By Edward Nawotka

GalleyCat is reporting that some of our favorite literary Web sites are adding advertising to the mix, including The Rumpus (created by the inimitable Stephen Elliott), The Millions, and HTMLGIANT. The change, says GalleyCat, is so they can pay their contributors. Recent essays posted on  The Millions and The Rumpus addressed the very idea of writing for free being pushed by folks like Chris Anderson and Arianna Huffington, and concluded “Not paying writers is not a business model.” (We agree and we too sell ads! — just ask Erin.)

Not coincidentally, the first ad on The Rumpus is for Graywolf Press, which is publishing Stephen Elliott’s The Adderall Diaries in September. (If you’re interested in Elliott’s book, which looks fascinating, you can get a review copy sent to you via Elliott’s own site provided you agree to mail the book to the next reader once you’re done. Considering the expense of printing and mailing galleys for a small press like Graywolf, this is a great idea.)

The story hits the web just a day after the National Arts Journalism Program closed its contest for sustainable new models of arts journalism. Five projects will be chosen to offer presentations at the first National Summit on Arts Journalism taking place at the USC Annenberg School for Communication in Los Angeles on October 2.

We have submitted Publishing Perspectives for the contest, so if you like what we’re doing here, please look at our entry and voice your support in the comments at the NAJP site. We also encourage you to take a look through the other entries — and there are some amazing ones — and give your favorites the thumbs up.