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| "Sales Pitch" | |
|---|---|
| Short story byPhilip K. Dick | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fictionshort story |
| Publication | |
| Published in | Future Science Fiction |
| Publication type | Periodical |
| Media type | |
| Publication date | June 1954 |
"Sales Pitch" is ascience fiction short story by American writerPhilip K. Dick, first published inFuture Science Fictionmagazine, June 1954. The premise is the omnipresent, intrusive and even aggressiveadvertising andmarketing. At the end of the story, the protagonist is driven mad by a robot who can forcefully market himself, and refuses to take no for an answer. The subject was of concern to Dick, and features in his early works such asThe Man Who Japed.
In 1978, Dick said of the story:
When this story first appeared, the fans detested it. I read it over, perplexed by their hostility, and could see why: it is a superdowner story, and relentlessly so. Could I rewrite it, I would have it end differently. I would have the man and the robot, i.e. thefasrad, form a partnership at the end and become friends. The logic of paranoia of this story should be deconstructed into its opposite; Y, the human-against-robot theme, should have been resolved into null-Y, human-and-robot-against-the-universe. I really deplore the ending. So when you read the story, try to imagine it as it ought to have been written. The fasrad says, 'Sir, I am here to help you. The hell with my sales pitch. Let's be together forever.' Yes, but then I would have been criticized for a false upbeat ending, I guess. Still, the ending is not good. The fans were right."[1]
For a 1989–1990 radio series, Sci Fi Radio produced an audio play version of this story[2] which is now available for free download. The story was adapted byTony Grisoni for the episode "Crazy Diamond" of the 2017 TV seriesPhilip K. Dick's Electric Dreams.
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