@maccruiskeen@social.linux.pizza
Post #4336198
2026-08-01 18:13 UTC
@Teri_Kanefield@mastodon.social @paul_ipv6@infosec.exchange When I worked for Mamillan in New York, my wage was not really a 'living' wage. (They were notoriously cheap in those days.) And it is a wage, a work-for-hire deal. If the book sells a little, or a lot, it is the same fee. When I was freelancing, I didn't always get a lot of choice about what I was working on. I mean if a production editor called me up and said, please proofread this vampire romance novel for no money, of course the answer would be no. It's not my book, I have no ownership interest in it. Do you think writers should be paid the same way? I mean, some writers do work that way. They get assignments, they get a fee, they do the job and walk away.
Replies (1)
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@Teri_Kanefield@mastodon.social 2026-08-01 18:29
@maccruiskeen@social.linux.pizza @paul_ipv6@infosec.exchange After I wrote that, I realized that most of the people the publisher uses to work on my books are freelancers who probably are not treated much better than writers. The acquiring editor and the editor's assistant are full time, as are people in marketing and management, but the proofreaders and book designers are freelance. The problem for writers is that the establishment supports itself. Prizes consider only trad published books, etc.