Comments on: What to Know Before You Ask Me to Read Your (Unpublished) Work http://whatever.scalzi.com/2007/01/23/what-to-know-before-you-ask-me-to-read-your-unpublished-work/ I FORGET WHAT EIGHT WAS FOR Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:12:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Website http://whatever.scalzi.com/2007/01/23/what-to-know-before-you-ask-me-to-read-your-unpublished-work/#comment-268091 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 07:58:37 +0000 http://whatever.scalzi.com/2007/01/23/what-to-know-before-you-ask-me-to-read-your-unpublished-work/#comment-268091 Website…

What to Know Before You Ask Me to Read Your (Unpublished) Work « Whatever…

]]> By: Maria http://whatever.scalzi.com/2007/01/23/what-to-know-before-you-ask-me-to-read-your-unpublished-work/#comment-266634 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:29:13 +0000 http://whatever.scalzi.com/2007/01/23/what-to-know-before-you-ask-me-to-read-your-unpublished-work/#comment-266634 I think this is GREAT! Love the reasons — they make so much sense. So many people think that just because you have some success/fame/etc. and have a public presence on social networking services and a blog they can ask you to help them with their own work — as if you don’t have so many better things to do with your limited free time. Bravo!

But I’m willing to bet people still write and ask you to do this for them. After all, you don’t honestly expect them to READ what you’ve written here, do you?

I’m in a similar (but far smaller) boat. They just don’t get it.

]]> By: “I’d love to quit my job and write all the time” : I Should Be Writing http://whatever.scalzi.com/2007/01/23/what-to-know-before-you-ask-me-to-read-your-unpublished-work/#comment-263681 Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:41:11 +0000 http://whatever.scalzi.com/2007/01/23/what-to-know-before-you-ask-me-to-read-your-unpublished-work/#comment-263681 [...] read your work, but then I was reminded of John Scalzi’s great post on the subject, and just figured I’d point you there. In short, if I don’t know you (and I mean really know you; we’re buds and all. Not [...]

]]> By: igakusei http://whatever.scalzi.com/2007/01/23/what-to-know-before-you-ask-me-to-read-your-unpublished-work/#comment-261520 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 01:48:22 +0000 http://whatever.scalzi.com/2007/01/23/what-to-know-before-you-ask-me-to-read-your-unpublished-work/#comment-261520 This reminded me of the time a former semi-professional golf player told me why he charges his friends for golf lessons. He used to do it for free since they were his friends, but he eventually realized that when you give somebody something for free, they do not value it. It’s frustrating to spend your time and energy divulging your expertise to someone while they pretend to listen and then do everything other than what you told them to.

]]> By: Guest Post: Writing Advice http://whatever.scalzi.com/2007/01/23/what-to-know-before-you-ask-me-to-read-your-unpublished-work/#comment-255932 Sun, 08 May 2011 19:56:27 +0000 http://whatever.scalzi.com/2007/01/23/what-to-know-before-you-ask-me-to-read-your-unpublished-work/#comment-255932 [...] John Scalzi’s What To Know Before You ask [...]

]]> By: Richard Bruns http://whatever.scalzi.com/2007/01/23/what-to-know-before-you-ask-me-to-read-your-unpublished-work/#comment-246014 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:28:45 +0000 http://whatever.scalzi.com/2007/01/23/what-to-know-before-you-ask-me-to-read-your-unpublished-work/#comment-246014 Howdy!
I may have missed it, but there is also the issue of a writer claiming that you, a the “reader” of their magnum opus, albeit unpublished, or perhaps even rejected, “stole” his or her work after reading it and claiming it was bad. A number of prominent, and possibly less prominent, authors have had that happen in one form or another.

And wow, I agree with Network Geek … Dreams with Sharp Teeth is so good, my wife and I ordered the DVD. It is Ellison at his most … Ellison.And that’s worth his weight in literary gold to any aspiring writer…or established writer as well.

Thanks
Richard Bruns
Napa

]]> By: Network Geek http://whatever.scalzi.com/2007/01/23/what-to-know-before-you-ask-me-to-read-your-unpublished-work/#comment-242397 Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:04:18 +0000 http://whatever.scalzi.com/2007/01/23/what-to-know-before-you-ask-me-to-read-your-unpublished-work/#comment-242397 I know this is an old post, but it’s *always* a timely topic and I just recently saw “Dreams With Sharp Teeth”, a documentary on Harlan Ellison. He’s got some strong opinions on paying the writer and working for free.
Here’s an excerpt from that on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj5IV23g-fE

Thanks!

]]> By: shannon http://whatever.scalzi.com/2007/01/23/what-to-know-before-you-ask-me-to-read-your-unpublished-work/#comment-238651 Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:16:05 +0000 http://whatever.scalzi.com/2007/01/23/what-to-know-before-you-ask-me-to-read-your-unpublished-work/#comment-238651 Much the same thing goes for Graphic Design in terms of people not realising they’re actually asking you to work for free. Or they do but they don’t care.

Would you expect your hairdresser to cut your hair for free, and you can check if the husband likes it, and if he DOES…… THEN you will come back and pay for it?

Or your barista to make your morning coffee for free?

Or your doctor to fix you for free?

No.
Unless you’re an idiot.

This is what I do for a living. If I do it for you for free, it’s unfair to those people I do charge to do work for. It’s unfair to my partner who doesn’t get to see me for those extra few days it takes me to do your work, but there’s no payoff in that it doesn’t actually enable me to be able to buy FOOD for us this week. You’re also more inclined to ask for infinite revisions because you’re not paying for it. Even though it’s still actually costing ME.

Endrant.

]]> By: Bel http://whatever.scalzi.com/2007/01/23/what-to-know-before-you-ask-me-to-read-your-unpublished-work/#comment-234390 Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:28:02 +0000 http://whatever.scalzi.com/2007/01/23/what-to-know-before-you-ask-me-to-read-your-unpublished-work/#comment-234390 Maybe you could have a raffle entitled “The Simon Cowell book review” where each person pays like $5 for a chance to have you review their work, knowing full well you’re gonna give a “harsh” review (hence the title “The Simon Cowell book review). The winner gets your review of their book which they can then choose to have published as a blog on your site (if it’s mostly good). Or they can cry under the bed like a baby in anonimity (if they choose).

]]> By: Bruno http://whatever.scalzi.com/2007/01/23/what-to-know-before-you-ask-me-to-read-your-unpublished-work/#comment-210435 Tue, 13 Jul 2010 01:59:00 +0000 http://whatever.scalzi.com/2007/01/23/what-to-know-before-you-ask-me-to-read-your-unpublished-work/#comment-210435 Not much to add but the fact that you actually helped me with this article. =)

I’ve read it for sheer amusement, but you dropped a piece of wisdom when you said: “do not hand over unfinished pieces and ask for advice”, which is precisely what I’ve been doing with close friends of mine, and the reason why I stopped at chapter 3 and rewrote most of the story.

Guess we all need to see our flaws depicted somewhere else to actually perceive them as such. Thanks!

I will now write.

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