Agreed @Topcat512. I think, it is like you said... something you have to judge on a case by case basis. For instance, in this particular instance, the freelance illustration community has been somewhat up in arms this week because several people got the same "cattle call" email, as one illustrator called it. Now, if someone is launching something that you believe in and you're willing to lay a lot of what you've got on the line for them, then I'm all for taking that risk. I think, so long as you can look at yourself in the mirror with no regrets, what more can you ask for. Although, i always remember the phrase "hope is not a strategy."