When writer Paige Williams wrote a feature on Dolly Freed, author of the cult classic Possum Living: How to Live Well Without a Job and With (almost) No Money, she agreed (as we did when she agreed to let us re-issue the book) not to reveal the writer’s real name. In the book, Dolly encourages some behavior that might not make her the most popular member of the PTA (eating cats and dogs, avoiding taxes, distilling illegal moonshine…ok, that one might make her popular). Dolly has a family now, and though she still celebrates the basic tenants of Possum Living (and in a pinch, could surely make some damn good moonshine), she’s open about having changed certain positions she took as an 18-year-old (i.e. terrorizing your neighbors). Ultimately, and respectably, protecting her family from the crazies and crank calls was Dolly’s priority.

There was really no question of Dolly being who she said she was. The New York Times sent their own photographers to take pictures of Dolly at her home. Any fact-checker should have been able to compare those photos to Dolly’s appearance on the Merv Griffin show. (Those interested can view some of the original press at Dolly’s own website, http://www.possumliving.net/) Williams spent a several days with Dolly and her family, as did Tin House editor Nanci McCloskey. This wasn’t a James Frey scenario.

Still, the Times killed the story two days before the spread was supposed to run because Williams refused to break her promise to Dolly and reveal her real identity. (Dolly acknowledged that, yes, someone could likely track her down after the photos were published, but figured it wouldn’t have as widespread of an effect in her community or on her family.) Though it was a shame for Williams, for Dolly, and for us (the publicity couldn’t have hurt book sales) The silver lining was that Williams had the opportunity to experiment with a DIY style of journalism she’d been considering for some time. She’s created a website that allows readers, if they like the story, to donate whatever they feel it is worth in order to help her recuperate her expenses. An excerpt of her “About The Dolly Freed Story” is after the jump, but you can read the piece, as well as a description of the process on her website, http://www.paige-williams.com. If nothing else (other than the fact that it’s a really, really good piece), it’s an experiment in a different type of financial model for journalism.  As we get more and more of our information from non-paying aggregation sites (i.e. Huffington Post), journalists are going to need to figure out some way to pay for the costs of original reporting.

From Paige Williams’ Website:

I’m self-publishing this story because it had no other home. I wanted it to live in the world, not die in my notebook.

Usually, freelance journalists find a buyer for their work before digging into the reporting, but when I heard about Dolly Freed I launched this piece on spec. I most love reporting and writing stories about truly original characters , about authenticity, and Dolly is one of the most interesting people I’ve met in years.

I pitched the idea for this piece all over the place: The New York Times magazine (rejected), Texas Monthly (rejected), The New Yorker (rejected), Philadelphia magazine (rejected), Slate.com (crickets), and others. Nobody was interested. In November, theTimes accepted the piece for one of its Style sections; two days before publication, during edits, editors pulled the piece because “Dolly Freed” is a pseudonym, and Dolly declined to allow her real name to be published. I had told the Times from the start that “Dolly” was a pseudonym, but apparently I had failed to make it clear that I’d not be reneging on my word to Dolly and her family that I wouldn’t violate her decision to remain anonymous. The Times didn’t make it clear that they expected me to. In agreeing to tell her story and have her book reissued, Dolly sought a balance between being helpful and maintaining her privacy. She doesn’t want kooks showing up at her home. When I told her that people will probably figure out her identity eventually, she said, “Maybe, but I don’t have to make it easy for them.”

I had been thinking about self-publishing a magazine-length piece of independent journalism, and the orphaning of Dolly’s story created the perfect opportunity. CONTINUE READING…