As promised, here’s a little more on rates of pay in the art writing world – as well as some notes on why I decided to start this blog.
Honest About Freelancing was inspired by a frank email exchange I had with Rachel Hills – a more established writer than me – and some tweets she posted a few days later.
In my email, I’d gleefully reported to Rachel that my feature pitch to Art Monthly Australia had been accepted. But my glee was tempered with the fact that this was the first print magazine I’ve written for that offers anything close to fair pay (30 cents per word). Previously, I’ve been paid 16 pence per word in a UK print mag; 9 cents per word in a high profile US print mag; and anything from 0 to 6 cents per word in online magazines.
Rachel being Australian, I hoped she might have some insight. In her industry (glossy mags & national newspapers), it’s the same story: Australian magazines paying a fair wage; UK and US publications paying disproportionately less. Rather than Aussies placing a greater value on writing, this situation might have something to do with the standard of living, or cultural expectations of fair pay, over there. My brother and his girlfriend live in Brisbane and make something like £16 an hour in customer service roles that would pay more like £5-7 in the UK.
So why write for low-paying publications?
Well, for one, it takes a long time for most of us to hone our skills, and develop our knowledge, to the point that well-paid writing jobs are realistic. That’s why I would still encourage new writers to blog, work unpaid for local magazines, and send review submissions to the best (yet low-paid) online mags. Writing regularly for an audience, especially when you have a decent editor onboard, is one of the best ways to refine your prose, understand best practice, and get to know editors who may take you with them as their own careers progress.
Secondly, as I mentioned last week, if you’re an art writer, you probably want (and need) to get to know the local, national (and international) art scenes, as well as specialising in certain fields. Doing the groundwork of unpaid reporting, interviewing and reviewing means that when the time comes to approach the glossy art mags you’ll have contacts, expert knowledge and a sense of how the various art worlds work together.
Finally, for me, doing low-paid writing is a way of reviewing shows that relate to my academic interests – which could boost my chances of getting PhD funding. It also means I have a ton of excellent writing samples to send to prospective clients, as well as my name being super-searchable online, as I’m building a business writing directly for artists and galleries. In that growing situation, I am able name my own price (25 pence per word), which I believe to be a fair reflection of my qualifications, connections, experience and talent.
To trace Rachel’s tweets and people’s responses, start here. She’s right that freelancing may not be a “liveable” option for most people. I hope I can make it work for me this year, but, I admit, the “security blanket” of academic funding back in the UK is looking more and more appealing.
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Will make this blog a weekly, Monday thing. I’m working on balancing online life and creative/freelance work, a topic I recently wrote about (unpaid) for jotta.com.
