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Harlan Shows His Teeth...

  • Apr. 13th, 2008 at 12:26 PM
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Whether you love or hate Harlan Ellison, he is the defender of all writers:





One of the FAQs on my website addresses folks who write me and ask me to contribute stories for free or for a contributor's copy. Sometimes, when I say "No. No. And no." I'm called snobbish, or unappreciative of the "plight of new writers." That "plight" will never change if you write for free (and come on-- a freakin' penny [or less!] per word might as well be free), and those folks who call me those things tend to run out of responses when I ask them if the grocery store will take that contributor's copy and give me a loaf of bread, or if I can mail that contributor's copy to the electric company to cover my monthly bill.

Yeah. Go Harlan.


(Thanks to my friend, Shira, on whose Blog I found the video.)
  • Mood: sore

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Comments

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[info]taliehelene wrote:
Apr. 14th, 2008 04:00 am (UTC)
It's so true!

Thanks for sharing this.
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[info]thewayne wrote:
Apr. 14th, 2008 04:01 am (UTC)
Heh. Harlan is pretty cool in a lot of ways, and a pretty crotchety old bastard in others. I remember when Phoenix had a Westercon, I think around '84 or so, and he was a GOH. He set up a plastic tent in the lobby of the hotel and refused to spend any money in Arizona because they hadn't passed ERA.

He has a perfectly valid point, and he has the writing chops to back him up and demand it.
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[info]airbornevet wrote:
Apr. 17th, 2008 08:02 pm (UTC)
Gee, I didn't know who he was until he mentioned 'Babylon 5'. I can't blame him or you, for that matter. It's no different than "used" book stores. They're just taking the money for the writer out of the equation.
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[info]yvonnenavarro wrote:
Apr. 18th, 2008 01:59 am (UTC)
Thank you! It's amazing to me that we (i.e., man in general, the gov't, etc.) can track whether or not you pay the appropriate amount of taxes practically down to the penny, whether you're wearing a seatbelt when you're running a red light (yes, they *can* tell that from the video system), can figure out two or three different rates of sales taxes on a store receipt, can track your location from a prepaid toll card or cell phone, but won't make any effort to track sales of used books or readership at libraries (which they DO in the UK) so that the writers of the books get a few pennies per sale or resale. The statistic was, back in the early 90s, that fewer than 5% of the writers in the US made more than $5,000 per year. That has, unbelievably, actually DROPPED, both in percentage and amount. Oh someone haul me off my soapbox before I give myself a damned migraine. grrrr........
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[info]kody_boye wrote:
May. 2nd, 2008 06:59 am (UTC)
I REALLY like the 'grumble' thing you use, Yvonne, LOL.

I think Free or 4theLuv markets are good for beginning writers. I've been in a lot of them myself, and only recently have gotten paid for stuff I've written (although they've only been contributor's copies.)

I can understand what you mean though. I mean, if I was a company trying to get you to sub something, I'd be like, 'Yes! One dollar per word for Mrs. Navarro!' That's because I admire you as a writer, and because you did a kickass adaptation of UltraViolet. : )

I guess it all depends on how you go. I don't expect to get paid for my writing for a little while, if you count shorts. The novella collection a press is putting out is different, and that'll be my REAL first payment of something.

But yes, I like people like him; they're bitchy, but they have a point! :D
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