Cheeky devil
by Rob - January 14th, 2010.Filed under: Uncategorized.
An email exchange I had over the last day (an NDA is a “nondisclosure agreement”):
Him: “I have a screenplay that is written. My project would be very close to what seems to be at the heart of everything you are seeking to accomplish in your writings and if you are interested in reading it with the idea of collaboration, I would be happy to email it to you in exchange for a simple NDA.”
Me: “No, thanks. Best of luck, though!”
Him: “Just out of curiosity, why wouldn’t you want to explore what it is before saying no to it?”
Me: “Because (1) I’ve got way too many projects of my own; (2) you asked me to sign an NDA — which means you’re litigious, which means if I ever do anything remotely similar to what you’re doing, you’re going to claim it’s an infringement, and I’d rather not have a complete stranger staking out territory in my life.”
So there.
Visit The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site
and WakeWatchWonder.com
January 14th, 2010 at 2:53 pm
This guy gets props for ASKING before sending you the material. Unlike many others, I'm sure….
I get quite a few e-mails asking me to collaborate or give feedback on something, and hardly anybody knows who I am, so I cannot imagine the amount you must get.
I have found that the best way to deal with these requests is to offer a quote of my base rate or hourly wage for such projects — I almost never hear from anyone again.
January 14th, 2010 at 4:40 pm
haha, love it Robert!
January 14th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
ROFL, so true. First of all, you hit the nail on the head. Second, I'll never understand those people who think that they have something so special to share that they think you'll welcome their intrusions into your time. Time is the only non-renewable resource, ultimately, so to steal it is a crime.
Reminds me of one of your books . . . was it Starplex?
January 15th, 2010 at 9:59 pm
Bwa ha ha, and I bet it was a startlingly 'new' idea, too. Maybe it was about an evil author who never actually writes, but just steals manuscripts from his fans?