No More Exposure

Recently, Ralan.com announced that they are doing away with "exposure only" or "4theluv" market listings, and you know what? That's a great thing.

I don't care for exposure only markets, I have never submitted my work to any of them nor will I ever, because I believe I should be paid for my work as should every writer be fairly compensated. And I don't buy for one second the commonly used excuse of "we're not making money from this!" Bullshit. Ad revenue brings in a pretty penny. And even if it didn't, do you honestly expect me to believe that you can't pull out a fiver from your wallet to pay a writer for their time and effort? 

I remember someone making a pretty good comparison between a market that only pays a dollar and one that pays nothing but exposure: the one dollar market is showing the initiative and is likely to pay more in the future, whereas the exposure market is likely to never pay. Sure, there are some exposure markets who rise to the level of token or semi-pro paying, but most don't. If they can get stories for free, why should they change their model?

Yeah, quite a few literary markets are exposure only, because apparently "prestige" is seen as a sort of payment. I've never heard of someone working at a job just for the prestige of it, nor can prestige buy you a meal or put gasoline in your car.

Hopefully The Grinder does the same (though I doubt it), because I'm sick and tired of seeing all these non-paying market being added. And don't be a stupid a writer and submit your work to these types of markets, because not only are you encouraging them, but you're devaluing your own writing. Remember: your work is worth something, and that's more than nothing.