In 1946, Truman Capote was assigned a story about his hometown, New Orleans, by Harper's Bazaar. Then, like now, Hearst Magazines were cheap bastards.

Though I can't find the piece—even after furious searching—Capote wrote about it in a letter (published in a collection of his letters called Too Brief a Treat) to his good friend, fellow author and also his fiction editor at Harper's Bazaar, Mary Louise Aswell. Below Capote reveals some good tips for the stiffed freelancer, like holding the story for ransom! Learn from the best.

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