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Choosing beggars can be quite creative in their manipulative ways. Especially if they’re a writer.

This one self-published author got a hold of an editor’s contact info, so they went above and beyond trying to prove that their novel is so good, simply reading it is sufficient payment — it’s the next Twilight. You know, because that’s the standard all literature is to be judged against.

However, it’s funny they failed to realize that editors read between the lines, literally, for a living, so their nonsensical “arguments” won’t save them any money.

After the author texted everything they had to say (including the threats and insults), the editor shared their funny conversation on the subreddit r/ChoosingBeggars and it has become an instant classic. The bestseller already has over 32K upvotes!

Image credits: Unsplash (not the actual photo)

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Image credits: MomofEmma

u/MomofEmma, the Redditor and editor you see in this conversation, stressed that editing books isn’t their day job. “I have another career, but I have a master’s in English so I occasionally get referred editing work by friends (resumes, dissertations, short pieces of fiction),” u/MomofEmma told Bored Panda, adding that they have 15 years of experience in this field.

“Typically, I quote a price for my work; I do my editing and I request pay before releasing the edits back. It’s rare for a writer to just ask for spelling and grammar. Usually, I also look at word choice, organization, and flow; check for plot holes; and fact check.”

Despite u/MomofEmma’s long career, this is the first time that money has become such a huge issue. “A lot of times, even when I offer to do a small job for free for a close friend, the person insists on paying me,” the Redditor said.

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So far, they haven’t heard anything more from the writer — u/MomofEmma blocked them. “I did send the screenshots to my friend [who introduced us]. She was very apologetic. She told me the writer is a former student of hers, which confirms they are an adult because my friend teaches college. Apparently, she meant to send them my email address and accidentally linked my contact with my personal cell phone number. There are no hard feelings though. My friend is an awesome person,” the Redditor explained.

Whenever a story like this goes viral, I can’t help but wonder if choosing beggars even understand how absurd their demands are. And honestly, I don’t know which of the two is sadder.

People think this choosing beggar is out of their mind

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