Whomever is arguing that no writer should ever give their writing away for free is an asshole and an imbecile. No matter what you do for a living, you most likely also do it for free in other ways. My aunt cuts hair for a living, but will give family free cuts because it's a skill she has. I'm sure there are accountants who give their services away for free (also likely to family, but you never know), just as I'm sure there are doctors who would be willing to rush to the aid of someone who suddenly collapses in front of them on the street. Does it devalue the work that other doctors do to not demand payment in exchange for helping someone on your day off? Not even a little.
Writers are not special snowflakes whose skills are better or different from any other profession in the grand scheme of things. Actors, radio personalities, people with their own Etsy stores, dog groomers, and even people working retail all do things for payment that they do for free in other circumstances. Hell, if you're a writer, you likely write for free all the time- in your blogs, twitter posts, facebook status updates, comments on forums, etc. It's not exactly the same thing as writing a story, but it's the same action (typing).
Plus, how moronic is it to say, "No, I will not put my craft out there for publicity just because you're not giving me cash money in return." That doesn't hurt anyone else, it hurts only you.
There is a line to be drawn, of course. When you're at the level of, like, Nora Roberts, no one should expect you to write a story about their baby for a birthday invitation. But, there's no reason even she should get uppity if some magazine asks her to write an article/short story/blurb for no payment. Doesn't mean she has to do it, but if she's got the time (I don't imagine she would, since she puts out 46,000 books a year), why wouldn't she, if she thought she'd enjoy it? Her doing a freebie doesn't make your books any less worth reading, doesn't take away from your publicity, and doesn't make any other author's work look more expensive. All it does is get her name out there a little more.
It's like your post about Verday- you've never read anything about her, but the fact that her name is out there (in the form of a blog entry she's likely not getting a cent for writing!) has benefitted her in that you're going to give her some money. So, while her blog may not spit out a penny for every person who has decided to read it, she's getting the benefit of notoriety.
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Writers are not special snowflakes whose skills are better or different from any other profession in the grand scheme of things. Actors, radio personalities, people with their own Etsy stores, dog groomers, and even people working retail all do things for payment that they do for free in other circumstances. Hell, if you're a writer, you likely write for free all the time- in your blogs, twitter posts, facebook status updates, comments on forums, etc. It's not exactly the same thing as writing a story, but it's the same action (typing).
Plus, how moronic is it to say, "No, I will not put my craft out there for publicity just because you're not giving me cash money in return." That doesn't hurt anyone else, it hurts only you.
There is a line to be drawn, of course. When you're at the level of, like, Nora Roberts, no one should expect you to write a story about their baby for a birthday invitation. But, there's no reason even she should get uppity if some magazine asks her to write an article/short story/blurb for no payment. Doesn't mean she has to do it, but if she's got the time (I don't imagine she would, since she puts out 46,000 books a year), why wouldn't she, if she thought she'd enjoy it? Her doing a freebie doesn't make your books any less worth reading, doesn't take away from your publicity, and doesn't make any other author's work look more expensive. All it does is get her name out there a little more.
It's like your post about Verday- you've never read anything about her, but the fact that her name is out there (in the form of a blog entry she's likely not getting a cent for writing!) has benefitted her in that you're going to give her some money. So, while her blog may not spit out a penny for every person who has decided to read it, she's getting the benefit of notoriety.