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The Second Tech Writer who really IS worth $2/word...
Subject:The Second Tech Writer who really IS worth $2/word... From:John Renish <John -dot- Renish -at- CONNER -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 10 Jan 1996 17:46:27 PST
The subject's anonymous post via Geoff is interesting. For those who missed
it, the client is proposing a per-word fee structure, which is in the
evaluation stage.
My $.02: don't do it.
This payment method was, maybe still is, common for pulp magazine writers,
most of whom have at least one day job. Like all piecework, it carries the
seeds of speedup. A job that takes a lot of interviewing to understand and
only a few pages to describe would be to the employer's unfair advantage. In
addition, most of us find it's easier to write long than to write
short--hence, the writer is tempted to write poorly and quickly on every
job. Many of us have educated our bosses or clients to the value of quality
work that doesn't come particularly cheap--this proposal strikes me as
retrogressive.
John -dot- Renish -at- Conner -dot- com
My comments are my own and do not represent Conner Peripherals
