As I go through bunches of writing/editing help wanted ads and gig announcements on a regular basis, one thing that always seems to impress itself onto my psyche is the number of ads I see — and frequently at that — that upfront tell you they won’t be paying and then proceed to promise the possibility of being paid later if things work out.

So, boys and girls, what do you think your chances are of actually seeing any gold at the end of that rainbow?

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Pet peeve? You betcha.

You see, these guys aren’t asking you for samples. They’re demanding actual work. Unpaid.

Next time you’re in a restaurant, order and finish a whole meal. Assuming you don’t get food poisoning, let’s see if you can get away without paying… whether you like the meal or not.

My take on this is very simple: You do actual work, you deserve actual pay. Another way to look at it (for all those “magazines” who want original submissions they can “print test” for free): If it’s good enough to publish, then it’s good enough for you to be compensated for it.

Only deal with folks with enough brain cells to be able to figure out your writing ability from samples and clips. If they can’t, what makes you think they’re smart enough to make the money they need to pay you?

I have nothing against writing for free. Have done it lots of times. Whether there was anything in it for me or not (often, it’s not). But in every instance I knew going in that it was charity work, pure and simple. None of this “maybe we’ll hire you if we like you” baloney.

Respect yourself more. If you won’t, why should they?

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