Patrick and Mark both raise valid points. A dialougue does need to be opened between the VM's and the abstractors on a number of issues...not the least of which is price and quality of abstracts. If something is not done fairly soon, then Mark' s prognosis of the system becomes very possible. Mark is right in that abstractors should hedge their bet by expanding the services they offer into related fields. It gives them greater negotiating power on abstracting fees, gets them through the periodic slumps in business and provides alternate income in the event that prices of abstracts become so low that abstracting is no longer a viable career. Any abstractor relying on abstracting as a sole source of income may be in for difficult times in days to come if the current trend continues.