Woot! I’m Gonna Be Published!!
December 5, 2007 by Deborah Ng
Filed under Entertainment
Many moons ago, before people used turn on their computers to find out what’s going on in the world, there was something called print media. Many a writer squealed in delight upon catching a byline in print. In many cases this was just as good as being paid. Is that enough now? Now that anyone can get his name in print and some there’s some really bad writing clogging up the interwebs, is a byline enough?
The ad:
Do you want to be published?
Reply to: lamery@craigslist.com
Date: 2007-12-04, 2:13PM CSTName Withheld for Being Lame is a great place to get your writing career started. We publish unknown and new writers. We do not pay you for your stories, but we do give you credit and you have a legitimate reference to use on your resume for future work. Go to our website namewithheldbecauseimsolame.com and see the type articles we publish. No adult stories or language will be published.
* Location: TX, AR, Ok, LA, NM
* it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
* Compensation: no pay
See at least with newspapers and magazines we could save the clips so editors could ooh and aah over our published work. It’s a totally different vibe on the web. Anyone with a keyboard can be a writer or blogger so it’s not the same. Showing my “published” samples from the non-paying article writing directory doesn’t hold the same weight as an unpaid clip from a regional newspaper.
Now I don’t know if Name Withheld up there is really thinking he’s doing a service for writers or if he’s just cheap. I know that a byline from his website isn’t going to do much when it comes to landing a really big gig. Besides, my landlord doesn’t give a flying fig about my references. Offer your writers some form of compensation or be prepared to get what you pay for.
And that’s all I’m going to say about that.
If I want to see my name in print, I’ll look in the phone book. The “byline” excitement ends after first article. For me, that was in a college paper 35 years ago.
Like I said in another post, I only care about seeing my name in one place… on the check. I’m more than happy to write something and get no credit at all for it (like press releases, etc.) as long as I get paid. Like Phil, I’ve been doing this a long time–nearly 25 years–and the “thrill” wore off long ago.
It’s the “thrill-seekers” who drive our pay down because they’re willing to work for nothing just to see their names in print and brag to their friends. And too many clients are willing to sacrifice quality to save a buck. Starry-eyed amateurs + cheapskates = real writers priced out of the market.
Yeah, I know. Not exactly news. But still aggravating.