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Rolling Stone Wants Writers to Pay $2000 to Get Their Articles Published
And it shows just how bad things have got for freelance writers.
It appears to be a chance of a lifetime, getting your writing featured in the iconic Rolling Stone magazine, which has published work by Patti Smith, Tom Wolfe and Hunter S Thompson. But would you pay $2000 for it?
The magazine is now offering a chance to “shape the future of culture” by becoming a “thought leader.” They contacted a select few individuals to offer them the chance to become members of its new “Culture Council” and join “an invitation-only community for innovators, influencers and tastemakers”. If they pass the vetting process, they will be ‘allowed’ to publish original content to the Rolling Stone website. This, according to the Council’s website, is an immense privilege for the contributor, because “being published in one of the best-known entertainment media outlets in the world sets you apart as a visionary, leader, and bold voice in your industry.”
A spokesperson from the magazine told the Guardian that such articles would run separately from editorial content, in their own separate channel. “Content created by Culture Council members exists in its own channel separate from editorial content and is clearly labelled as originating from a non-editorial, fee-based member network, which allows industry professionals to share ideas in a paid forum.” But the fact of the matter is, when navigating a website, it is difficult to distinguish one section from the next — advertorials from editorials — and these articles will be an integral part of the Rolling Stone content.
By creating this system where people pay to get published, the iconic magazine has turned publishing on its head, and it is worrying from many perspectives.
Firstly, it is the epitome of the struggles faced by freelance writers today to actually get paid for their work. I found out about this story when news of it broke in The Guardian last Saturday, and I must admit it felt like the final straw. It has been a frustrating month for me, as a freelance writer.
After a long break focusing on other projects, I got back into freelance journalism this month, pitching story ideas left and right. I…
