Linked: Getting Paid

via Pete Brown:

 I have an alarm that goes off about this kind of stuff now. It starts clanging when people ask if they can ‘pick my brains’ about something. If I’m lucky, they offer to buy me a pint in return for information which, if I’m any good, could eventually lead to a major profit opportunity for the company asking.

and

Writing is now my full-time profession. I worked two jobs for years to build up my skill and reputation to a point where I can just about scrape a living from writing. It’s a much less lucrative job than the last one, but I love what I do, and that makes me very lucky, I know.

These two sections, while separated by a paragraph are hugely important. I see the same argument for photographers today. There’s an argument that anyone worth their salt in any field shouldn’t do it for free. Unpaid work is for inexperienced interns and if you are able to do something great, a price should be set. I would offer to photography a wedding for a friend but only if they also hire a professional. I’ll do candids and for fun. I’ll ghost-write for your startup CEO but only as a favor or in exchange for goods & services, not cash. There are few things I charge for and writing / photography aren’t worth charging.

Maybe one day I’ll have the talent to be paid for this. Pete Brown is there but many of us aren’t.

The problem though is that for every person who has the talent worth charging for, there are 10 amateurs who will do it for free. This puts Pete and other professionals at a serious risk because what’s cheaper than paying for 1 Pro? 10 free amateurs.

Pete and a lot of writers / photographers I work with say we should all charge what we’re worth and stop doing it for free. Even if you’re cheap, set a price. There will always be people like me who make a decent wage at our 9-5 job who will weekend warrior for free.