Hi Joyce, I promised further comment and some of these thoughts link up with Stephens reflections:
1. Joyce you hold a PhD and have extensive life experience covering the text of the book you are writing. The fact that the publisher issued a contract for you to author the text is a testament to your knowledge and experience in the field. The publisher would not have issued the contract unless you had the prerequisite skills combined with the potential for reasonable market return, either directly from your text or indirectly by increasing sales of other texts. 2. The value added services and skills like editing, visual design etc are not exclusive to the publishing industry. Open communities like WikiEducator (and other open projects) can provide these services as well. I don't buy the argument that these services are the competitive and exclusive advantage of publishers. In time, as a non-profit entity -- the OER Foundation will be in a position to pay for these services as we build a free knowledge ecosystem. 3. The open (libre) content movement does not wish to exclude individuals (or publishers) from earning a living -- they are free to package and sell free content in traditional print formats with the understanding that there will always be a free (no cost and libre) digital version of the texts available for other educators, learners and other publishers to use without restriction, By the same token,the OER Foundation has no issue with paying authors to develop content as long as it is released under a free cultural works approved license. So for example, the WikiEducator project paid consultants to develop the wiki tutorials we use to provide free training for educators around the world -- on condition that the tutorials were released as OER in open file formats. As professional educators -- we have the authority and freedom to say *NO *to all-rights reserved texts we author and produce. In WikiEducator, when we develop OER -- publishers are free to use our materials as long as they don't restrict the freedom of others to do so as well. The free culture and the open web will develop a sustainable production model around OER --- and we invite everyone to join us in achieving these objectives. A more sustainable planet for all :-). Watch this space ... we will make OER futures happen! Cheers Wayne On Tue, Oct 5, 2010 at 9:27 AM, <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Wayne: I know I am late in inquiring about this, but I am a little > confused about how the publisher will gain from offering this book under a > free license. The reason I am asking is that I am under contract to write a > comprehensive community organizing textbook for Pearson/Allyn and Bacon a > very large US publisher. My editor has offered me her time and wonderful > resources that I could not possibly have had were I doing this project on my > own and I don't begrudge them their fair share of any proceeds, but I would > like my work to be readily available especially in developing countries, so > I am confused about how I might meet my publisher's needs to make a > reasonable return on all they have invested in the book and in me as a > writer while still being fair to indigent readers. I hope this question > makes sense. Joyce McKnight SUNY/Empire State College, Member of the OER > Foundation. > > [email protected] wrote: ----- > > To: [email protected] > From: Wayne Mackintosh > Sent by: [email protected] > Date: 09/14/2010 01:03AM > Subject: Re: [WikiEducator] An Ethical Dilemma -- Feeling sad :-)- When > publishers don't do what they say they intend to do > > > Hi Gene, > > Thanks for the note -- with every mistake (and I believe the publishers > have made an honest mistake) there is a learning experience. > > Together we can make the world a better place -- and the open web and free > content licensing can help. There is a place for everyone in the sun -- even > publishers who can earn a living through publishing free content. > > The embarrassing point is that my name is now published under a > non-commercial license :-(. However -- let's turn an honest mistake into a > success for all involved. I have just received an email from the publisher > requesting that we connect for a skype conversation later this evening. I > will suggest that they drop the NC restriction and release the work under a > CC-BY-SA license. > > That would be a smart move for them imho --- the "free" advertising > resulting from a move like that would push and promote sales. > > We'll see what happens. > > Cheers > Wayne > > On Tue, Sep 14, 2010 at 4:55 PM, gene aronin <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Wayne, >> This was an exceptional commentary of your dilemma, because it >> 1)demonstrated what "creative commons" was all about, and 2) demonstrated, >> through your honesty and forthrightness the importance of this idea. >> Demonstrate by example. Good for you, Wayne. >> >> Gene >> >> >> On Mon, Sep 13, 2010 at 11:28 PM, aprasad <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Dear Dr. Wayne, >>> >>> I can imagine how humiliating the situation to you. Hope the publishers >>> will come out with an erratum. >>> >>> On Tue, Sep 14, 2010 at 8:48 AM, Wayne Mackintosh < >>> [email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> Hi everyone, >>>> >>>> Never a dull moment in the free culture world. Ordinarily -- I would not >>>> post public notifications around potential misunderstandings or oversights >>>> by a publisher. However, I find myself facing an ethical dilemma. >>>> Particularly since today I'm been commenting considerably on my personal >>>> ethics and views associated with the non-commercial restriction on our >>>> national New Zealand MLE list. >>>> >>>> I was recently invited to write the forward for a new publication -- a >>>> book of tweets on open text books. Great idea, very cool and appropriate >>>> for >>>> our times. In response to the invite, my very first question was was: >>>> >>>> "More than happy to provide a "tweet" -- what license will you be >>>> publishing the book under?" >>>> >>>> Response: >>>> >>>> "We will be doing this under Creative Commons - Attribution - Share >>>> Alike license- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ >>>> That is the current plan. Any interest in co-authoring?" >>>> >>>> My response: >>>> >>>> "I always check that anything I write is published under a free cultural >>>> works approved license :-) I would love to co-author" >>>> >>>> So I do my bit, read the text, write a short forward and contribute a >>>> tweet. I now see that the book has been published under a CC-BY-NC-SA >>>> license -- which is very unfortunate, because I think its a great text and >>>> it seems that there has been an oversight in attributing my contributions >>>> under a license which meets the free cultural works definition which was a >>>> condition of my contribution. (See: >>>> http://www.happyabout.com/thinkaha/opentextbooktweet01.php). I've asked >>>> the publishes to print and distribute an erratum indicating that my >>>> personal >>>> contributions are licensed under CC-BY-SA on the basis of our original >>>> agreement. I'm confident that they will do the right thing. >>>> >>>> When I submitted my tweet, I wrote: >>>> >>>> "This is licensed under CC-BY which will enable a derivative under >>>> CC-BY-SA." I did this work during official time, and my employers IP >>>> policy >>>> requires that I release my work under a default CC-BY license." >>>> >>>> If there were any communications from the publisher in the interim about >>>> changing the license -- I missed these ;-(. Moreover, for the record, I >>>> would not have agreed to having anything I write published under an NC >>>> license. >>>> >>>> It's ironic that while the book carries a NC restriction -- the >>>> international public can purchase the texts, hard copy or ebook for a >>>> listed >>>> price of $19.95 or $14,95 and see that currently some discount applies. >>>> >>>> Anway -- this is a public announcement that my forward is licensed under >>>> a CC-BY-SA license and my tweet - No 31 is openly licensed under a free >>>> cultural works approved license (CC-BY) in this case. The publisher was >>>> free >>>> to add an NC restriction on the tweet - -but has omitted to attribute the >>>> source :-(. For the record, both versions of the texts I submitted are >>>> licensed under a CC-BY license. You are free to take these texts, reuse >>>> them, adapt them, modify them and if you like sell them :-) >>>> >>>> Cheers >>>> Wayne >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Wayne Mackintosh <http://wikieducator.org/User:Mackiwg>, Ph.D. >>>> Director OER Foundation <http://www.oerfoundation.org/> >>>> Director, International Centre for Open Education, >>>> Otago Polytechnic, New Zealand. >>>> Founder and elected Community Council Member, >>>> Wikieducator<http://www.wikieducator.org%20/> >>>> Mobile +64 21 2436 380 >>>> Skype: WGMNZ1 >>>> Twitter: OERFoundation, Mackiwg >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups "WikiEducator" group. >>>> To visit wikieducator: http://www.wikieducator.org >>>> To visit the discussion forum: >>>> http://groups.google.com/group/wikieducator >>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>> [email protected] >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Warm regards >>> >>> Anil >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "WikiEducator" group. >>> To visit wikieducator: http://www.wikieducator.org >>> To visit the discussion forum: >>> http://groups.google.com/group/wikieducator >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>> [email protected] >> >> >> >> >> -- >> With Best Wishes for an Even Better Day >> >> Gene-loeb >> Gene-loeb Aronin, Ph.D. >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >> Groups "WikiEducator" group. >> To visit wikieducator: http://www.wikieducator.org >> To visit the discussion forum: >> http://groups.google.com/group/wikieducator >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> [email protected] >> > > > > -- > Wayne Mackintosh <http://wikieducator.org/User:Mackiwg>, Ph.D. > Director OER Foundation <http://www.oerfoundation.org> > Director, International Centre for Open Education, > Otago Polytechnic, New Zealand. > Founder and elected Community Council Member, > Wikieducator<http://www.wikieducator.org%20> > Mobile +64 21 2436 380 > Skype: WGMNZ1 > Twitter: OERFoundation, Mackiwg > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "WikiEducator" group. > To visit wikieducator: http://www.wikieducator.org > To visit the discussion forum: http://groups.google.com/group/wikieducator > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "WikiEducator" group. > To visit wikieducator: http://www.wikieducator.org > To visit the discussion forum: http://groups.google.com/group/wikieducator > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > -- Wayne Mackintosh <http://wikieducator.org/User:Mackiwg>, Ph.D. Director OER Foundation <http://www.oerfoundation.org> Director, International Centre for Open Education, Otago Polytechnic, New Zealand. Founder and elected Community Council Member, Wikieducator<http://www.wikieducator.org%20> Mobile +64 21 2436 380 Skype: WGMNZ1 Twitter: OERFoundation, Mackiwg -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "WikiEducator" group. To visit wikieducator: http://www.wikieducator.org To visit the discussion forum: http://groups.google.com/group/wikieducator To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]
