Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Alfie Dog Fiction Calls for Justice for Writers


Writers of short stories are increasingly being requested to offer their services for free. Competitions are run in which the prize is publication, but no financial reward. Websites spring up offering the opportunity to ‘build profile’ but without payment, often demanding only previously unpublished work.

In an age when there are demonstrations about the level or remuneration received by bankers, Alfie Dog Fiction is calling upon the reading world to give thought to the low levels of income achieved by the vast majority of writers.

You wouldn’t ring the plumber and ask him to install a new shower without payment, but on the promise that people using your bathroom would see his work, so why expect writers to give you their work for free?

For writers to produce quality work, which will last for generations, they have to be able to support themselves financially. With the frequency of copyright breaches on the internet and while work is predominantly expected to be given for free, writing can only ever be a part time hobby for the majority and here at Alfie Dog Fiction we think it’s time to draw a line.

We are calling on the press to join us in setting a standard of expectation. It is not unreasonable to pay to read work that a writer has laboured over. It’s time to make a stand before no writer of books, short stories, articles or even news copy is paid for putting pen to paper or keyboard to screen. 

The world would be a poorer place without professional writers. Make a stand today and call for fair returns to writers for their work.

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