Writing one book is hard enough, but can you imagine anyone finishing 200,000 titles? Philip M. Parker, a professor at the Insead Business School in France, has more that 200,000 titles credited to his name and his publishing company, making him the most published author ever.
The only catch is, Professor Parker doesn’t actually write any of his books; he has designed a series of complicated computer programs which search online and compile vast quantities of raw information available in the public domain, and turn this information into books. Technically, Parker is a “compiler,” not an author, but the end result is the same.
A quick search of Amazon.com will reveal that Parker’s publishing company, Icon, has the most titles available in the online bookstore. Obviously, these books do not deal in fiction, and most are simply informational “guides” on a particular subject. And to bring down the cost of publishing so many titles, Parker uses print on demand, so that a book is only printed once a customer purchases it online.
The most profitable books published by Parker’s Icon company sell hundreds of copies, but others sell only a few or even a single copy. Even so, these books can still be profitable, as the print on-demand publishing method eliminates distribution and storage expense.
Many of his titles are volumes of information relating to medical disorders, or the practice of medicine in general, and are quickly snapped up by medical libraries. Parker concedes that many of his books are highly specialized, and are of limited interest at best. But what his publishing company lacks in public interest, they more than make up for in quantity. By publishing 200,000 books, a company can easily be profitable without any particular title becoming a bestseller.
When writing a book the “old-fashioned way” (actually typing or writing it), an author may need a year or more to research and complete a 200 page work. Parker’s multitasking computer programs, however, can “compile” a new book from information already available in the public domain in about 13 seconds. And this is exactly how Parker’s company has been able to publish 200,000 titles in just a few years — it’s all about the computer algorithms.
While traditional authors may scoff at this method of publishing, there is no denying that it is profitable, and it takes the vast majority of the research and writing work out of the hands of humans. As artificial intelligence programs continue to improve, we are likely to see more publishers using this compiling method to publish information.
The Writers Guild of America has suspended its strike, pending a new deal reached with television and film studios over distribution of content online. The writers will now receive 2% of the gross revenue earned by the studios from online advertising. Union leaders suspended picketing earlier today, and will vote on whether to formally end the strike Tuesday February 12th.
The writers returning to work is certainly good news for TV viewers. Over the last three months, the airwaves have been awash with re-runs and “alternative” programming. Ratings for many popular shows have suffered, and several new programs had their growing momentum stifled by the sudden walkout by the writers.
InformationWeek is reporting that the Writers Guild of America successfully negotiated a new three-year contract, which provides residual royalty payments for digital broadcasts and 2% of the advertising revenue from Internet distributed content. Streaming video, however, will be exempt from the deal for 24 days after a show’s initial air date.
The union voted to strike more than three months ago over a contract dispute which left television and film writers without compensation for their contribution to Internet created content. In other words, the networks were making money online by “re-purposing” television shows and films online — without compensating the writers.
The new deal, which has been tentatively approved by both Hollywood producers and union leaders, will be put to the WGA membership for an official vote as soon as tomorrow. Union leaders expressed confidence in the new deal, and are recommending their members approve the contract.
Although a full proxy vote by the WGA membership can take as long as two weeks to confirm, the union leadership is confident that at least some of the striking writers can return to work later this week, perhaps even by this Wednesday.
The real question now is whether the 14 week strike was worth it? Did the writers Union achieve their objectives?
Howard Rodman, a member of the Guild’s board of directors, said “it’s the best deal we could have gotten under the circumstances.” Rodman contends that without the strike, and the new three-year contract, writers would have been left out all of the shift taking place from old media (televisions for example), two new media (Internet and wireless phone content). “It… [The strike] …accomplished the main goal we wanted when we set out on strike.”
So for the time being, it seems that everyone is happy, and television and film studio production can resume as normal. Well, almost — the screen actors Guild contract expires in four months.
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The Writers Guild of America could go on strike as soon as the first of November, according to a recent article in the New York Times. The union, which represents television writers, recently voted to authorize union leaders to strike if their proposals are not taken seriously by studios and networks.
The writers are demanding new terms regarding Internet media writing, as well as a doubling of the current DVD residual payments. So far, the big networks have refused to even entertain the idea of increased compensation to TV writers, but they could be forced into considering these demands if the writers union decides to strike.
Television writers point out that network writing increasingly becomes a global industry, and is used in traditional broadcast formats, as well as in emerging Internet media formats. In other words, professional writers are observing that their work is used in a wider variety of contexts; however their residual rates have largely stayed the same.
In a statement last Friday, Writers Guild spokesperson Patrick Verrone indicated that the union did not wish to strike, but that they were resolved to defend union members interests, and if that included a full walkout, so be it. But if the writers do walk out in November, how would it affect primetime television and what would it mean to most viewers?
A shorter strike would probably be mostly unnoticeable to viewers, with most television shows getting by just fine for a week or two. But if the strike drags on for several months, it is likely that some of the best written shows on television would grind to an immediate halt. Writer-driven shows such as “Lost,” for example, would likely suffer the most.
So-called “reality” shows would fare the best during a strike, as their writers are nonunion. In fact, it seems likely that viewers will see an increase in reality television following any strike by the Writers Guild. For a market already saturated with “reality” shows, this could mean dark days ahead for television viewers. Any extended walkout by the writers would likely produce an increase in both reality television and animated programs, such as The Simpsons or Family Guy.
Game shows are also likely to benefit from any writers strike, and unfortunately, we can also count on seeing a great deal more reruns than we’re currently used to, as writers cease turning out new episodes of hit primetime shows such as “My Name is Earl,” or “Pushing Daisies.”
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Internet has made the task of self-publishing books easier than ever. Today, anyone who has access to computer and Internet can write a book and get it printed professionally by publishers. There are free software programs, like, Book Smart, available in the market, which can be downloaded from Internet and can be accessed by the writers for designing the layout of pages, editing photos, deciding upon the fonts, and background colors. Such software is suitable for writers who do not have any knowledge of designing templates.
Why go for self-publishing books?
There are many advantages of self-publishing books:
- Foremost, you have the sole ownership, and possess all the rights of your book, so you can set your own price of your book, and take all the profits alone.
- You have a complete control over the design of your book, wherein you can settle with your own formats.
- Going to a traditional publisher may take years to get your book launched, and being a self-publisher, you can get it launched in a few months.
- If you are a first time author, then self-publishing of books is the best for you to choose, as traditional publisher might not agree to come into a contract with you.
Steps to begin with self publishing of books
To begin with, you should first think about what you want to write. Moreover, after deciding about that, research about the topic, and begin the writing. After you are done with the writing part, then comes an editing procedure, wherein you need to have excellent skills to edit, and make the book perfect without any errors. For this, you can also hire someone to edit your manuscript.
The second step for self-publishing books involves finding a print on demand (POD) publisher. These POD publishers may take a fee for publishing your book, which may be approximately $700-$5000. The POD publishers are responsible for selling and distributing your book. So, choose a publisher that is under your budget and fulfills all your requirements.
Once you get into contract with POD publisher, you have to format, create a book cover, and upload your manuscript. Again, for creating a book cover, you can hire someone and let him or her come up with a professional look. Once your price of book is set, you need to order a copy of book and review it or offer the book-to-book club for review, and make sure that the book is error free, before it is released for sale in the market.
Now, the book is ready for distribution and it will take some time for your book to be approved by your distributor. With Amazon.com or Barnes & Nobles.com, it will take two-six weeks to pick up your book. At last, marketing of your book: you should get the word out about your new book on the market. Your whole profits are dependent on your marketing strategies. The more you advertise, the more you will earn.
Self-publishing a book is challenging especially for a first time writer, but is definitely a rewarding experience. So why not try it for your next writing project?
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Article writing may be a tedious job anyone could do. It requires concentration and a lot of practice in order to create one good article. But it’s also rewarding if you can come up with a good article and build a reputation in making one. The internet has opened a lot of opportunities for writers who don’t have the Stephen King status. Almost every website needs a writer to share ideas and write in their blogs. If you’re considering this type of career, whether part time or full time, here are some things that you could do.
Practice Makes Perfect
Ask any writer on how do they hone their skills in writing and their answer would be in the line like this, “if you want to be a writer, you have to write…a lot.” It’s almost impossible for anyone to know how to write without writing hundreds of thousands or even millions of words. Before you present yourself as an online article writer, you might want to try writing some things online. Create a blog and write the things that you like to talk about. That will be your practice site for your articles. Your friends could comment on the things that you wrote. If the blog looks good enough, you could use the blog as a reference for editors.
Read Like Crazy
To be able to write about something, it’s always important to stack your brains with information. If you’re considering online writing, you should be updated with the latest, not only in internet technologies but current news as well. You should require yourself reading books – whether trade or novel to give you the feeling on how do they present things. With updated information on things, you could write almost anything.
Publish Online
Now that you’ve read and wrote a lot, it’s time to tell the world what you know and what you can do with your pen (or keyboard). There are lots of article submission websites you can join. In these websites, submit at least one or two articles a week. If you’re serious about getting some nod in the internet, write everyday. The topics could be about anything but zoom in to a specific topic since you’re now writing about something and not just about any blog that you can rant. If any client would ask a sample of your work, you can refer them to these websites.
Join Forums
Look for forums dedicated for online article writers. Join as many groups as you can. In these forums, you can look for a job; ask some questions or even post answers and tips to other writers. Even though there are forums that don’t have a considerable amount of members, it still worth joining.
Never Forget to Share
Once clients start flowing in, do not forget to share. In various forums, you might find other article writers who can show great potential in writing. You can refer them to those that need more writers or assign them work and get a little commission for finding the client yourself.
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If you are a writer, it is worth while to study how to self-publish a book. Knowing the best methods to self-publish, you may be able to save a considerable amount of publishing related cost, which leads to high profits in a short span of time. Today, Internet has made everything easier in life, and publishing a book is not an exception, but only if one possesses proper knowledge about it, and know the hidden secrets responsible for its success.
Here are some of the secrets which can lead to success self-publishing:
Building a Website - Building up a website is not at all an expensive affair; you can easily build up a website for just $10, or maximum $200 for a high profile website. Your website will be seen to people 24 hours a day all seven days a week and will be the best way of advertising your book.
Printer on Demand - Finding a good printer-on-demand (POD) service can help a lot in your success to self publishing a book. POD gives you the freedom and options to choose and get your books printed, as per your need.
Maintaining a Customer List - Maintaining a customer list can help you with updating your customers about your new book or any information about the existing books.
Selling Books - After getting your book self published, you can get it listed on lulu.com or Amazon.com. Once your book is listed, spend time to sort out good keywords, with a catchy short description about the book. With this, the customers can easily approach your book that can result in increasing sale of your book.
Reading Thoroughly - Thorough reading will give you chance to correct any mistake or typo in the paragraphs and sentences that you have written. Reading is must if you are willing to make money through self-publishing a book and want to keep all the profits.
From past few years, self-publishing a book has became very popular as an alternative to standard publishing. However, for this, you need to do a lot from publishing, marketing, editing, designing, and printing to sell your books. So, if you are planning to self-publish a book, study the tips and strategies related to every step described above. No one can stop you from earning huge profits from well-planned self-publishing. At the same time, it will give great confidence in yourself, which may further motivate you to write a better book.
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Many people are looking for additional sources of income that they can do in their spare time from home. Freelance writing can be the perfect solution to this problem. In fact, many people begin doing freelance writing work for extra income and do so well that they eventually begin working from home just doing freelance writing jobs. If you have some writing skills and familiarity with the Internet, you can start landing some freelance writing jobs to bring in a few extra bucks. There are lots of different web sites and resources to get in the market so dust off your old dictionary and read the following tips to get you on your way.
Join Freelance Marketplaces – One of the best sources of freelance writing work are online freelance marketplace web sites. Some of the most popular web sites are Elance.com, Ifreelance.com, simplyhired.com and other popular web sites like craigslist.com. Most of these web sites allow you to bid on jobs. This can be a tricky way of getting some jobs but it is a great start for the entry level freelance writer. With so many people using these services, you often have to work for less than you’d hope for. New services pop up and may be a better source for getting more money but be wary of any new web sites and carefully read all the details. Some of these services require you to pay a membership fee.
Be Patient – Getting your first freelance job can be extremely difficult. You have to be very patient when looking for that perfect job. Building your portfolio of smaller, less exciting writing jobs may be required to start landing those jobs that you really want to do. After you have worked with various suppliers and have built a good relationship based on your excellent work, you will be their first choice and soon will have to pick which jobs you have time to take.
Produce High Quality Work – This may seem like a no brainer. The better work you produce, the better you will do in the freelance world. Unfortunately, many people doing freelance writing turn out less than perfect work because they are working in a hurry or don’t believe that they are being paid what their time is worth. In some cases, you aren’t going to be paid what you deserve. Especially in the beginning. You need to prove yourself first and develop good relationships. As you prove yourself to be dependable and a good freelance writer, many of your work suppliers will push higher paying work to you because they know they are going to get their money’s worth.
Create a Web Site – If you are really serious about a career in freelance writing, you should have a web site demonstrating some of your writing samples. Web sites can be created for a reasonable price and it shows your professional appearance. If you are unfamiliar with web creating, there are many free blog services that will give you the same effect.
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