The 4-Hour Workweek, Expanded and Update - Timothy Ferriss [71]
Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org)
Project Gutenberg is a digital library of more than 15,000 pieces of literature considered to be in the public domain.
LibriVox (www.librivox.org)
LibriVox is a collection of audiobooks from the public domain that are available for free download.
Recording Seminars or Phone Interviews with Experts for CD Downloadable Products
HotRecorder (www.hotrecorder.com) (PC), Call Recorder (http://ecamm.com/mac/callrecorder/) (Mac)
Use these programs to record any inbound or outbound phone call via computer using Skype (www.skype.com) and other VoIP programs.
NoCost Conference (www.nocostconference.com)
Provides a free 800-number conference line, as well as free recording and file retrieval. Normal phones can be used for call-in, so no computer or web connection is required for participants. If you’ll have a Q&A, I suggest soliciting attendee questions beforehand to avoid issues with muting/ unmuting of lines.
Jing Project (www.jingproject.com) and DimDim (www.dimdim.com)
If you’d like to record the actions on your screen for video tutorials, both of these free programs will get the job done. If you need advanced editing features, Jing’s big brother Camtasia is the industry standard (www.camtasia.com).
Licensing Ideas to Others for Royalties
InventRight (www.inventright.com) (800–701–7993)
Stephen Key is the most consistently successful inventor I’ve ever met, with millions in royalties from companies like Disney, Nestlé, and Coca-Cola. He is not high-tech but specializes in creating simple products, or improving on existing products, and then licensing (renting) his ideas to large corporations. He comes up with the idea, files a provisional patent for less than $200, and then lets another company do the work while he collects checks. This site introduces his fail-proof process for doing the same. His techniques for cold-calling alone are invaluable. Highly recommended.
Guthy-Renker Corporation (www.guthyrenker.com) (760–773–9022) GRC is the 800-pound infomercial gorilla. It brings in more than $1.3 billion per year in sales with mega-hits like Tony Robbins, Proactiv Solution, and Winsor Pilates. Don’t expect more than a 2–4% royalty if you make the cut, but the numbers are huge enough to make it worth a look. Submit your product online.
Searching Patents for Unexploited Ideas to Turn into Products
United States Patent and Trademark Office (www.uspto.gov) (800–786–9199)
Licensable Technologies Developed at Universities (www.autm.net; see “view all listings” under “Technology Transfer Offices”)
Inventors Groups and Associations (call and ask if members have anything to license) (www.uiausa.org/Resources/InventorGroups.htm
Becoming an Expert
Prof Net via PR Leads (www.prleads.com) and HARO (www.helpareporterout.com)
Receive daily leads from journalists and TV and radio producers looking for experts to cite and interview for media ranging from local outlets to CNN and the New York Times. Stop swimming upstream and start responding to stories people are already working on. HARO offers select leads at no cost, and you can mention my name with PR Leads to get two months for the price of one.
PRWeb Press Releases (www.prwebdirect.com) The press release is dead for most purposes, but using this service has some serious search-engine benefits, such as appearing at the top of related Google News and Yahoo! News results.
ExpertClick (www.expertclick.com)
This is another secret of the PR pros. Put up an expert profile for media to see, receive an up-to-date database of top media contacts, and send free press releases to 12,000 journalists, all on one website that gets more than 5 million hits per month. This is how I got on NBC and ended up developing a prime-time TV show. It works. Mention my name on the phone, or use “Tim Ferriss $100” online, to get a $100 discount.
LIFESTYLE DESIGN