This reminds me of a recent experience. I was sent an email for a personal development course that I was somewhat interested in. The descriptions of the course, though, had a few errors and so I emailed the program developer and said, I noticed some pretty small bit important typos in your course description. They’re here, here, and here. Is there anyway I can have a sneak peak at the course to see if it’s something I really want to pursue? I thought he might appreciate my tips. Whether he did or didn’t, I don’t know, but he wrote back, If you’re wasting your time on small errors like that your putting your efforts into the wrong areas.
In some sense, I understand what he was saying, but I still think it’s important to be aware of your final product and image.
This also reminds me of value. You speak about it a lot, and so does Jim Rohn. It’s one thing to do a great job and spend a lot of time producing things of a high quality, but if they aren’t valued highly by other people (or in the marketplace) then you probably won’t get what you want in return from them, that is unless you just want the self satisfaction of knowing that you’ve done something well. For me, and many others I think, that’s kind of a hard pill to swallow.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment @boxcarblue!
I suppose I would call myself a "trend observer" in some fashion... always looking at patterns and trying to recognize where there are subtle changes happening.
It seems that we live in a world where everything is "shortening." And so, there is less and less time, because we have to parse more and more "items" in the same number of hours. As a result, I suppose it has to follow that yours and mine — when it comes to quality/value — are ways that are becoming obsolete... not because they are not appreciated, but because the context within which we operate has changed.
I am currently editing a book manuscript for three early thirty-something guys writing about their industry... and they are totally amazed at how I could pick their manuscript apart and "perfect" it. But there's a... conflict... there: although they admire the heck out of what I did, they have neither the time or patience for it.
And you're right, it's a hard pill to swallow. I am going to get $400 for this editing gig... 20 years ago, I would have gotten $1,000 because what I provided was considered essential; today it is merely considered nice, but a bit of a cog in the wheel.
Like your recent experience... "good enough," is good enough, and I have to somehow make peace with that. Meanwhile, if I want to leave you a 250-word reply rather than just saying "thanks for the comment," that's now the sort of arena in which I can tell myself "yes, that was the right thing to do."
I wonder if “shortening” and “becoming more efficient” are the same thing or different. I can’t really tell anymore. The turn over and pace of things is certainly faster than ever, and volume seems to take precedence these days: get yourself out of obscurity, be known, be relentless, be bold. If you make a mistake, move on quickly. People forget quickly so it’s okay.
I can and can’t comprehend it. I feel like it’s something I can and can’t work with. I’m right on the cusp of this generation gap.
I guess one problem in the scenario you described is that, while good writing is essential, it doesn’t necessarily lead to, or have any connection with, increased sales. That’s why it seems inessential.
I think if you had a reputable name on social media and the manuscripts had your name on them you could charge more for saying you edited them while not even looking at them. Perhaps that’s why having a legitimate way to measure a person’s reputation is more important these days.