My response: You get what you pay for–people who are willing to work for $2 per hour or less.
He acknowledged that the quality of writing at that bargain basement rate would likely be poor; however, it made better financial sense to him to hire a cheap (re: poor quality) writer and pay an editor a few hundred bucks to fix it, than it would to pay for top quality writing and still have to pay an editor.
Egad. I may have to raise my editing rates if that’s the sort of thinking to which buyers subscribe. Of course, an ultra-cheap editor can also be counted on to perform poorly. (See my blog on that little experiment last month.)
What gets me is that this guy is a writer–he writes scripts. He knows the time and effort that goes into building a good story. And still he opts for the lowest price option.
On the upside, I did start on a project for another playwright who does value good writing. Bless his heart. Really, I’m not delivering a southern insult.
This week’s blog will be short: it’s time to wash llamas.