Writers Never Work for Free…
So Basic A Premise…
In the comments on last night’s post, the rant that Harlan did about paying the writers was posted. I guess it is on YouTube and is part of the movie about him.
What that Hollywood agent wanted me to do was work for free, and I basically said, “Hell no!!”
But I got a number of letters and a comment about how that agent might have caught other writers.
So how do you not get caught?
Simple… You draw the line and never work for free.
Period.
Back in the 1990s, when traditional publishers started cutting sale forces and wanted the writers to promote instead, I asked my editor at Pocket how much they were going to pay me to promote. He said “Nothing.” I said, “Then if there is not an agree-upon amount in my contract that is paid to me for promotion, don’t expect me to do any.”
He just nodded and nothing was ever said again. And no contract going forward ever had a clause paying me to promote.
I got paid to write the book. Not sell it. That was the publisher’s part of the job.
Now as an indie writer, I work at promoting my books at times, but I get paid for it in more money from sales and Kickstarters and such. And I am the publisher. Duh…
But work for someone else for free, write something for free for someone else, not a chance. It is a very, very clear line and easy to understand.
So if some Hollywood slime comes slithering up to you and wants you to do a pitch deck or write a synopsis of your book, you simply ask for the WGA rates for such work. And watch them slither away and thus save you more time than you can imagine.
Never write or work for free for anyone else. Ever.
A very clear and simple line.
8 Comments
Emilia
The more I learn about traditional publishing, the more I question what they do for the writer…
dwsmith
Nothing but deliver fairy dust to make the writer think they have done something special when in reality it is beyond stupid.
Diane Wordsworth
I’ve shared this, Dean. And the Harlan video. You both say it so much more eloquently than I seem to!
Vincent Zandri
The problem in 2026/27 is, of course, mid-list writers (let’s call them that), of which im one, who still crave a book deal, even if that deal is no advance and certainly no money for promotion. I used to sign the occasional deal with Down & Out Books like that in exchange “for a larger back end” and I won a Thriller and Shamus with them plus other nominations. Then they went belly up and no one got a dime. Nothing. Nada. Ass officially bitten. More importantly, lesson learned…
Mangala McNamara
Love this!
Michael Lucas
I get this all the time for my nonfiction.
Them: “We’d like to turn one of your books into a course!”
Me: “I am open to that discussion. What exact rights do you want?”
Them: “We want you to produce an instructional document that we’ll bid on.”
Me: “My rates for producing that document are X.”
And everything goes sideways.
I have lost count of the number of times I’ve said, “I am a professional. I only work for money.” About half the people reply abusively, the bloody parasites.
dwsmith
Yup, parasites is the exact right term. Thanks, Michael.
Sharan E. Newman
I agree. Our work is pirated enough. I write for small things, if friends ask. Anyone who wants me to produce something is refered to my agent. It infuriates me when people tell me that it will help my career or that I must be rich (it is to laugh) and I’m just being arrogant. Now, if I could trade a story for some plumbing or lawn mowing, I’d do it. But, oddly, no one has offered.