2003/05/10

Who's you?
Every year I get a mailing from Marquis Who's Who asking me if I want to update my biography. Since I haven't had a new book published since 1997, I never do, but what puzzles me is why they keep me in at all. I think I know why they invited me (and everybody else) in the first place: they figure we're all suckers for glory, and enough of us will buy their volume of bios at, currently, $300 -- members only, advance payment price. The rest of the nobodies who weren't even famous enough to be invited to this scam have to pay $749 so you can read about us. And that's the plain edition. Leather-bound deluxe will cost you $790. Meanwhile, you could go to your public library, click on Google and find out almost anything you want to know about anybody you've ever heard of, free. So how does Marquis Who's Who stay in business? Not with my help; since I never buy their book, why do they keep me in at all?

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