Philip Pullman is right: Exposure is no substitute for pay

The author has resigned as patron of the Oxford Literary Festival because it doesn’t pay authors to appear

Philip Pullman resigned as patron of the Oxford Literary Festival (Rex)

Last Sunday I wrote here about the meaning of the word “debate”. Since then, I have been thinking about the definition of the word “professional”, after the author Philip Pullman resigned as patron of the Oxford Literary Festival because it doesn’t pay authors to appear.

Pullman’s stance reminded me that “professionalism” means different things to different people. To the ones doing the employing, it means things like turning up on time, not in pyjamas, having done the proper research and preparation and being ready to share whatever skills and services have been commissioned. To the people being employed, an important part of being professional is getting paid.

Many of the audiences who attend literary festivals will be shocked that the authors they pay up to £25 a ticket to see are often the only professionals at the event who are not being paid for their time and expertise. They might be more surprised to learn that authors aren’t even the half of it.

A Facebook group called Stop Working for Free has 17,400 members across the world who offer each other support and advice in the face of the gradual devaluing of their professions. They share many examples: the magazine in South Africa advertising for a full-time “intern” to pitch, research and write articles for “expenses” that are worth less than the magazine’s cover price. The “volunteer” photographer who must bring skills in website design, copy writing, marketing strategy … and all his or her own equipment. The bridal shop assistant required to work a day a week in a swish area of London in return for “exposure”. You do get a lot of exposure in bridal shops, but it doesn’t pay the rent. Recently, a wedding band sought advice on dealing with clients who baulk at their fee. “Tell them to get a quote for eight plumbers to work for five hours on a Saturday night,” someone suggested, “and then tell them that you’ll work for half that.”

The expectation of work for no wage has started in the media and creative professions – whose output is sometimes consumed free of charge, legally or not. It’s hard for the heart to bleed for authors and journalists, but where would we be if the only ones able to do these jobs were independently wealthy? And employers in other sectors are already devaluing people’s work: the number of workers on zero-hours contracts in 2015 was up 19 per cent year on year, to 744,000. The Scottish government says it will “engage ... with Amazon”, which pays workers 65p-per-hour less than the living wage.

Perhaps the worm has turned, with authors threatening to boycott festivals, and creatives getting creative with their responses to requests for work that doesn’t pay properly. A common refrain in the Facebook group is “People die of exposure”. I’d also remind employers who offer it: you’ll end up very shamefaced if word of your exposing people gets about.