Day-before-vacation efficiency

A posting on BNET raises the question: What if we could always zip through the day’s work, plus those backloads, at the same rate we do when we have a deadline looming – say, our plane departure for a vacation in Positano?

Certainly on those days we do weed out the time-wasters and become laser focused, an approach we might try to replicate on regular workdays.

But it’s my experience that there’s nothing like a deadline to rivet our attention. So it may be that if our bosses want us to hum along with that kind of efficiency, they would be wise to give us more vacations.

Using commute time to text his novel

You gotta give this Italian IT guy credit. A report on PC Magazine.com tells how Robert Bernocco composed an entire 384-page science fiction novel – now published through Lulu.com -- by texting on his cell phone, this during his daily commute. “It really was a time management issue,” he says.

At the root of corporate lingo

Check out this “corporate speak glossary” at Portfolio.com, compiled by Caroline Waxler, who burrows down to the underlying meaning of some popular business buzz phrases, such as:

“Assign ownership  -- To dump responsibility on someone else as quickly as possible.”

“Low-hanging fruit  -- The part of a project your boss completes before handing it over to you.”

“Upsell  -- To peddle expensive add-ons to an otherwise useful but inexpensive product.”

Farewell to Success

How embarrassing is this? Samir Husni, known as Mr. Magazine, reports that Success magazine is closing – for the third time. Makes you wonder if they’ve given thought to the credibility they could garner if next time they re-launch as Rebound magazine.

Bad boss Michael

Fans may be in withdrawal over no more Tony Soprano or Harry Potter, but devotees of  NBC’s The Office can take heart in knowing that our favorite noodle-headed boss, Michael, is only on hiatus and will return to outrage us in the season's premiere on September 27. 

In the meantime, we can stay connected through the show’s dazzling website, as well as the OfficeTally blog, which, I see, is up for a Blogger’s Choice award.

I wonder where Michael went on vacation. Anyone get a postcard?

Dress way down day

Sure, it sounds like fun to be encouraged to wear shorts and tee shirts to work. But office workers in Shanghai who were asked to do that, as reported by Reuters, are facing this: a 104-degree day, with the likelihood of air conditioners turned down to save on energy.

So, to what degree does that diminish the fun factor?

Moving from business to schools -- a culture shift

An excellent question comes from a reader in response to a piece a couple of weeks back on how people from the corporate world are transitioning into classroom teaching.

Just what are some of the cultural differences between the two worlds, asks this woman who is interviewing with her local school system.

An insightful answer comes from Sue Gubing, an education consultant in Smithtown. I asked her to share a few of her impressions and in Sue Gubing fashion, she created this whole breakdown on her views of the “Differences Between Working for Private Industry and Public Schools.”

Author with “rock solid positive attitude”

In response to this weekend’s Money & Career piece on how authors are getting books published through print-on-demand services, Saurabh Chowdhry, 30, in Bayside wrote to say:

“I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999 during only
my first year of medical school. I ultimately withdrew and have recently
started writing a book telling how I am beating this disease with a rock
solid positive attitude. I have written many pages thus far but would like
to speak with someone in the publishing industry about how to go further
with my book.”

I suggest you start by reading a basic book on how to get published from the  “Idiots” or “Dummies” lines. You’ll find that, in a nutshell, you’ll have to submit a book proposal to agents, who, if they think your book has merit, will then link you up with publishers.

You might start your search for an agent with the Multiple Sclerosis Society, New York City chapter, which sponsors the annual Books for a Better Life award, where just such titles get honored. People at the Society may get requests from other authors writing about MS and have a tips list as to how to proceed.

You also can identify books that have been published that are in a similar genre as yours. Check the author’s “to whom I’m thankful page” for mention of his/her literary agent and then go ahead and send that person your proposal.

So – is the self-publishing, print-on-demand route sounding more appealing? It’s a big job to write a book, but it’s a bigger one to get it published the traditional way. That’s why so many people these days are taking the do-it-yourself approach. They can bypass the gatekeepers and get their message into readers’ hands, assuming they’ve written a book of some worth and they have an excellent plan for marketing it.

What’s more, there’s nothing like a hot-selling, self-published book to get those hard-to-reach agents and publishers chasing after you!

From blog to print

If your grandma and grandpa still don’t quite grasp the notion that you are writing every day but that your work is readable only on the Web, you might be interested in Blog2Print.com, a print-on-demand service from SharedBook Inc. that can help you turn your blog into a printed book.

At the moment only those posting through Blogger.com can make use of this service, but it’s expected to be extended to others later this summer.

Besides impressing the relatives, you can also pocket 20 percent of sales that come about as people order hard copies

Book publishing 101

How many professional people do you know who say they want to write a book to share their expertise? Probably as many as I know, which is quite a few.

As for the actual writing, well, they’re on their own. But when it comes to getting published, that’s never been easier thanks to any number of print on demand services such as no frills, no initial cost Lulu.com and fuller service resources such as Xlibris.com.

But, as with anything that seems too good to be true, you are wise to learn as much as you can about the entire process before jumping in – in this case, the cycle that takes you from book idea, to writing and editing to actually getting the book on bookshelves.

Happily that’s never been easier either. Here are just three resources to help.

Publishers Lunch is an e-letter that pulls together book news of interest from the Web.

ParaPublishing.com is a site run by Dan Poynter, author of “The Self-Publishing Manual,” who shares advice and resources on everything from writing to producing to marketing.

At BookMarket.com, you’ll find lists of all kinds of valuable resources, among them, book editors, print-on-demand companies, publicists, media contacts.