Because we should always pay for literal things of value.
Shameless self-promotion skirts a fine line between sharing, oversharing, bragging, informing, and annoying people.
That one line covers a lot of space and detail.
It’s important that we recognize and accept this truth: things of value are things that we pay for.
Let me be clear – this is literal in this instance. Things that matter most to everyone – peace, love, contentment, kindness, compassion, caring, worth, and so forth, have no cost. They have value even without being paid for. Lots and lots of value.
But the literal things in our lives – phones, computers, clothes, cars, and so on, are paid for. We pay for them to acquire them – and often value them based on their cost.
I am not going to get into the pricing of things, market demand, and how some things should cost far less or very little for the betterment of all. But this is still something I feel I need to address in the process of explaining why I think you should pay for my writing.
It comes down to this – when it comes to literal things of value, they should be paid for. Why? Labor, creativity, energy, time. These all go into the art that we create.
Writing, painting, fiber arts, sculpting, woodworking, and all other arts that produce product have value. That’s why you should pay for them.
This, of course, is super tricky when you are the artist asking to get paid.
Why is art undervalued?
Society loves to undervalue art and artists. The work we do is seen as less labor-intensive than working in a field, laboring in a factory, or sitting at a desk in a cubicle farm in an office.
All labor is labor. Whether it works the mind, body, spirit, or all the above – it’s still valuable. And that’s why we all deserve to be paid for the work we do. That includes artists, too.
This has gotten even more complicated in the face of modern pay and labor issues. So, so many stories of multi-billion-dollar companies paying employees peanuts at best – while their executives and shareholders are raking in absolutely insane profits. Many unfair and frankly ridiculous comparisons are made and argued over.
For example, paying a fast-food worker the same $15 an hour as an EMT. Maybe, rather than get caught up in that inequality, it might be better to recognize the worth and value of that EMT. Why aren’t they making $20-$25 an hour?
We’ve been trained by our fear-based society to believe in lack, scarcity, and insufficiency. Thus, we believe there’s not enough money.
How is that possible? Since it’s fiat, and all made up – how is it scarce? The truth is that it’s not. There is plenty for everyone. But making it appear lacking disempowers the masses and keeps us enslaved to the notions of others.
That’s part of why art and any artists like writers and painters are undervalued.
It’s not wrong to ask people to pay for our work
What I do for work might not be what you do for work. But that doesn’t lessen its value.
People get paid to farm fields. Some people get paid to work assembly lines. People get paid to be doctors, lawyers, and teachers. Some people get paid to work in an office. And then, some people get paid to make art, write books, study the unknown, and more.
Society requires us to earn a living. What form that takes is as variable as each and every one of us is.
There are people who enjoy working in office situations. Some people are fond of doing work that others find demeaning or overly strenuous. And of course, some people do art to earn their living.
It’s not wrong to ask people to pay for our work. Maybe we don’t clock in or out at set intervals. The fruits of our labors might not make us break a sweat and need a painkiller after a long day’s work. But that doesn’t lessen the work we do.
Time put into creating – whatever form your creation takes – is valuable. Do you think tech support people would spend hours on technical problems for free? Of course not.
So how come writers, graphic designers, and other artists are looked upon askance when we would like you to pay for our work?
Unless you’re a brand name, well known, or viewed as creating massive change – the value of your art is more readily questioned and disrespected.
But this is still my work, and I don’t think it’s at all unreasonable to ask people to pay for it.
Not a plea for myself
The request I am making here for you to pay for my writing isn’t just about me alone. It’s about other indie artists working to present and share our craft.
Even authors supported by the big publishing houses deserve to get paid for the work they do.
But those of us on our own out here – self-published authors, freelance graphic designers, freelance artists, small business entrepreneurs – wear a lot more hats. We make or break it based in part on the support that starts at home.
When you have a friend who fits into any or all of the above – and you find yourself availing of their work – pay for it. And pay for it without requesting the freebie or friend discount (unless they offer such at the outset without being asked).
I charge $2.99 to $4.99 per Kindle book and around $10 per paperback. I believe I’m worth more, but am also realistic that without a big publishing house behind me – or being a more established name/brand – I ask no less than my due for the work.
The same goes for blogs, especially all that I share on Medium. When I get more readers there, that goes into the pay for my writing I can get.
Yes, sharing this link to the fiction I write and this link to my nonfiction are acts of shameless self-promotion. But it’s not wrong that I – or any other artists – ask you to pay for our work.
Finally, I’d like to leave you with these questions: Have you ever worked for very little or nothing at all?
How did it make you feel when you didn’t get paid properly for the work you did?
Please take a moment to check out the collection of my published works, which can be found here.
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