Valuing the Work: Writers and Chasing Our Way to the Bottom

For reasons various and sundry, I have a lawyer I consult with on Intellectual Property matters. Anyone who knows my publishing history can probably figure out why.

I got an invoice yesterday for $72, a charge for the time it took them to read and respond to an email of mine about a particular matter. I was not at all outraged or whatever by this – merely bemused. All we have on this earth is time, really, and when you take up people’s time, there’s a charge for it. What I found amusing is how...