How Much I Got Paid: #5
Title: "Great Expectations"
Publication: Marie Claire
Date: November 2012
Word count: 803
Payment: $1,400
Notes: If you've never written for a women's magazine, Sarah Miller brings to life vividly what it's like on The Hairpin in "What If a Women's Magazine Editor Edited a BBC News Story About Syria?" I pitched several stories to a Marie Claire editor in 2012, and I ended up writing a back-of-the-book personal essay on dating as a tall woman. (I'm 6'1".) There was a lot of back-and-forth editing. The final version is not my proudest moment as a writer. In Hollywood, some directors make "one for them" (for money) and "one for me" (for love). For me, this was the former. In the magazine, the essay appears under a photo of short preteen boys awkwardly dancing with taller preteen girls.
Conclusion: If you're going to sell out, consider the price.