Just a quick post about delightful curmudgeon Harlan Ellison. This video, in which he tears someone’s request for a free interview to shreds, is required viewing:
“I don’t take a piss without getting paid for it.” Oh, that Harlan. He seems fun.
I kind of don’t want to agree with his point about amateurs undercutting professionals. Sure, it’s true that when The Little Guys give it away for free, it makes it harder for The Big Guys to make a living. But on the other hand! Why do The Big Guys feel so entitled to never have their business model challenged? After all, I got my semi-professional-ish start by writing for SFist for free, and although it annoys me that editors are now used to getting a certain amount of content at no charge, I also can’t really begrudge the up-and-comers’ strategy. If you’re making a fortune in the horseshoe business and then someone comes along and invents the car, well, no point complaining; it’s time to sell your anvil and get into the rubber tire business.
HOWEVER.
You get what you pay for. If you’re an editor who can only afford to pay $10 for an article, fine; I’ll give you ten dollars’ worth of article, and even though it took me three minutes to write and I only used one comma, it’ll still be better than what you can get from the kids who do it for free. And now we’re both frustrated. GREAT.
What I’m saying is, sure, bloggers are free to upset the apple cart. Go for it. Go nuts. I’ll even join you. Now, who’s going to re-stack all those apples?
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I'm a writer and photographer in San Francisco, curious about how people can get away with writing all day while also being able to afford to buy groceries. 