Comments on: What will you give to the public domain this year? http://www.wisemandarine.com/what-will-you-give-to-the-public-domain-this-year/ none the wiser Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:51:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 By: Fred Vargas, Sans Feu ni Lieu (1997) « Smithereens http://www.wisemandarine.com/what-will-you-give-to-the-public-domain-this-year/#comment-8717 Fred Vargas, Sans Feu ni Lieu (1997) « Smithereens Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:35:16 +0000 http://www.wisemandarine.com/what-will-you-give-to-the-public-domain-this-year/#comment-8717 [...] in by the story, and the reader’s voice was warm and charming… And now that I know, through Mandarine, that so many copyright-free books are available on Librivox and others, maybe one day, I’ll [...] […] in by the story, and the reader’s voice was warm and charming… And now that I know, through Mandarine, that so many copyright-free books are available on Librivox and others, maybe one day, I’ll […]

]]> By: mandarine http://www.wisemandarine.com/what-will-you-give-to-the-public-domain-this-year/#comment-8673 mandarine Thu, 10 Jan 2008 12:47:48 +0000 http://www.wisemandarine.com/what-will-you-give-to-the-public-domain-this-year/#comment-8673 Oh, I'm glad, I'm so glad! Oh, I’m glad, I’m so glad!

]]> By: Emily Barton http://www.wisemandarine.com/what-will-you-give-to-the-public-domain-this-year/#comment-8671 Emily Barton Thu, 10 Jan 2008 11:54:59 +0000 http://www.wisemandarine.com/what-will-you-give-to-the-public-domain-this-year/#comment-8671 It isn't so much a worry that what I have out there is in the public domain, because I know that by law here, as soon as you write something down, it's copyrighted. It's a worry that anyone could take it, claim it was his/hers, and I'd have no idea unless I want to spend the rest of my life in a paranoid state, constantly checking every publisher, bookstore, and library to see if anyone has plagiarized me. I will definitely take you up on your offer to translate my children's book into French. I'm going to start writing it this year with the goal of refining it and posting it in 2009. It isn’t so much a worry that what I have out there is in the public domain, because I know that by law here, as soon as you write something down, it’s copyrighted. It’s a worry that anyone could take it, claim it was his/hers, and I’d have no idea unless I want to spend the rest of my life in a paranoid state, constantly checking every publisher, bookstore, and library to see if anyone has plagiarized me. I will definitely take you up on your offer to translate my children’s book into French. I’m going to start writing it this year with the goal of refining it and posting it in 2009.

]]> By: mandarine http://www.wisemandarine.com/what-will-you-give-to-the-public-domain-this-year/#comment-8665 mandarine Wed, 09 Jan 2008 21:12:06 +0000 http://www.wisemandarine.com/what-will-you-give-to-the-public-domain-this-year/#comment-8665 Welcome, Dew. As you will read <a href="http://www.wisemandarine.com/a-crusade-against-intellectual-property/" rel="nofollow">here</a>, I am about to start a series of articles against intellectual property (even though filing patents is part of my job attributions). Radiohead did what I think every band should do: distribute their music as widely as possible for free or on a donation basis, and then make money giving concerts (with the increased fame gleaned from the internet). Welcome, Dew. As you will read here, I am about to start a series of articles against intellectual property (even though filing patents is part of my job attributions).

Radiohead did what I think every band should do: distribute their music as widely as possible for free or on a donation basis, and then make money giving concerts (with the increased fame gleaned from the internet).

]]> By: dew http://www.wisemandarine.com/what-will-you-give-to-the-public-domain-this-year/#comment-8664 dew Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:31:54 +0000 http://www.wisemandarine.com/what-will-you-give-to-the-public-domain-this-year/#comment-8664 Oh, and blogs. Radiohead put out In Rainbows and said, "Pay whatever you like." If I did that with my blog, took off the blogher ad and instead said to my readers, "Pay me whatever you think my blog is worth to you," they'd all just go read other blogs instead of mine. But Radiohead had established themselves as (in my opinion) the most wildly perfect and innovative band since, I don't know, Pink Floyd? Queen? And so people like me actually did pay them something, while others who maybe weren't such eager fans took the music free. And Radiohead had already earned tons from their previous albums, where I don't have any Platinum Blogs in my past. So they didn't have to worry about whether or not they'd actually earn anything from In Rainbows. But blogs really do contribute to the public domain in so many ways. I can't count the number of times that I had a knitting question which was answered by a blog post instead of having to pay for a knitting class or book. And a class or book has the wisdom of one person, a teacher or author, whereas the blogosphere has all the wisdom of ever experienced knitter who blogs. Just for example. Oh, and blogs. Radiohead put out In Rainbows and said, “Pay whatever you like.” If I did that with my blog, took off the blogher ad and instead said to my readers, “Pay me whatever you think my blog is worth to you,” they’d all just go read other blogs instead of mine. But Radiohead had established themselves as (in my opinion) the most wildly perfect and innovative band since, I don’t know, Pink Floyd? Queen? And so people like me actually did pay them something, while others who maybe weren’t such eager fans took the music free. And Radiohead had already earned tons from their previous albums, where I don’t have any Platinum Blogs in my past. So they didn’t have to worry about whether or not they’d actually earn anything from In Rainbows.

But blogs really do contribute to the public domain in so many ways. I can’t count the number of times that I had a knitting question which was answered by a blog post instead of having to pay for a knitting class or book. And a class or book has the wisdom of one person, a teacher or author, whereas the blogosphere has all the wisdom of ever experienced knitter who blogs. Just for example.

]]> By: dew http://www.wisemandarine.com/what-will-you-give-to-the-public-domain-this-year/#comment-8663 dew Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:24:48 +0000 http://www.wisemandarine.com/what-will-you-give-to-the-public-domain-this-year/#comment-8663 My husband would agree with all this wholeheartedly. He's a rabid fan of open source this and that, and he doesn't believe in patents, even though he can see them making some of his coworkers rich. If you want more ideas for exchanging, what about bookcrossing and bookmooch? I have an idea for a project that is very much in line with all this, but I'm not ready to talk about it yet. But you have me thinking about it in a new way! Thanks. My husband would agree with all this wholeheartedly. He’s a rabid fan of open source this and that, and he doesn’t believe in patents, even though he can see them making some of his coworkers rich.

If you want more ideas for exchanging, what about bookcrossing and bookmooch?

I have an idea for a project that is very much in line with all this, but I’m not ready to talk about it yet. But you have me thinking about it in a new way! Thanks.

]]> By: mandarine http://www.wisemandarine.com/what-will-you-give-to-the-public-domain-this-year/#comment-8643 mandarine Sat, 05 Jan 2008 23:09:15 +0000 http://www.wisemandarine.com/what-will-you-give-to-the-public-domain-this-year/#comment-8643 That's a great project. I find that solo (or quasi-solo) works are so much worth the extra effort. That’s a great project. I find that solo (or quasi-solo) works are so much worth the extra effort.

]]> By: polaris http://www.wisemandarine.com/what-will-you-give-to-the-public-domain-this-year/#comment-8641 polaris Sat, 05 Jan 2008 03:53:11 +0000 http://www.wisemandarine.com/what-will-you-give-to-the-public-domain-this-year/#comment-8641 I was thinking of Librivox when I started reading your post, and there it was at the end! My sister and I are going to record a full book on Librivox. The name is a secret for now, but the idea is to finish the book by December 2008. She will narrate the parts of the female lead while I'll take up the two male leads. It is a translation so we are unsure about how it is going to sound. I was thinking of Librivox when I started reading your post, and there it was at the end! My sister and I are going to record a full book on Librivox. The name is a secret for now, but the idea is to finish the book by December 2008. She will narrate the parts of the female lead while I’ll take up the two male leads. It is a translation so we are unsure about how it is going to sound.

]]> By: mandarine http://www.wisemandarine.com/what-will-you-give-to-the-public-domain-this-year/#comment-8639 mandarine Thu, 03 Jan 2008 06:55:35 +0000 http://www.wisemandarine.com/what-will-you-give-to-the-public-domain-this-year/#comment-8639 Publishing online is not fully synonymous with giving to the public domain. Your ghost stories are probably safe, and unless you specifically mentioned 'no rights reserved', nobody may re-publish it without your approval. That said, I am glad you think of publishing children's stories online. I might volunteer as your translator into French... Publishing online is not fully synonymous with giving to the public domain. Your ghost stories are probably safe, and unless you specifically mentioned ‘no rights reserved’, nobody may re-publish it without your approval.

That said, I am glad you think of publishing children’s stories online. I might volunteer as your translator into French…

]]> By: Emily Barton http://www.wisemandarine.com/what-will-you-give-to-the-public-domain-this-year/#comment-8636 Emily Barton Thu, 03 Jan 2008 02:00:19 +0000 http://www.wisemandarine.com/what-will-you-give-to-the-public-domain-this-year/#comment-8636 I did exactly what Charlotte did: read this a couple of days ago, then (ignoring everything else you had to say) began fretting about why I'm so opposed to the notion of publishing a novel I might write online. I even became a bit paranoid, thinking, "My God, I've got two ghost stories out there that any publisher could snap up right now and publish without paying me a cent." But then I started thinking, "Is it all about nothing but money?" After all, why should I care if a publisher wants to snap up my stories and sell them as long as people are doing what I intended be done in the first place, which is reading them? I'm not a starving writer, trying to make a living at this. So, I came back on to say all this and to think about publishing a children's book online (children, I think, are probably more likely to read something online than anyone). You know, Litlove is proving to us that one can do both, as she's self-published a collection of her blog posts in print format for us to buy (I'd want mine to go through an editor before I braved that step, though). I did exactly what Charlotte did: read this a couple of days ago, then (ignoring everything else you had to say) began fretting about why I’m so opposed to the notion of publishing a novel I might write online. I even became a bit paranoid, thinking, “My God, I’ve got two ghost stories out there that any publisher could snap up right now and publish without paying me a cent.” But then I started thinking, “Is it all about nothing but money?” After all, why should I care if a publisher wants to snap up my stories and sell them as long as people are doing what I intended be done in the first place, which is reading them? I’m not a starving writer, trying to make a living at this. So, I came back on to say all this and to think about publishing a children’s book online (children, I think, are probably more likely to read something online than anyone). You know, Litlove is proving to us that one can do both, as she’s self-published a collection of her blog posts in print format for us to buy (I’d want mine to go through an editor before I braved that step, though).

]]>