Of course, this answer won't satisfy many aspiring authors. They want the byline, to be sure, but they also want the validation that only a paycheck can bring. I get it. But there's a bigger picture here that most won't even consider.
Me, I've worked for free many times over the past 12 years. Every free gig has gained me recognition. Followed by multiple paid gigs. I've also had my blog posts lifted more than a dozen times (once by a national news magazine), without permission or payment. And in every case, those rotten thieves left my name on it, and a link back to my blog. With this, I gained tens of thousands of new viewers. (Google Analytics tells me so.) Some of them called me to offer paid work. Among that humber, some became repeat customers who then sent me referrals.
