Doc's Place

Chapter 1 | Part 5

Saturday, September 15, 1984

"If I achieve both hidden objectives, then you pay me periodic bonuses. As you mentioned, my salary for eighteen months is forty-five. The bonus is three payments of thirty each, payable at six, twelve and eighteen months."

Obviously enjoying himself, Peter says, "Good idea to use local media as a reference for whether Ferro"s intent to sell is still secret. How a communication manager expects to keep profit steady, however, is beyond me."

"Let"s postpone discussion about how I might accomplish either objective until we agree upon my compensation, Mr. Marriott. I recommend a total compensation of a hundred and thirty-five thousand."

"Too steep. I can beat that with my own staff. We pay you two bonus payments of thirty apiece at nine months and eighteen months. That's still a total of a hundred and five thousand, Jill."

"Publish Doc's Talks out of Ferro offices in Las Vegas and the Reno business editors will spill your secret in three months. Besides, a legal staff can't write award-winning copy with local flair," I tell him. "My offer to keep profit steady actually provides a return on your investment you did not intend. That alone is worth the extra thirty."

He takes a notepad and a fountain pen from his pocket, removes the cap and jots notes, scribbles some numbers and looks up. He looks at his calculations, seeming to ponder them for a moment and says, "Too high. My offer of a hundred and five thousand for eighteen months is fair, Jill."

"It's a fair offer for keeping the sale out of the media," I tell him. "You pay me the two bonuses of thirty each at six and twelve months. If profit as a percent of revenue has remained steady throughout the eighteen months, pay me the last bonus. If it hasn't, then don't." Wait as he glances at his notebook. "Now that's fair, Mr. Marriott."

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

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Doc's Place Chat
© 2008, Michel Grover.
Chapter 1 | Part 5
Early 2008

Mic :

In the left frame, I'm posting Doc's Place, one of my copyrighted stories. I'll post a part of a chapter, wait for a while so people may leave comments or questions and then post those I find interesting.

Les :

Salary figures are within range for the mid-1980s but those bonus figures seem high, especially for a woman, no offense.

Jill :

Unique circumstances. Figured Peter had eliminated all other prospects. Also, back in those days, I actually gave a shit how much money I made. Later, I didn't.

Steph :

Why not?

Les :

Only reasons I can think of for not caring about money is being stupid, crazy or a liar. Which?

Ben :

Or rich. For instance, Jill is the JP of JP Performance.

Les :

Oh, okay. It's privately held, been around for 45 years, worth over a billion dollars.

Ian :

Explains why you negotiate so confidently. You don't give a shit.

Steph :

Jill, I had no idea.

Mic :

People, it's not a disease or inherited. Jill started at age 6 with $19 in her bank account.

Raj :

What was your net worth when you were negotiating terms with Peter Marriott in 1984?

Jill :

Couple hundred million.

Steph :

Why don't you hire an established author, Jill, instead of this pea-brained druid?

Jill :

Developing my story on-line, in real time like this, becomes an extension of me, as McLuhan suggested.

Carlo :

The medium is the message.

Jill :

Or as McLuhan said it, ". . . the personal and social consequences of any medium—that is, of any extension of ourselves—result from the new scale that is introduced into our affairs by each extension of ourselves, or by any new technology." If you want a straightforward explanation, link to the article by Mark Federman.

Les :

I must admit, I never knew that McLuhan's quote, "the medium is the message," meant that any new invention is an extension of ourselves into the world. What do you get out of developing your story on-line, Jill?

Jill :

I tell my story in an interactive, fluid medium that both determines and affects the way I tell it, as I tell it.

Maria :

And our moderately profane scribe, what does he get?

Jill :

Mic gets published, maybe.

Steph :

Your supporting him galls me.

Jill :

Mic hasn't received a penny from me and he won't unless I buy one of his books if and when he's ever published. He takes a risk putting his stuff out there, just like anyone does.

Ian :

Why haven't you been published before, Mic, ya freakin' loser?

Mic :

They just don't comprehend. I'm misunderstood.

Steph :

You're pathetic.

Lucia :

He's kidding, Stephanie. My god woman, don't you ever laugh? When's the last time you grokked anything?

Ian :

When you say irony, Stephanie says, "I have my Nicaraguan maid do it."

Carlo :

Stephanie thinks subtle means marrying a rich dork and having two, beautiful children.

Ben :

Now, now, I'm sure the woman can think of something original. Stephanie?

Mic :

Let's stop berating the obvious, and no, Stephanie, I will not post that. Sheesh.

Benny :

I'm 12yrs old and I live in a city. I'd like to comment on the medium is the message discussion earlier. The interview with Peter shows us how to understand this site. Consider some examples.

Peter sets up the interview like an obstacle course, similar to the criteria for joining this discussion. Jill bypasses the obstacles and moves into Peter's space. Those of us who have entered this discussion did so in a similar manner.

Jill breaks the rules for an employment interview, similar to the manner in which this site breaks the rules for publishing one's work. This site attempts to create an audience using this relatively new medium so that the traditional medium may notice that audience and offer to publish to that audience.

Jill doesn't want to take over the interview and run it; she doesn't want a pissing match with Peter. Instead, she ignores interview conventions and goes right for the objectives. Mic may be a dick, but he doesn't want to oppose the publishing industry. He simply ignores convention and goes for the objective—to make money for a publisher by creating a market audience for a book that if/when it exists, will have a market ready and waiting.

Les :

I'm not sure I agree, Benny. Maybe I don't understand. How does Jill break the rules in the interview?

Raj :

Also, you're 12. What do you know about employment interviews?

Doug :

For that matter, what do you know about business and marketing? You sound like an officious little prick trying to pass himself off as a 12yr old kid from the projects.

Benny :

I may have never been in an interview, but I've heard and read about them. Jill doesn't begin the interview by sitting in a chair, facing the interviewer and waiting for questions. As I said, she moves into his space, doesn't sit and begins talking.

Forced to concede that he has lost initiative, Peter tries to regain control of the interview by moving it to the room's other setting. However, in Part 3, Jill begins asking questions. When he finally does ask a question, Jill refuses to answer, saying it's not relevant. Does any of that sound like she's following rules?

Interviewees don't set rules in any employment interview I've ever heard of or read about, yet Jill sets rules. In Part 4, she ignores Peter's initial proposal, then places it in context and restates objectives. She also flatly contradicts him. Here in Part 5, Jill tells Peter to postpone discussion about how to achieve objectives until they agree on her compensation. She's setting rules for the interview as it develops. That's breaking the rules or at least ignoring convention.

Carlo :

You've extracted a lot from this description, Benny. Are you sure you're not older?

Steph :

You act almost as if you were there. We only have Jill's account of the interview.

Lucia :

Benny has stated a premise and supported that premise with logical arguments, people. He said he's 12. Give the kid a break, for hell's sake.

Since I'm at it, why am I stepping in here? I'm not the moderator of this discussion. Mic, are you even conscious?

Mic :

Lucia is right, people. Benny clearly stated and logically supported his premise.

Lucia :

Boy, that's telling them.

Mic :

Damn right.