Topic: Wanted: SOHC Geniuses

[super pasty white guy]

Here's a chance to strut your knowledge-  We must have folks here who have the talent to do this.

http://www.trickphotog.com/Press%20Release%20Page.htm


Daniel Peirce is seeking contributing writers for a book of his popular Up-N-Smoke Engine Project. As Peirce puts it, "The book will have 50 vintage motorcycle engine pictures in it. I’m just a photographer, I could never write with authority on all these vintage engines. I’m asking people who know these engines to contribute essays about them to use in the book." No payment involved and not all the essays submitted will be used in the book, but it could be your chance to be part of a significant historic motorcycle book project.

Peirce says that the complete image collection should be finished by the fall and that the deadline for essays is December 1, 2007. Just pick an engine in the collection that you have some experience with and follow the guidelines you’ll find at www.trickphotog.com, or http://www.trickphotog.com/Essay_Contribution.htm.

So, if you are knowledgeable about a particular engine marque, and would like some bragging rights, send Dan 600-1000 words about it. The UNS Engine Project book promises to be both visually stunning and a good read to boot.

[TwoTired]

Why does this seem to be a scam to profit off of someone else's work and knowledge? 
Is there even a promise of writer source credit in the published material?
Is this a scheme to profit from Altruism?
Is it part of a competition for the PT Barnum reincarnate award?

[Raul CB750K1]

I once read that Scott Adams complained because, in the past, journalist would phone people asking for interviews, and once agreed the time and date, they would show, put the recorder on and start asking questions. Now they just send you the questions by email, so it's the actual interviewee the one who has to spend his/her time typing for the journalist, so he can only cut and paste!!!!


This seems very similar. I work for a couple publications as a freelance journalist. Of course I was proud the first time I saw my name in the credits, but after then, I don't care about it anymore; my reward is my paycheck. If these guy is only interested in having one thousand word without giving a damn about the writer profile, experience or background, I don't think the finished product will be worth the paper it will be printed on. Money talks, if he wants a good product then he can hire a technical writer and pay for the work done -in which case the one who pays owns the rights of the text- or ask some knowledgeable writer to co-author the book; then it will be free of charge, but he will have to share the royalties.



Raul

[Raul CB750K1]

Furthermore, it seems that this guy plans to make a "coffe table" book. The pictures seems to be good, and his idea seems brilliant too!!! Get your camera and a spare battery, pay the entrance fee to the Barber shop museum or a similar one, start shooting, use photoshop to add a black background and find some arseholes in the net to write the picture headers because he doesn't know a damn about motorcycles. Ring-ring (this is suppoused to be the sound of the slot of the cash register) 

[edbikerii]

ka-ching

[Raul CB750K1]

1000 words sell for about 125 euro. For 50 engines, the total cost for the book would be 6250 euro.

I have a better idea: he should just put ads in motorcycle websites pretending to belong to a nation-wide motorcycle magazine and asking for people who love motorcycles and want to be on the payroll for travelling worldwide to MotoGP races, bike rallies and shows. As soon as people start to send him emails, he would ask them to make a small "test" writing a short article -1000 words about, say "an Ariel Square Four engine". Each one will get a different engine to write about. Obviously, all of them will be turned down.... 


The first time I wrote for the magazine I work for they told me to make a test article, but the next thing they told me was that I would get paid for it; then I knew they were a serious publication.


Raul