What It Is (posts below left; rate sheet, client list, other stuff below right)

My name is Bob Land. I am a full-time freelance editor and proofreader, and occasional indexer. This blog is my website.

You'll find my rate sheet and client list here, as well as musings on the life of a freelancer; editing, proofreading, and indexing concerns and issues; my ongoing battles with books and production; and the occasional personal revelation.

Feel free to contact me directly with additional questions: landondemand@gmail.com.

Thanks for visiting. Leave me a comment. Come back often.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

What Would Grind Your Guts about the Following Response to an Email?

Bob,

I had to file personal bankruptcy due to the business failure. I'm unemployed currently and have no means to pay you or anyone else.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

5 comments:

moi said...

That he eventually WILL be employed, so what he should have said was, "I'll get you on a payment plan. It may not be much at first, it may be slow, but I will eventually pay you, as I am honor bound to do."

Because not paying you is STEALING, and that, I believe, is against the law.

czar said...

Moi: That's essentially what I told him in my response. That sooner or later he'll be back on his feet, and that I trusted he'd do the right thing, and that I'm very, very patient. I find it interesting he's never said that I'd never see the money. For some reason, I'd shucking my typical lack of faith in humanity here.

Before I started working for this guy, I mentioned him to our mutual ATL client, who informed me that this guy's brother was a notorious bad actor in the publishing world for exactly this kind of behavior . . . and he was putting out corporate histories. RL said that he spent a lot of effort convincing people that RL's operations were not like this guy's brother's. (Twisted enough syntax there?)

moi said...

If the publishing world isn't incestuous, then it's most likely murderous. I don't know of any other industry in which this bit of poop – not paying people – would float.

Lou said...

That he sent it from a Blackberry? Last I checked, that is not an expense we can all afford and not something that should come before meeting your obligations.

czar said...

Lou:

Welcome, and bingo.