Bob's Your Uncle...Intelectual Property Up For Grabs

The ultimate in colloquial speech. Entomologists are baffled, people have supposed...but no one knows the truth about the funny little phrase: "Bob's your uncle." I would love to survey all 90's babies and see if they heard that phrase for the first time in the animate 101 Dalmatians. Trust me, as a little kid, that was funny stuff. Because I actually had an uncle, named Bob. Except he demanded to be called, "The Great and Wonderful Uncle Bob..." Again, narcissism doesn't run in my family...right.  
So, a little bit of education now. This phase can mean many things, listen up all you internet surfing softies born in the golden age of brutish slang; as opposed to the iconic slang of my time ;-) I digress. The proper use of this 3 word combo is to evoke a sense of mystic ease while doing a chore, job, or explaining steps.
Example: "Look; run in, grab the loot, and bob's your uncle; we're living like kings!" Notice the many pitfalls if the plan are neatly summed up with Bob's Your Uncle?
While everyone is puzzled about the phrase, what I want to know is not who is Bob or who was his nephew or niece...but what impossible circumstance did Uncle Bob overcome? It must have been pretty stinking impressive. Considering it was 1880s time frame possibly earlier I wonder what it could have been? Puzzling, no?
Either way I feel like there could be a book written about the crazy impossible things Uncle Bob did, and no, I am not referring to my Uncle Bob. But it would be a great idea for a children's story book. Do you know how many little boys would laugh if every weird situation in the book was solved by some mysterious power of "Bob's Your Uncle?" How about all the Uncle Bobs that would buy the book and be like, "Yes, I am magical." Its a golden idea right? I should publish the book myself.

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So, now we get to the meat of the article and talk about the BIG mistake I made with this post. Most people worry about their intellectual property when signing contracts to turn over or release their art. It is a valid concern. But few think of their intellectual property before contracts. What does this mean? Well consider this.
If I did want to publish a book for children, using this idea (and trust me the thought crossed my mind) I made a huge mistake by sharing that idea with the world before I developed it further. The intellectual property I own, you own, and everybody owns is idiosyncratic ideas and projections. Once you share your intellectual property freely, people are free to take the ball and run with it as they like.
Continuing the notion that I wanted to publish this book. Telling the world my idea leaves anyone in the world free to write/draw the book and market it as their own. Imagine my dismay as I finish the cute little manuscript, only to find out a book with the same core thought is released. A publisher would be crazy to agree to print my work. And I could say all I wanted: "that's my idea!" But, legally next to nothing could be done because the idea came from my public blog, and the story gendered from a private source.
The moral of this story is that your ideas and future projects should have a certain anonymity to them if you want to receive credit and/or compensation. Your ideas are your property, intellectual property to be exact, but if you spread them someone can take your metaphysical idea, make it physical, and they own it. Not you. Unless it's irrelevant that the public know what you are up to and what you are working on as an artist, please keep in mind that the first two w's in www, stands for world wide. Don't get hurt as an artist and protect your intellectual property in and out of contracts.   

PS: I will not be mad, insulted, or upset if anyone uses this idea to publish a good book for children with little cartoon pictures. All I ask is for you to let me know, because seriously, I would love to do review on that! 

To Publish or not to Publish...

Most people I know want to be writers. They think they want to be published and have a major contract and all the glory that goes with it. 

Pay attention to the operative word in that sentence...think. That's right, most people see the gold and glory and don't know what goes into it. Hours and hours of PAIN! It's like pregnancy except gestation can take years. The publishers are the doctors and your in full blown labor trying to get your baby out into the world. It's not fun. But ask any mother if it was worth it...

Now that you've been warned here is the good news. Go for it! Accept that it's a process that is not easy, be ready to make mistakes, be ready to embrace criticism, and be ready to stand on your own and still have the courage to move forward. 

Most authors (and some mothers) will tell you, "It's so hard- it's this- it's that." "Don't do it." I read 0 encouragements as an aspiring author months ago. 0. And dozens of painful, mean spirited articles about why I should give up. Because hundreds are like me and I am a poor writer because if I wasn't I would already be published. I was told by every word they wrote to give up. But I didn't. 

If you want to write and publish here is my advice. Don't let the negative, sorry stigma other have burden your own success. If they want to complain or quit let them, but don't you dare let go of something you believe in. Don't give up something you value because of someone else's thoughtless remarks. Authors are sensitive, we hurt easy. I half think the big ones that tell us newbies to be quiet are because they fear that we could compete with their books. It's a fair market, write better then me and I won't hold it against you, I will even buy your books.

So, don't let refusal letters, editors, authors, or anyone else tell you, you can't do it. Because the truth is, if you do it with all your might, you will succeed. 

Succeeding isn't a $1,000,000 contract, or a fan base that worships you. It's your book, your baby, finally making it out from the stereotyped womb of unworthiness to the light of individualism. 

Blog, get one reader and you've already proven people wrong. Because even if only one person reads your work, you touched one life. Sometimes the world focus too much on the big names like Nicholas Sparks, Stephan King, and Stephanie Meyers. Not that they aren't amazing, not that they don't have greatness; but there is greatness in you too. The same greatness that these people have is inside you in a unique form. Don't try and be them, it will only mask your true talent, you don't have to be or say anything that isn't 100% you. 

I don't make money from this blog, I am not trying to sell you something, I am only trying to undo the hurt that others may have caused you or someone you know. Don't be depressed. A single, true fan is better than the 100,000s people buy to look popular. Yes, people actually buy viewers to look like they are popular. 

So if you ever meet me on the street, conference, book signing, or anything; I will answer the question the same any day of the week. To publish or not to publish...my answers is: Publish. A blog, a book, a news article, whatever it is; publish and don't look back or be anything but you.