Re: The Idea

[DerEber]

PRR did you ever think about writing a book?
You should be able doing it by simpy taking your posts from here.

Think about it. I would buy one.

 

[PRR]

> I would buy one.

Terrific!

Do you have 4,999 friends?

> did you ever think about writing a book?

Often.

> You should be able doing it by simpy taking your posts from here.

Not that simple. Context would be lost; any quotes are not mine to publish, also if I were taking money I'd want to clean and expand and illustrate.

And the economics are bad.

From extensive forum postings I know just how fast I think and write. A "book" would be half-time for 6 months. I would want $10,000 for the work, or I would be cheating myself.

The going rate for book authoring, unless you are Steven King, is 2 cents a word or $2,000 per book. This has been true for a century.

If you self-publish, you are lucky to clear $2 per book, and without STRONG promotion and distribution you are liable to end-up with a garage full of un-sold copies.

Hence my estimate of needing to sell 5,000 copies of a book to feel it was worth the effort.

I can devise scenarios where I do very well; also disasters where I lose $6,000 and am crushed by unsold copies. I'm lazy, work in manic/depressive spurts, often drop a project before done.

I have a counter-proposal: a school. Instead of $25-$40 a book, I can charge $250-$500 per student for a dozen weeks; but far fewer students than book-sales. Say I could carry four courses of 30 students paying $300 per semester, two semesters a year. That's a good wage, but a LOT of work. Not just the teaching, but hustling 240 live bodies with money. For what I know, I don't think I could get my students in one room: there are not that many people in any metro area who could spare the money AND time to attend a classroom. Plus the cost of room and parking and insurance....

Anyway I have worked in a brick school for 30 years, and I think the idea of "going to class" is dying. The University of Phoenix has been taking money for on-line education for a decade. They get no respect from brick-schools; but my school's post-grad library degrees have been available 90% on-line for several years and have been very successful. I'm sure you agree that I can impart some electronic teaching in a purely on-line method. Hands-on sparks-and-smoke classes would be more fun, but also much harder to setup and much more dangerous.

I may, in a year or three, reach a point where I would have the time to work a book or an online school. So I'm thinking.

 

[zebra50]

Amen!

[Some years ago I co-wrote a postgrad academic book. I'd say PRR's guess of half time for half a year is about right - working in dribs and drabs ours took about 3 years to deliver. The print run sold out and I think it made 3 of us around £1000-1500 each in royalties over 3-4 years. Probably worked out at about £1 per hour...]

 

[Mbira]

Wow I didn't know writing was so unprofitable!  I guess the saying is true: words are cheap. 8)

Re: the class thing, PRR, I think one of the coolest things would be little electronic 'puzzles' that would help a person learn theory and how to do things in the real workd would be amazing.  I have a really hard time with pure math type books and even many of the books here that people consider 'basi' books.  It'd be great to be able to do fun things that are quick and easy and educational.

 

[dfuruta]

Forgive me for resurrecting an old thread, but
PRR:  ever thought about this again?  With the advent of crowd-funding (ie cash up front), would a book be more possible than it was a few years ago?

I mean, I've dropped a hundred on a book here and there, and I imagine that something laying out your rules of thumb for analysis and design would be a lot more useful than most of them were...

 

[JohnRoberts]

Forgive me for resurrecting an old thread, but
PRR:  ever thought about this again?  With the advent of crowd-funding (ie cash up front), would a book be more possible than it was a few years ago?

I don't know that crowd funding changes the dynamic, unless the investors forgo the expectation to finally make a profit.

I co-authored one book and wrote numerous articles, even a magazine column for a while. It was never about the authorship compensation. Kit articles were written to sell kits, even the book was used as a manual for the test equipment product.

I mean, I've dropped a hundred on a book here and there, and I imagine that something laying out your rules of thumb for analysis and design would be a lot more useful than most of them were...

A more practical business model is PRR acting as a personal "answer man" (AKA consultant). Consultants often charge hundreds of dollars an hour for circuit designs, but perhaps a lower standard of accountability (consultants are responsible for the advice they give), and reduced scope could turn this into a modest priced gig business model... Maybe paypal PRR $25 or $50 depending on how hard the question is and he provides a personal answer.  Or ask the question and he negotiates the rate per question.

Of course it will be hard to get them to buy the cow when they get the milk for free here.

I think there are website markets for consultants to hook up with companies to perform some predefined design task. This might be similar to that but on a less professional scale. 

JR

PS: I personally decline to provide answers to private off list questions (except for old personal friends)  since I like the way that the whole community can benefit from publicly posted answers here,,,, but then again nobody is asking me. 

 

[dfuruta]

I don't know that crowd funding changes the dynamic, unless the investors forgo the expectation to finally make a profit.

Seems to me that crowd funding usually isn't about making a profit;  on kickstarter, for example, most of the time one gives money with only the expectation of receiving the product (not getting a share in the company or any financial return).  The advantage, of course, is that it displaces the financial risk away from the person with the product, as they know prior to spending money on manufacturing that a certain number of sales are guaranteed.

You know this, of course - just explaining why I thought it was relevant towards PRR's comments above.

The great thing about this forum is the knowledgeable members willing to offer so much wisdom for free - you, PRR, abbey road, S Groner, and everyone else...but, I've always found longer-form, more systematic texts to be easier to learn from than ad hoc answers and scattered bits of theory.  My priority (true for many of us here, I hope) is to learn about audio electronics overall, rather than to get one particular project working.

 

[bluebird]

A Paypal contribution button replacing the "like" button, or an addition to it would be an interesting idea. I'm sure people like John or Paul would at least get some beer money or even some decent compensation for all the knowledge they have shared. I know I would be willing to throw in a dollar or two for a helpful post if all it took was me hitting a Paypal button.

Only problem I could see is a way too many answers and "helpful" people popping up fishing for donations. Perhaps there could be a minimal post amount or time active on the forum to qualify for the donations.

Just an "idea"


P.S. sorry for the Paypal endorsement (I know a couple of you hate it) I just don't know of another way to easily donate money that's as popular or universal.

 

[living sounds]

The "school" idea sounds great, and you don't need to invest much time or money to start it. Just make a few online videos, do teasers, and charge a little money each for streaming or downloading the full version. Maybe advertise a little on science/electronic centered podcasts and/or websites. If it works, expand it. If it doesn't do well, the videos already there may still create some passive income ten years from now.

 

[dfuruta]

I don't know;  I feel like people are still willing to pay for books but expect videos to be free.

 

[JohnRoberts]

A Paypal contribution button replacing the "like" button, or an addition to it would be an interesting idea. I'm sure people like John or Paul would at least get some beer money or even some decent compensation for all the knowledge they have shared. I know I would be willing to throw in a dollar or two for a helpful post if all it took was me hitting a Paypal button.

Only problem I could see is a way too many answers and "helpful" people popping up fishing for donations. Perhaps there could be a minimal post amount or time active on the forum to qualify for the donations.

Just an "idea"


P.S. sorry for the Paypal endorsement (I know a couple of you hate it) I just don't know of another way to easily donate money that's as popular or universal.

We don't do this for beer money... If you feel like you benefited from this forum send some money to Ethan.

JR

PS: I had few six-packs of beer show up in the mail, but this was from another forum (professional sound reinforcement).  Sending beer to me is like carrying coals to Newcastle.

 

[bluebird]

We don't do this for beer money... If you feel like you benefited from this forum send some money to Ethan.

I didn't mean to belittle your contribution here. I feel like I contribute to the forum by clicking on the ad's I see every once in a while. I'd rather contribute actual money to an individual I feel adds value to the forum personally. If anyone could understand this concept I would think it would be you. But if your too good for my money, so be it.

 

[JohnRoberts]

We don't do this for beer money... If you feel like you benefited from this forum send some money to Ethan.

I didn't mean to belittle your contribution here.

Sorry, to be more clear. I am not talking about you I am talking about me... "I do not do this for monetary compensation." In fact if people sent me money I would feel obligated to check my math and give more accurate answers.  ;D ;D ;D (I have actually done paid consulting over the years),

Another distinction is when performing paid consulting the customer just wants a working solution, not an education for why that is the right solution. Here hopefully we are (I am) paying forward some of the mentoring and help we (I) received when starting out by giving the next generation a helping hand. I know I received plenty of help (at least in my earlier years) and feel an obligation. 

I feel like I contribute to the forum by clicking on the ad's I see every once in a while. I'd rather contribute actual money to an individual I feel adds value to the forum personally. If anyone could understand this concept I would think it would be you. But if your too good for my money, so be it.

Yup, that's me.... too good for your money... (seriously?)

Send any compensation you feel I earned to Ethan (to help pay the light bills around here)...

If I wanted more cash (and who doesn't), I'd spend more time marketing my drum tuners (on a drum forum) to drummers.... instead of  pondering economics etc  here.

Maybe that should be my new years resolution this year.

Merry Christmas all... (and buy my drum tuners  8) ).

JR

 

[bluebird]

Sorry, to be more clear. I am not talking about you I am talking about me... "I do not do this for monetary compensation." In fact if people sent me money I would feel obligated to check my math and give more accurate answers.  ;D ;D ;D (I have actually done paid consulting over the years),

Another distinction is when performing paid consulting the customer just wants a working solution, not an education for why that is the right solution. Here hopefully we are (I am) paying forward some of the mentoring and help we (I) received when starting out by giving the next generation a helping hand. I know I received plenty of help (at least in my earlier years) and feel an obligation

I honestly don't think it would be that serious. I mean there's a Paypal donation button at the bottom of this page and I'm sure Ethan doesn't feel obligated to make sure all the answers on this forum are correct!

too good for your money... (seriously?)

Awe, that's just me being overly sensitive.

Sometimes I just wish there was a more personal way to show appreciation to some of the heavier contributors here, and since everyone's always joking about how poor they are (this is a DIY forum) a little cash might be nice.

But I digress.

Merry Christmas.
Ian

 

[s2udio]

I honestly don't think it would be that serious. I mean there's a Paypal donation button at the bottom of this page and I'm sure Ethan doesn't feel obligated to make sure all the answers on this forum are correct!

I am sure Ethan would well appreciate your donation..
Its up to you to gain the correct knowledge, not Ethan .
Just being a member posting valuable knowledge here is worth a donation.

 

[bluebird]

I am sure Ethan would well appreciate your donation..

Of course!

Its up to you to gain the correct knowledge, not Ethan .

Yes, of course!

Just being a member posting valuable knowledge here is worth a donation.

Exactly what I'm trying to say!

 

[kambo]

I may, in a year or three, reach a point where I would have the time to work a book or an online school. So I'm thinking.

Amen to this 

 

[Whoops]

Hi PRR,

I really think crowd funding really brings something new to the table at least in minimizing the risks of investment in a book.
And I'm guess a lot of people around here would be interested, not 5000 for sure.
But imagine if you propose to do a book and ask for a fund of 50 dollars for each person, if 100 people are interested and fund you , then you will have $5000 without even having the book written, that will be a good financial base to start up the book project.
I would fund you for sure.

As for the Lessons/online school, tuition, I would love to be your student, and I would pay the amount you suggested for semester although I live in Europe and as myself a lot of people that could be interested would not be able to physically attend classes, so probably a type of online tuition would be the best option.