webscab

[Clai Rice]

My sister sent me a new word making the round of the Sci-Fi
writers community. "Webscab" is the brain gem of Howard V.
Hendrix, who first posted it to a sfwa blog
http://community.livejournal.com/sfwa/10039.html
"I'm also opposed to the increasing presence in our
organization of webscabs, who post their creations on the
net for free.  .... Webscabs claim they're just posting
their books for free in an attempt to market and publicize
them, but to my mind they're undercutting those of us who
aren't giving it away for free and are trying to get
publishers to pay a better wage for our hard work."

A summary and responses can be found at
http://communities.canada.com/theprovince/blogs/readthis/archive/2007/04/14/webscabs.aspx
and
http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/web_tech/more_from_scab_writers_also_agents_editors_57051.asp?c=rss

Considering that the discussion about posting free material
to raise an audience is not new, it's interesting to see how
a well turned portmanteau can energize a tired topic.

Clai Rice

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org