Dubner Dodged a Bullet

Here's another story about a guy who wisely ignored the bad advice of a wise man: Hugo Lindgren (the guy who wrote Tyler's profile in New York Magazine) told Steve Dubner not to co-author Freakonomics!

It should be noted, however, that after I wrote the profile of Levitt, and we were talking about writing a book together, I asked Hugo for advice. He counseled me, quite strongly, against doing the book. Having already written two books, with a third well underway, he thought I was well past my days of co-authoring a book, especially with an academic, and that it might be a bad career move.

As smart as Hugo is, I am glad I did not listen to him on that one occasion.

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