The Kicker — January 4, 2010 02:14 PM

$0.0089 a Word

By Megan Garber

• One Page
• Print
• Email
• Comments
• Digg Facebook Twitter Reddit StumbleUpon Delicious

• One Page
• Print
• Report an Error
• Email
• Digg Facebook Twitter Reddit StumbleUpon Delicious

Subscribe to the Columbia Journalism Review at our special Web rates.

Comments Post a Comment

It can get worse, Black Matrix Publishing was offering $0.002/word for science fiction stories.

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/12/01/in-the-spirit-of-the-pulps-and-paying-even-less/

#1 Posted by Walter Underwood, CJR on Mon 4 Jan 2010 at 02:28 PM

How much is that an hour? And, didn't there used to be something called "wage and hour laws?" Or "minimum wage law?" Or something like that?

#2 Posted by edward ericson jr., CJR on Tue 5 Jan 2010 at 05:38 PM

How much will these people pay for these words: Fuck You!

#3 Posted by Ken White, CJR on Wed 6 Jan 2010 at 08:15 PM

Priceless.

#4 Posted by michael, CJR on Thu 7 Jan 2010 at 03:51 AM

i had to get a stepladder to rise above the bodies piled up in front of me at the audition to show this guy my work.

quoting Apocalypse Now (note: Coppola very easily could have been writing for minus his entire estate ,,, but that's a different type of health issue. haha)

"the shit piles up so fast on craigslist that you need wings to stay above it ..."

#5 Posted by Cinepeg, CJR on Thu 7 Jan 2010 at 04:37 AM

This is appalling. This is frightening. This is so embarrassingly - embarrassing? - to a profession that it borders on funny. Achingly sad-funny or, alternatively, Saturday Night Live sarcastic campy wink-wink funny.

Except that it's for real.

And I am guessing that, depending on what city this posting occurred in, they actually got tons of responses from writers and journlaists who either desperately want a byline or, more likely, just want to be able to tell a potential employer that they actually have been doing some work while unemployed for the last 12 months from the LA Times. The New York Times. The Chicago Tribune. The Denver Post. The Washington Post. The...

#6 Posted by Betsy Model, CJR on Thu 7 Jan 2010 at 07:32 AM

And just in case there is someone on this board who has NOT YET SEEN the YouTube video by Harlan Ellison (writers and journalists have been passing it around like peanuts at a ball game...) you really, really must. Maybe turn the audio down if you are in a partitioned work space.

On second thought, don't. You may be surprised by spontaneous applause if you have other journalists or writers around you...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj5IV23g-fE&feature=player_embedded

#7 Posted by Betsy Model, CJR on Thu 7 Jan 2010 at 07:46 AM

And then publishers wonder why their readership is falling and advertisers are abandoning them? Why would anyone read a pub full of drivel? Many publishers have entered the danger zone where every $1 of cost cutting results in $2 of lost revenue. The only way out is to invest in quality.

#8 Posted by Tjp Xoxy, CJR on Thu 7 Jan 2010 at 06:34 PM

I don't take on writing assignments that pay less than I'd earn recycling soda cans.

#9 Posted by Theresa, CJR on Fri 8 Jan 2010 at 11:35 AM

What's equally scary/sad/frustrating is the craigslist ads that openly state "writing experience not necessary," followed by "we're the most read blog in the country, outpacing the Huffington Post...blah blah."

I really am starting to feel like my journalism degree is worth less than an 8 pack of Charmin.

I think SNL should address the issue in the way that only SNL can. I am sure it would be a riot.

#10 Posted by Lisa, CJR on Mon 11 Jan 2010 at 06:41 PM

Post a Comment

• Name
• Email
• Remember personal info?
• Comments (You may use HTML tags for style. The system accepts comments of about
  600 words, based on a 4,000 character count.)
  
  
  Word Count: 0

Note: Several minutes will pass while the system is processing and posting your comment. Do not resubmit during this time or your comment will post multiple times. Reminder, comments longer than 4,000 characters will be truncated.