$1,000 a Line

Back in 2021, I sought permission to use two lines from the 1962 hit The End of the World in my forthcoming book. I was quoted $2,000, with $200 up front. I said to my managing editor that the cost was "breathtaking". "It's not cheap," he said. OBSERVATION: I thought of a good solution: say goodbye to two lines of my book. It wouldn't be the end of the world.