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Work For Hire is a Bad Ideal

Authors should never write as “Work For Hire” because it demeans their aesthetic and demands they are nothing more than ordinary laborers with no investment in the future profitability of the project.

It is hard to persuade new writers away from the “Work For Hire” carrot because the initial, solitary, payment can be more immediately enticing than lower upfront money against a future royalty percentage.

If you get royalties you are in partnership with your publisher.  If you are “Work For Hire” you’re used up when you’re done writing.

Publishers live to exploit that hungry author desire for fast money now — and in the process of the “Work For Hire” hiring — the author not only loses a potential profit bonanza, but also sells out their self-respect, self-worth, and fellow authors.

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Daring David Pogue

We just finished writing the Google Apps Administrator Guide for Thomson Publishing and we are now Daring David Pogue.  We have composed the following missive to the master Mac author:

Dear David Pogue:

We are daring you — actually, DOUBLE SECRET daring you (and when “we” say dare we mean “I’ but there is more power in the collective imagination) — to ignore us.

We are coming at you — hard and heavy in all your safe places and in The New York Times Square tower — by writing two new Apple books for Thomson/Cengage Publishing due to hit international bookshelves soon:

Picture Yourself Learning Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard

and

Picture Yourself Learning Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac

We are hungry.  We are dedicated.  We are fast.  We will outlive you!

Thank you.

Sincerely,

David W. Boles (aka “The WordPunk“) Boles Books Writing and Publishing http://BolesBooks.com

NOTE: We have yet to actually send that note directly to Mr. Pogue for we are in fear of appearing ungrateful and inappropriate in the light of our ongoing love of his previously hard-won books on the Mac OS and Apple.

P.S.: We also mention here and now we are writing another new book for Thomson called Picture Yourself Learning American Sign Language, Level 1 and it includes a Bonus DVD for learning the signs and phrases.  Janna M. Sweenie is once again our co-author after our raging success writing Hand Jive:  American Sign Language for Real Life together.

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Royalty Advances and the Uncertain Author

Book royalties from computer book publishers to authors have precipitously diminished over the last decade and so have “cash advances” against those future royalties.

Ten years ago, a first time author could expect to get at least a $15,000.00 USD advance against royalties with royalties starting at 8% and rising to 12% or even 15%.

Continue reading → Royalty Advances and the Uncertain Author

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Web Cruelty 2.0 and the Myth of Kindness

I’ve written a lot about how cruelty has ruined Web 2.0:

Hate Mail and Spam
Why Do You Hide Your Identity?
Impulsive Web Rage
Anti-Social Networking
Sycophants in Rejection: Making Terroristic Threats

Continue reading → Web Cruelty 2.0 and the Myth of Kindness

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Text is Tricksy and I am Not Kidding

Know this universal warning:  Beware of words and their meaning!  Words are tricksy.  Text is culturally malleable!

A UK associate and I exchanged email the other day.  I live in the USA.  He lives in the UK.

Continue reading → Text is Tricksy and I am Not Kidding

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Haunted by Words

Sometimes we are unaware of what we have written.

Our words always become ghosts to us and they haunt us in the quiet moments if we are not cogent of their power to harm when we create meaning by solidifying thoughts into form and placing words against each other for context.

Continue reading → Haunted by Words

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No More Anonymous Posting

We have decided to require registration before you can comment on your favorite Urban Semiotic blog. Spam has been increasing a lot lately and by requiring registration we are better ensuring we know who is commenting on our articles.

If you already have a WordPress.com account you don’t need to do anything!

Just make sure you’re logged in before you submit a comment and you’re good to go — the first time you post a comment after registering your comment will be held in moderation. Then, once you clear moderation, you will be able to post as you wish.

Continue reading → No More Anonymous Posting

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The Universal Guide for Textual Laughing

Laughter is a great salve against the pain within and threats from the outside in — but laughter can be hard to effectively communicate in a text form — so, to assist you in the release of antigens against the toxins, I have created: The Universal Guide for Textual Laughing. 

Continue reading → The Universal Guide for Textual Laughing

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One Voice One Blog One Reader

Do you own blog? If yes, why? How often do you post new material to your blog? Do you go beyond yourself in your blog posts or do you just document the moments of your day?
Do you read other blogs? If yes, how many do you read every day?

Continue reading → One Voice One Blog One Reader

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CBS News Links Urban Semiotic

When you write a blog you always wonder who is reading you and why and if what you create is making a difference or not. Here in your favorite Urban Semiotic we work hard to provide you new thoughts in the form of fresh articles seven days a week. We average between 5,000 and 7,000 new words for your eyes and mind every week.

That’s a lot of original writing you get for free and it takes a massive effort to produce. Yesterday the following comment was published in our Info Area:

CBS News linked Urban Semiotic? What fantastic news! We live for links. We crave links. We are whores for links. Links provide relevance.

Links are validation that your thoughts and wonderings are shared by others with like minds or minds that enjoy challenging you on their site with their own musings.

Continue reading → CBS News Links Urban Semiotic