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1 Mil = One-Tenth of a Cent


by Daniel Harris


I calculated my profit if one could call it that at 3mils per word. You can do the math 4500 words x 3 mils per word equals 4500 x 0.3. My latest 4500-word story @ 3 mils/word = $135.

It's waiting to be published. If one calculates the time 100 hours x .3 equals 30 mils/hr 3 cents an hour, not bad, but a 16 oz jar of Jiff at Walmart costs $2.19. Too rich for my blood.

My monthly nut is about 3k. If I could jettison my spouse, I could reduce that to 1800-2000 per month, but then I would lose my best editor.

On the cheap, living in a floating hulk I could get by on $750 a month. Which is less than half my SS allotment, assuming I work 8 hours a day on my writing and earn 3 mils per word and write 1800 salable words per day at 3mils/word I should survive.

Everything works until the 20%'ers get their claws into the stew. Then it collapses.

My painting isn't much better. Sell a painting for $150. Pay 50% to gallery, deduct $45 for matting and framing, $20 for materials, and pocket $10. 16 hours' time at $0.6255/hr.

Deduct 60% for corruption, (they rented the painting to a real estate agent for two months for $1000/month—I saw nothing, they rented the picture twice to interior decorators for $500 a photo shoot, I saw nothing), now cat food sounds good.

My cat and I share a Fancy Feast Turkey with Cheddar. He looks at me, wondering where the rest of his dinner is.

Thankfully I don't have to share my Jim Beam with the cat.



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