Confession #2: I’m for sale. Not in a prostitution sort of way but in a “hey, I love how you write and think you’re amazingly creative and want to hire you to write articles and books, fiction or nonfiction. I’ll even pay you” sort of way. This leads me to confession #2 1/2: I’m jealous of people who get paid to write.
I know that jealousy is a wasted emotion and that anyone who gets paid to write is a) deserving of it; b) talented and creative; c) smart; d) hardworking and; e) ambitious. Since I one day hope to join those ranks (as it’s been my lifelong dream), I use those paid writers as motivation and inspiration to get to where I want to be which is a wage earning writer (my current #1 inspiration is Jen Lancaster. I. Love. Her.). I can’t even say that it would take a tremendous amount of money for me to sell myself totally but it would take enough. I’m for sale; I’m not completely free (though I would be willing to negotiate for a bargain price).
But when you put yourself up for sale you need to be careful of those who want to take advantage and exploit you. You need to be careful about who you sell yourself to. You need to be careful to protect yourself, your family and your finances. You need to be a little bit picky, no matter how anxious you are to get paid. And you have to be careful to not…Sell Out. Which is today’s money tune.
I heard this song (by Reel Big Fish) on the radio last week and remembered just how great it is. Check it out for yourself:
Would you ever sell out? What would it take?
This is a tough question. We all need money, and this requires doing something to make it, either by working or business or investments. I suppose it depends whether the way you make money is aligned with your personal values. I think unconventional income earners wrestle with this more than traditional salaried employees like firefighters. An artist sitting in a studio, wondering what to create, probably questions their worth more than any of us. I wouldn't feel guilty about marketing your services.
GO for it, It took me years to realize what I was worth, just do it!
I'm a sell out. I did feel a little twinge of guilt for getting some cash for ads on my blog, but I figured why not. I do put a lot of time into it, but I also really enjoy it. Isn't that the dream job description?
I am 100%, 1000% for sale in almost any aspect of my life and I don't think that is a bad thing at all. Obviously my family's safety and hapiness isn't negotiable, but if I found a job that paid me 100% of what I earn now, I'd leave…if an advertiser wants to pay me a ridiculous amount of money to advertise…I'd comply.
I make a fantastic side income off my blog, and to do so maybe I take an advertiser I don't agree with, but for whatever reason it never bothered me lol.
Don't feel bad, I'm a bit jealous of anybody who's actually published and sold a book. I've wanted to be an author since I was a kid but never really took any steps toward it.
Selling out to me means giving up my vales for money. I am fortunate enough to not need outside income, so my values are very important to me. If things were different, I would only compromise as long as it did not affect my values long term.
@Hunter–I agree. It's hard to quantify art.
@Out My Window–I'm still coming to terms with the fact that someone might actually want to pay me.
@Niki–Yes, that's absolutely the dream job description!
@Evan–Thanks for sharing your views. I don't think I could accept money from an advertiser who I don't agree with. It would bother me too much.
@Jen–All I want is to publish a book. One book. Even if I have to self-publish and only 4 people not related to me buy it, I'm going to make it happen!
@krantcents–That's kind of how I feel. I don't want to compromise my values to make money but I want to make money. Such a struggle!
OMG I love Jen Lancaster. Love, love, love….
but you know, when you write online people try to take advantage of you for non-moentary reasons with promises of "publicity" or "to help out another blogger" by giving your time, energy, creativity and resources in a way that doesn't really give you returns, sometimes, not even that warm and fuzzy feeling- haha.
I don't think you're selling out, and I don't think anyone who wants even small compensation for their work is selling out. I make a teeny amount on my blog, and you know- it costs money to run a blog so I don't feel so bad to recoup my costs!
I tend to give myself away for free before I could even sell out 🙂 I hope that be making people aware of my mistakes they will glean some sort of wisdom and do the opposite! I do dream of writing my made for a Lifetime Movie, Memoir one day and I get guilt from even dreaming of the idea of making a profit from it but at the same time I see it as a great opportunity to help out my family.