All right, I'm speaking metaphorically, I probably don't want anyone to actually shoot Guardian columnist Simon Hoggart, despite this quote (which I found in Writers' News Magazine):
"My publisher, Atlantic, is generous, but I could never dream of earning a living from books. It's a hobby, which twice a year pays a cheque that might be quite nice or, sometimes, nonexistent. You have to look on your books as you do your children: you are delighted that they are there, but you wouldn't dream of making money from them."
This is a view that's out of step with today's marketplace and it helps maintain the image of the writer as a dabbler to be patted on the head rather than a professional who should be paid a reasonable sum for his or her work.
