Journalism’s dependence on part-time freelancers

I spent the next few years writing a novel, which a few agents declined interest in, and a new book proposal that didn’t sell. My overall relationship with TNR and some of its editors is like mine with a few other publications: respectful and amiable, with fairly steady work in the $250 to $500 range, the fees sometimes spiking higher. Our relationship extends little beyond that—a failure that is either mine, or perhaps indicative of how publications rely on vast networks of freelancers to produce steady content, like so many widgets, but don’t need to offer them any of the trappings of employment.

Source: newrepublic.com