[Un]reasonably outraged by being asked to work for free

Emil Kalibradov on Unsplash

Writers (and creatives in general) get asked to do a lot of things for free.

“Can you just write me a quick blurb for XYZ?”

“Could you read my opening pages and tell me what you think?”

“Could you come and chat to our staff/students about your writing path?”

Because this is a village and we are often supported by others who give their time for free to us, we usually say yes. Particularly when it is a reciprocal arrangement or when we are giving back to a school or library that nurtured us. I have no problem with these requests.

However, I was reading an article about “pick your brain” fees and it piqued my interest. I am only two novels into this publishing gig but have 25 years’ experience in a working life that includes freelance writing, self-employment, human resources, administration, public speaking and people management amongst many other skills developed over time.

It made me reflect on how much time I have given away for free. When I had my first baby and was on (unpaid) maternity leave, I thought I’d have a go at writing some short blogs for a parenting website. It was a way to exercise my creative muscle and grow my confidence in the freelance writing world. I wrote for free for them for two years! I used it as an opportunity to build my profile and portfolio but looking back, I’m disappointed in myself for tolerating that for so long. It wasn’t a charity, it was a website that had paid advertising. I tried to secure paid pieces in other news outlets to supplement the free work I was doing but they were few and far between. When a large company bought out the website, my hand shot straight up to be recognised as a regular paid contributor.

Pitching articles as a freelancer, I’d often get asked to write a “sample” piece. Just so they could see if my style of writing matched their needs despite having a catalogue of articles they could have read to assess my style. I’d be curious if those same businesses who asked writers to work for free could head down to their local café and ask the barista for a sample coffee for free so they could test it out. See if it’s a good fit for their tastes. Or maybe the builder could whip up a quick plan and this same business could decide if they liked it before they paid them for their time. They’d of course assure the barista and the builder that they’d let everyone know about their great coffee skills and fab house plans.

Something tells me it wouldn’t land well. How does the saying go? “Exposure” doesn’t pay the bills, in fact it can kill people. And just because the word “freelance” has free in it, does not make it OK to ask us to work for fresh air.

Published authors also do a lot of free events and appearances because the payoff (we hope) comes in sales (or library borrows) either at the event or perhaps at a later time. It is a case of building readership and getting our name out there amongst the sea of books. I love events, I love meeting readers, but sometimes I get invited to do a talk or presentation somewhere that requires significant travel and/or time commitment. It’s difficult to say no but like everyone, we have to weigh up the investment, especially when we have families to raise and mortgages to pay.

Valuing our expertise and the benefits we can provide others is such a tricky area to navigate and dare I suggest it’s even harder for women to put a price on what they’re worth. Yet by providing someone else with solutions to their problems or offering them insider know-how that took us years to accumulate without asking to be compensated, aren’t we condoning the devaluing of the creative arts?

It’s not just writers who are asked to do things for free. Medical students and teachers are required to do compulsory placements without receiving a cent, unpaid internships are common for other specialities too—my son has to do one as part of his Bachelor of Commerce (as if big corporates with large finance departments are struggling with cash flow?!). Yes, they need to learn their craft but is it fair to expect them to work unpaid in order to gain the experience? This ABC article talks about ‘placement poverty’ and is well worth a read.

Unpaid work takes us away from paid work so it needs to be something we are passionate about. Supporting other writers is one thing, and if it’s a mutual arrangement or a pay-it-forward scenario then it is easier to justify the time. But working for free for a business who pays all their employees? This chart might give you some ways to think about that.

Should I work for free? Jessica Hische 2011

So next time you receive an email asking if someone can pick your brain / have you write up a “small blurb” / come and talk to their staff about your writing process, here’s a sample reply:

Thanks for getting in touch and for your kind words about my writing. It's exciting to hear about the ambitious plans you have at your company and how the employees would benefit from hearing my journey / picking my brain.

I'd love to grab a coffee and chat, but my schedule is packed right now, and I have to give priority to paying clients.

If you're interested in exploring how we could work together in a more formal capacity, though, I'm all ears!

Have you ever been asked to work for free? How did you feel about it? Join the chat on Substack.

And if you are interested in having me speak at an event and are willing to pay for my services and expertise, I’d love to chat. More info here.

Kx