More on the topic of cheap labor...Is it ever worth your time to write for spec? The answer is, what is your time worth to you? If there is an article that you are simply hot to write and are positive that you could find some audience for (you just haven't done it yet)--moreover, you really want to write the piece--then go for it. But if you pitch a publication and they tell you they only take pieces on spec, not queries, and your schedule, let alone your spirit just doesn't permit you to write without the promise of some sort of compensation, then don't do it. It's a judgment call: it's not amateur to write for free, and it's not snobby not to.

"I did an article on spec about the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota, for the New York Times when I was eager to break in," says Kristin Ohlson, author of Stalking the Divine (discussing on the FLX board.) "Not only on spec, but I had airfare and hotel expenses that they weren't going to pay for, even if they took the article. That gamble paid off and the article helped me gain entry elsewhere, over and over. So I think it's worth it once in a while, if you have something specific you want to get out of it-- a big byline or a chance to interview someone amazing.

She adds, "I hadn't done much in national publications and I just knew they'd want the piece if I did it. I figured if I was opening up a coffee shop, I'd hand out free cups of coffee for a while to show everyone how good mine was. Same thing, only for an audience of millions.

It was well worth it. But I think if writers consider doing something for free, it has to meet one of their non-money goals. Aside from money, my other goals at that point in my freelancing life were to get my work into some high-profile publications and to write about things that were too fascinating to pass up. The Corn Palace piece-- it was both!"