrifices). As a freelancer I don’t have to go into an office at all, ever, but I also don’t have company health insurance or benefits in any shape or form and my pieces aren’t owned by me unless I can negotiate my contracts to give me ownership – and most contracts for most publications don’t give you that option. The strength of a freelancer is in their network and clips, but mostly, realistically, in their network and transparency in who pays what and if the editors and invoicing team are good people. Freelancing rates differ so wildly and it’s so important to have people you know and trust looking out for you and being transparent about what they got from their editors at the publication, too. I don’t write for some places because they offered me much less than they offered my white colleagues for the same word count and less research And my rates at some of the places I’ve worked for have changed dramatically in between editors. And I know places that offered $25 to my friends but have offered me $750. The rates even in this piece are not entirely accurate from what I know of them! There’s not really a way to keep up. There is no transparency and often no reasoning or explanation.
I don’t write for Autostraddle anymore (though I love them SO much) because it is not financially feasible for me to do so when I can give my essays to places that pay double or triple etc their going rate. But the places that may pay more of a livable wage might have shitty editors or their invoicing might take 30-90 days, which doesn’t really help when your rent is due at the end of the month, not in 90 days. So it’s not only a question of who pays what, but when and if they pay at all or easily, if the edits are good, all these things. I kill pieces rather than having bad edits, to the detriment of my bank account. And if there’s no kill fee you’re entirely fucked on the work and time you put down.
TLDR I guess what I’m saying is that money/writing is a negotiation in sacrifices in most ways and when people criticize certain bylines or publications I don’t think it’s really fair or nuanced enough. If I could make a living surviving by only publishing with places that had perfect, defensible politics at all times, I would do so, gladly! That place doesn’t exist. In reality you can either have complete control over your work and publish only in indies and make no money from doing that or you can try to survive and write for imperfect places and do your best and have it be out of your hands in a lot of ways. I mean you can do a mix but that is a very CLEAR opportunity cost and not one I can ignore or afford right now. I have a lot of cynicism towards the media industry, especially being within it. It’s so frustrating to know that when I eventually go somewhere full time, people are going to be bitter about it and question my ethics for going somewhere, when they have no clue about the context of the industry or the decisions involved.
