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From: c549597@showme.missouri.edu [Barbara Becker]
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 1997 12:58:50 -0500
Fwd Date: Thu, 11 Sep 1997 00:17:54 -0400
Subject: Re: Writers & Fees

> Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 08:58:11 -0400
> From: BOB SHELL <76750.2717@compuserve.com>
> Subject: UFO UpDate: Re: The Question of UFO Witness Anonymity
> To: UFO UpDates - Toronto <updates@globalserve.net>

> >From: c549597@showme.missouri.edu [Barbara Becker]
> >Date: Mon, 08 Sep 1997 15:15:49 -0500
> >To: UFO UpDates - Toronto <updates@globalserve.net>
> >Subject: Re: UFO UpDate: Re: The Question of UFO Witness Anonymity

> Barbara,

> I do think it is important to shatter the stereotype many people
> have about how much money someone makes from a book.  I don't
> mean by this that people aren't influenced by money.  Certainly
> not.  I became a writer in the first place to make a living at it,
> and only realized later just how hard that really is.

I totally agree with you. Writing (or any of the arts) is a very
difficult profession.  You write first for yourself, and then pray that
somebody else wants to read it!  (Even buy it!)

> In an unrelated message posted here today, I see that someone is
> offering abductees $100 a week to spill their guts for a book.
> Now for me $100 a week would not serve as an incentive to do much
> of anything, but for many that may represent a lot of money, and
> making a public posting of such an offer is like saying "calling
> all wackos and nutcases.  I'll pay you to invent weird stories
> for me."  I'd never pay someone to be interviewed for a book.  This
> is bad journalism and a violation of basic journalistic ethics.

That post made me heart sick.  Not because it would be a "call
for all wackos" but because there will be real abductees out there who
just want someone to tell their story to.

> So, what we seem to be asking here is if Linda made money from
> Budd's book, and if so how much.  Am I right?

Its a consideration.

> My guess on this would be that if she did have an agreement with
> Budd to share the proceeds from the book, then neither of them
> would have gotten very much.  Think about it this way.  In the
> case of most books, the author will make around a dollar per copy
> in actual clear profits after paying the agent his/her fees.  Now
> if you sell a million copies, that ain't bad.  But most books sell
> in the thousands.  So, say it takes a couple of years of real work
> to write a book, and it ends up selling 20,000 copies.  The author
> has worked for less than minimum wage!!!!  And if that has to be
> split with someone else............   Need I say more?

I understand your point regarding the small percentage on royalties. But
didnt you just say that paying any amount is, "...bad journalism and a
violation of basic jounalistic ethics."  Doesn't that apply to Linda and
Budd?


> Bob


BB