Are you interested in writing for Bill James Online?

            Here’s the deal.  At this point, we can’t afford to pay you.   We have 1500 subscribers as of now and expenses averaging about $8,000 a month, so. . .do the math; we’re losing money.  

            It is difficult for us to pay you, or pay you very much, as long as we are losing money.   Also, we are reluctant to make promises that, in the nature of the world, it may not be easy to pay off.

            I’ll tell you a story about when I was a young writer.  In 1975 I decided to try to make a living as a writer, so I looked around for small publications where I might be able to get published.  One place I found was called The Baseball Bulletin.   I don’t think it exists anymore; if it does, they don’t have much of a presence.

            Anyway, I contacted the editor, a man who shall remain nameless to protect the guilty (Eliot Cohen), and he said “Sure, send us some articles.”  I started writing articles for them, a regular column.   I wrote some good stuff for them.. .the first publication of a Runs Created formula, I think, and also the first publication (I believe) of the Pythagorean formula.   They didn’t pay me anything, but once in awhile Cohen would send me a note re-assuring me that, once The Baseball Bulletin started to make money, I would be paid.

            And I was--$10.   $10 an issue, actually, for three issues.   Then they fired me. 

            Wait a minute; I’m not finished.   Later on, when I got to be kind of famous, they pulled out the old articles and re-published them.   And used my name in their advertising. . .we have columns by Bill James.  

            I’m not angry about this experience; they gave me a place to publish my stuff when I was just starting out, and that was all I was trying to get out of that.  On the other hand, I don’t really want to treat you that way, if you are today a young writer.   I want you to understand that what we’re offering you is a chance to publish some of your stuff and get reaction to it, and anything beyond that is kind of speculative.   We hope to find some young writers who are worthy of being paid, and we hope to make enough money to pay you a little bit.   It is the literal embodiment of the audacity of hope.

            If, on that unpromising premise, you would like to publish some of your stuff here and get some reaction to it, then send me an e-mail (see that “contact us” link?) and I’ll get back to you with an article outlining what it is that we are looking for.   Thanks.