The reserve army of labour – (latent)

Well, this is a new blip on the slow process of getting people paid recognition for work. There are a few other things like this – eg the publons rank graph too, though in all cases I’d prefer cash – even the ‘good old days’* of a couple of hundred dollars worth of books was not actually pay. This, however necessary and part of the business, remains a corvée system. Pretty much all editors, writers and reviewers are massively underpaid for the effort they contribute, and – just for casual comparative purposes – I’d like to see the salaries of the company management. I heard tell it was something near 7 figures. Now, how will I compare thee – a certificate of the recognition or 7 figs. Sigh.

* the good old days entailed some bad next days, like the one where my publisher took me to a NLB party one afternoon, then dinner and on to some boozy ending at 1am at the Alonquin bar tended by Jack and Clarence. Much hilarity, but a sore head the next morning. Some publishing heads surely have integrity, but the consolidation is such that now most (a narrow centralised cabal of conglomerate owners) are too corporate for words.