I'm Not Paying That Much For Something I Could Make! (A Common Refrain of Fake Outrage)

If you've ever attended a convention or a craft show, you've heard some variety of the following exchange. Maybe you were a person working a booth, or maybe you were just walking by in the aisle, but at some point in time you likely heard someone ask a creator how much something was, be quoted a number, and then that someone scoffed at the price like they'd misheard. And at some point in the exchange, they said some variety of the following.

"That's ridiculous, I could make this."

And let's give this mysterious person the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they could draw that drawing, crochet that stuffed animal, write that novel, or pen that tabletop RPG. It's not out of the realm of possibility. But they didn't... and if you can do it yourself, and you don't want to pay someone else for what they made, then go do it yourself.

But they won't. And if you ever hear someone say this to you, understand that they're trying to make you think your work is worth less than it is.

Perhaps you can. But you didn't. So either pay the fee, or walk.

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If You Can, Then Go Do It

I've made this comparison before, but at the risk of overstepping a line, authors, artists, and creators of all stripes hear a lot of the same indignant arguments that sex workers do from people... and it's usually for the same reason. Whether it's, "Oh, I could never charge people for doing that," or, "What am I paying you for? I could probably do this at least as well as you are," these statements are insults designed to make you lower your prices, or give the person something for free. And for some reason, a lot of us will cave, and do just that.

Maybe you think this person will enjoy the thing you made so much that they'll see how wrong they were. Maybe you're trying to be the bigger person. Whatever the reason though, if someone tries to use any of these lines on you, then show them the door, because they aren't a customer. They aren't even a potential customer. They're just trying to browbeat you into giving them something for nothing. Period.

And if you do it, all they'll remember is that you cave to being bullied.

You could kick them down a dark hole. That works too.

Now, you should absolutely charge a fair rate for the art you make. You should also ensure that you aren't spending more money than you're making just to get copies out to people. However, when someone comes up to you and insults your work (even if they veil the insult as something self-deprecating, or they try to make it out to be a joke) there is no further conversation to be had. The price is what it says on the tag... or it should go up just for them. They wanted special treatment, after all, and you can give it to them!

If you're an author, you're going to experience this behavior a lot. You're going to get random "book reviewers" sliding into your DMs and demanding you mail them physical copies of your manuscript, then getting angry when you tell them no, you aren't interested. You're going to have people at conventions lowball your books, as if the price isn't clearly marked. You're going to run into people on social media who demand free copies, then accuse you of using AI to write your books (even if the publication date predates modern generative AI programs, and they're clearly marked with No AI).

If you've ever worked retail, you recognize these folks. They're the loud, abrasive people who demand you honor expired coupons, or who want their meals comped because they deigned to come into the dump you run. They're the people who throw fits when they aren't catered to, and who storm out claiming you just lost a customer, even though they've never bought anything from you.

Now, I don't know why so many people feel so entitled to treat creators this way... but I see it happening more and more often. Not only that, but the most common excuse is that they could do the same thing you did, so they shouldn't have to pay the price you're asking.

But at the end of the day, you made something and they didn't. If they're willing to put in the time, sweat, and grueling effort it took you, they're welcome to do so. But if they want your book, your art, your game, etc., then they have to pay the same price as everybody else for it.

Don't budge. Give them an inch, and they will absolutely take a mile!

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That's all for this week's Business of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sci-fi dystopian thriller Old Soldiers, the Hardboiled Cat series about a mystery solving Maine Coon in Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

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