Self-professed “rogue economist” Steven Levitt coauthored a book last year, Freakononics, that’s become quite popular (although at least one wiseguy disagrees with some of its key conclusions).
Levitt still teaches at the University of Chicago, so I thought I’d check what his speaking fee might be for our event in that city this summer. It’s $50,000, and that doesn’t include expenses. I had no idea sub A-listers charged this much. I mean, we’re a decently monied company and all, but that’s a wee out of our budget; we typically only grant small honorariums and cover travel and lodging expenses for any big-name headlining speakers we may procure.
The kindly woman at Levitt’s agency told me that instead, perhaps I would consider Levitt’s Freakonomics coauthor (and apparently the guy who actually wrote the book), Stephen Dubner. His fee? A modest $25,000.
My boss and I discussed our options and decided that we could instead just hire someone cheap with a dramatic voice to read passages from Freakonomics. Or we could take the Avenue Q route, get some stringy puppets and have a bawdy economic outlook onstage.