HOW TO BE A WRITER (Little, Brown £16.99), Marcus Berkmann’s invaluable guide to the perils of the freelance life, has an ominous little sub-chapter entitled “Getting Paid”.
Its highlight, or nadir, is the story of the occasion, five years ago, when Berkmann () was rung up by “a languid posh bloke from ” and asked if he would like to write a humorous column for Saturday’s paper at a fee of £500 (good money, by the way.) Feigning nonchalance, yet secretly delighted at the prospect