What can you add to $128.74 worth of “insignificant” objects to make them worth $3,612.51? Turns out a story can make all the difference.
In the interview aired on NPR on Dec. 20th, Guy Roz shared details of the Significant Object Project:
So here’s how it works. They (Joshua Glenn and his collaborators) buy a knick-knack at a thrift store and match it with an author from big names like William Gibson to up-and-comers. The writer invents a story about the object, which then gets posted for sale on eBay. Glenn and Walker are trying to see whether adding a story raises the object’s price.
At the time of this posting, this "Just Married Cup's" bid stood at $81.
Some items enjoy a 2,706% increase in value based upon the stories that accompany them.
According to techdirt.com,
…some stories seem better than others at increasing the auction bids, but points out that: “If Rosenfeld’s success is any indication, these authors may actually get paid more for short fiction on eBay than they would at most publications.”
This could be an interesting new income stream for writers….
