Actually there’s only one reason food writing doesn’t pay: Mostly women do it, and most do it as a hobby or on the side. As a result, they are amateurs or consider themselves as such, even after years of work or accomplishments.
Most of us don’t ask to be paid what we’re worth. So publications and websites can get away with paying very little, compared to other kinds of writing.
(I don’t know about this graphic. Those are supposed to be tears, and the umbrella is shielding us from crying more. But I have the feeling women don’t cry about it. Good pay doesn’t seem to be an issue. I’m going to explain why.)
Here are three true stories to illustrate why food writing doesn’t pay:
1. We write for free.
An enthusiastic home cook lucked into the job of creating original recipes for a column in her local magazine. The publisher paid a man $25 to photograph food for the column, but paid the recipe writer and developer nothing. After turning in her column, she worked with the photographer enthusiastically, styling the shot in her home. She wrote this column and styled the food for the next six years.
Then we met.
I suggested she ask the publisher for payment. She had worked long enough for free. To her credit, she did so. The publisher said no. He said there are lots of other people who want to replace her. And that if she had a business, the column would be free advertising, worth thousands of dollars. But she doesn’t have a business.
Much of food writing is not valued, as this example shows. The publisher thinks her work is worth nothing, that anyone could do it. But actually the columnist is a skilled recipe developer and food stylist now, after six years of writing this column.
I’m not exempting myself. Last year I wrote a piece for free for an international magazine, because it operated on a shoestring, because other colleagues had written for them, and because I wanted to be published on the particular topic. The magazine stopped publishing soon after. No one made money.
2. We write for peanuts.
A freelancer for a major food website wrote a long story. It involved reading through several cookbooks and interviewing three authorities. I asked her what the website paid. She said $150. She knew it was too low.
I bet the editor knew it was too low too. The editor probably wonders why the freelancer doesn’t ask for more.
I suggested the freelancer ask for double next time, and say it was too time consuming to write an article like that for such little pay. What does she have to lose? Even $300 is not much for a long reported piece.
She is not alone. Another woman I know, an award-winning food writer, also writes for the site. When I asked how much they pay her for recipes, I gasped. It was what I would have paid a junior writer.
I’m not exempting myself from the issue of low pay. Two of the biggest websites I wrote for paid me $250 for personal essays. That’s peanuts too.
3. We write for fun.
A friend writes about food on the side. She doesn’t care what she’s paid. When I tell her the fee is too low she says it’s not her main business, so it doesn’t matter.
I’ve tried making the argument that many food writers have a business, and her philosophy makes it harder for professionals to be paid decently. But I’m not sure it’s working. I’m not sure the publications she writes for would pay much more either. They don’t have to.
Editors pay a minority of professionals well. Meanwhile, they are grateful for writers like these women, who write mostly for fun. I have hired people just like them, when I was an editor. I saved my money to pay those who won’t work for reasons No. 1 and No. 2. They might have thought writing is fun, but they wanted to be paid fairly for it.
And that’s why most food writing doesn’t pay, for most.
You could argue that most writing doesn’t pay, and that’s true. But professional business, tech, and science writing pays well. Guess who does most of that? Men. Do they do it for free, for peanuts, or for fun? Mostly no.
What do you think? Is food writing doomed to be low paying forever? Are the reasons why we write irrelevant?
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“Editors pay a minority of professionals well.”
Editors of the major food pubs are men.
And most of the people writing the big features for those pubs are men.
Which goes back to your point that mostly women do it — the grunt work of it, that is.
And yet you are a shining star, Robyn! You are up there with the top men of the profession. There aren’t many like you.
Again, another though provoking post!!
I can only speak from personal experience, but having come from the golden days when food writers (and travel and lifestyle and…) were paid, and paid well, I have never embraced the ‘writing for free’ work model. Ever.
Maybe it is because I always had to make a living at whatever I do, but I just never saw the point in working for someone else and not getting paid for it. I wouldn’t ever expect someone to do something for free for me, and so have never accepted a job that didn’t benefit me in some way.
When the changes in the publishing industry occurred, I shifted gears and started writing for my own platforms (blog and apps). The key was that I always focused on quality content, whether it was through word, image or video. And this effort paid off, with publishers approaching me with book offers.
I also found a way to make my writing pay: though the sale of books and apps, but also through my tour company, which is publicized through my platforms.
I don’t think that people writing for free makes it harder for food writers to be paid decently. Instead I think the days of food writers being paid decently by traditional publishers (magazines, newspapers, etc) is over. If you really want to make a living writing about food (or other topics) then you have to adapt and create your own business model. The important thing, that I firmly believe in, is that if you create quality content, then people will come. Once they come? Then it’s up to you to figure out how to make a living out of that.
As for the idea that food writers aren’t getting paid because they are women? I think the entire industry has shifted gears. And if some people want to write about food as a hobby, then they can do that. But I really don’t think it’s going to affect the pay scale of an industry that doesn’t really exist anymore.
Hi Elizabeth, Excellent response! I couldn’t agree with you more — good content rules. And you obviously have the talent to turn that good content into income. My experience with food writing was as a freelance correspondent for the Boston Globe for six years. It was the most incredible education because the food editor taught me so much about writing. I am so grateful for having had that experience. Although I was paid, what I learned was far more valuable. I have used those writing skills in my work as a marketing consultant for food companies.
I’m with you, Allison. What I learned in journalism school and as a newspaper and magazine editor has given me skills I use every day.
I’m not sure that the golden age of publishing is over. It’s still there, at the top, if you write for the airline magazines, big food magazines and lifestyle mags. But that is difficult to do with any regularity. And mostly what’s out there is the stuff that pays peanuts, we agree.
You got out and became an entrepreneur, with your tour company and apps. And your blog, where you can write about whatever you like. So you don’t make money from publishing anymore, Elizabeth. That is one way to go about it. And it is working well for you. The difference is that you have a business, whereas most food writers, I’m convinced, have a hobby.
I’ve commented on this issue many times before but I will say it again. This is simply Economics 101. Supply and demand! So I will add a 4th reason. Your content is not unique! If you provide a product that is very similar to everything else available, the price will be low or even zero if there is enough supply. If your content is different than everyone else and people like it you can command a higher price.
While it’s a good idea to learn as much as you can about how to write etc. simply doing it like everyone else is being taught isn’t going to work if you want to make money. Not only do you have to provide your own unique spin, it has to be a spin that people like and want to consume.
I think too many people simply rely on the available books, seminars, panels etc. to learn how to develop their product without anything unique about it. The problem with that is, you have thousands of others doing the same thing which causes the market value of the product to be zero.
There are writers who are generalists and writers who are specialists, Rick. Generalists write about whatever interests them, on the subject of food. Like Robin Eckhardt, who commented first on this post. She might write for the NY Times about eating sea urchins in Italy, or about what to do for 24 hours in Siem Riep.
Then there are specialists, like your site, Joy of Baking, which is only about baking.
I can’t say which is best, but I do agree that writing about the same thing that everyone else is writing about lowers a writer’s value. Even as a generalist, Robyn had to seek out specific content for those two stories. Her value is in her diligence as a reporter and her deep dive into the culture and people of a place. And as a specialist, your wife Stephanie has done a deep dive into baking, which gives her authority and expertise.
Re conferences etc. that is an interesting point about developing uniqueness. Elizabeth Minchilli, who also commented on this post, has done well in that arena, staking out her territory in Rome.
I like your term “deep dive”. That is not exactly how we look at it but it is one way to view Stephanie’s work. It made me think of another issue people need to think about which is how deep do you dive with your work? We are constantly assessing the market place. If everyone is diving to 30 feet, maybe we need to dive to 50 or 100 feet to stay ahead of the competition. We’ve reassessed our dive depth many times especially when we’ve been under a competitive threat and will continue to do so as need be.
I love to write and I love food–thus for several years I wrote about food and tried to sell my work. Of course, with no name, I had no takers. I refuse to work hard, spend money on research and travel, and receive no pay. Yes, I could have had articles “published” on websites for no pay, but as far as I’m concerned, no pay, no article. Period.
That’s great that you refuse to work for free, Margie. What about working for peanuts? That is fine for many.
Like you said, as long as women food writers don’t know how or don’t care about turning their hard work into a business, why should anyone take your request seriously? However, what you certainly can do is stop stressing over what other people pay you and create your own economy out of the skills you have. There are too many examples of people who make a great living doing what they love via the internet — and I’m not talking about super mega rich folks, but a great business making good money. But you have to want that and be willing to put in the work to make that happen.
Yes, this was the subject of a new chapter in Will Write for Food, Halona. The people who move into an Internet business are entrepreneurs first and writers second. That is not how most food writers think.
Ive had a food blog for years and was approached 3 years ago to write a culinary column with recipe. Since I also teach private cooking classes I decided it would be a way to get my name, face, and website in front of people in my community. No they don’t pay me.
I enjoy writing my articles, many of which stem from past blog posts. As a result I’ve established a client base from those who pick up the magazine and people constantly stop me telling me how they love my recipes.
Although the magazine doesn’t pay me I have reaped the benefits and have not had to pay for advertising in years. I see it as a win win for both parties. That said, if they put unrealistic demands on me I would tell them there would be a fee involved. For now we both seem content with our arrangement.
I’m glad you enjoy writing the column, Vicki. I enjoy writing as well, and I enjoy writing for pay. I don’t see how they are mutually exclusive ideas. Now that you’ve had the column for three years, you could ask to be paid, like the woman in my first example. You have nothing to lose. By paying you, the magazine acknowledges that you are doing work.
Maybe you don’t think of it as work? And neither do they? It is just free pr for you? At least in your case, you have a private business that benefits from the column. The writer in my first example did not.
To All My Food Writing Colleagues,
Let’s agree to STOP writing for free! We have to force the business to correct itself. In this new world of digital, publishers MUST pay for content. They won’t like it, but they have to do it anyway. They’ll have nothing tasty to publish without us. Writers, unite!! Susie.
I like your attitude, Susie! A competing interest is that people need visibility, and they are willing to trade free content for it.
I like your attitude to life very much. It is also very happy to do what you like without pay, especially for such a meaningful thing，I should learn from you。Thank you!