... says Kate Harrison. Many other writers say similar things.

Extra-super-excellent piece by the always excellent Danuta Kean :

The Price Ain't Right: Professional writers are increasingly being expected to work for little or no money. Can it ever be right to write for nothing?.

http://www.alcs.co.uk/ALCS-News/February-2014/Danuta-Kean

Reading this, I can't help but think of my musician friends. There are some that are regularly asked to do gigs for free AND bring their friends to fill the club and make it look more full to entice others in. Some places have even refused to pay after the band has played when they didn't get good takings at the bar. It's shocking that places are that cheeky.

Back to the writing though. I've been following Holly Lisle's website, forum and some of her workshops over the last few years. Recently, she started up a self motivation group to help hobby writers make some pocket change from their efforts. Apparently she was shocked that so many writers feel that they do it for fun and therefore don't deserve to be paid for it.

As an aspiring writer myself, my opinion is that a little free work here and there is not a bad thing. Getting your name out there and being talked about is important when you're starting out, and doing that through free stories is a risk free way for readers to experience your writing. However, I think that when a certain level of popularity is reached, you can start being a lot more restrictive with what you offer for free.

I agree with the idea that more people need to stand firm and ask for money for their service or refuse. Unfortuantely, the issue is more that there will always be too many others out there that will snap up the chance thinking that the promise of future revenue will make them millions.