Making a Deal with the Devil
We all dream of freelancing for our favorite publications, but that’s not always the case. In order to get clips or get paid, we have to write for publications that we might not find interesting, relevant, or even very helpful. So is a writer obligated to write only for publications he deems of social value? See what you think, based on some responses I got after posting this question on the bulletin boards:
“I have never freelanced for a publication I find morally offensive, but I have written for plenty that I would never read myself (like some sappy women’s magazines),” says one writer I asked. “The ‘how’ is pretty easy. I just acknowledged that while the publication is not my cup of tea, it is providing a worthwhile service to its readers. I try to do money work quickly, realizing that it is subsidizing the work I care about. Besides, as a freelance writer, I don’t need to take responsibility for what other articles a magazine puts around mine.”
Don’t forget that you are doing a job: “Whenever I’m doing an article for a custom publisher or advertorial section and have to act more as account manager than author, I remind myself how much my kid’s grade school tuition is, what the mortgage costs, how many trips to Costco this covers, and so on. Works every time.”
It helps to be stoic and not take yourself too seriously if you can help it: “I figure if it wasn’t me doing this job, it would be someone else. My lack of participation wouldn’t hinder their mission at all. Also I laugh at all the corporate BS that comes my way, and I forward the choicest bits to my very left-leaning friends.”
Pick your battles, too: “When I was on staff at a local magazine, I had to write or edit puff pieces about our advertisers. I feel strongly about the ‘separation of church and state’ and made my feelings known to my boss. I no longer work there because I got laid off due to the company’s financial problems (and probably my candor). I was glad because I felt journalistically unethical about the whole thing. I also wrote about show biz celebs for years to pay the rent but it felt OK because it subsized my more serious work. Also, in the showbiz profiles I tried to downplay the actors’ love lives and scandals and highlight their humanity, quirks, and artistry. That worked for a long time; then I got a new editor who’d rewrite my stuff to make it more gossipy and fluffy. That problem also solved itself when the mag folded.”
And then if you find out after the fact that the publication isn’t your cup of tea, there are ways to deal with it: “I once pitched an adventure travel story to a new magazine out of New York, and then when I got my comp copy saw naked pictures of women in rather raunchy positions. I emailed the editor and told him I was going to donate my payment for the article to a women’s rights organization. He didn’t seem to care!” And then afterwards, obviously, don’t pitch that publication again:
“I’m a vegetarian and I used to cover cattle futures. Calling and asking for the ‘kill count’ on a daily basis seemed disgusting at first, but soon I became numb to it. However I switched beats as soon as something else was open.”
You can always see if you can milk the publication for all its worth (you may be surprised what you can get by asking for more): “When it comes to companies I find distasteful I have a price – I may be cheap, but I’m not inexpensive. But once you get beyond merely ‘distasteful’ and reach the level of disgusting, I exit rather than comforting myself with sleazy behavior.”
In the end, you can use what you learned working for the forces of evil to do something good: “This is kind of interesting. I went through a dry period many years ago and was bailed out by a longterm temp job as a proofreader at…Phillip Morris. You know, the folks who sell cancer sticks. It was for the in-house company paper, so at least the pro-smoking, pro-drinking and junk-food-eating propaganda was only for people who already worked there. After I left, I sold a semi expose article to a major teen magazine about how cigarette manufacturers were marketing to kids. I figured by doing that, I’d exonerated myself a bit, though PM probably wouldn’t look at it that way.”
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