“First, a little about the job of New Yorker staff writer. ‘Staff writer’ is a bit of a misnomer, as you’re not an employee,

“But rather a contractor. So there’s no health insurance, no 401K, and most of all, no guarantee of a job beyond one year.

“My gig was a straight dollars-for-words arrangement: 30,000 words a year for $90,000. And the contract was year-to-

“Year. Every September, I was up for review. Turns out, all New Yorker writers work this way, even the bigfeet. It’s

“Just the way the New Yorker chooses to behave. It shows no loyalty to its writers, yet expects full fealty in return.” - Dan Baum (via Rob)