Wednesday 18 November 2015

“Why are Authors and Publishers Struggling Globally for Selling their Books Currently?” ―Professor M.S.Rao











“There are three difficulties in authorship: to write anything worth publishing, to find honest men to publish it, and to find sensible men to read it.” ― Charles Caleb Colton


Presently publishers and authors are struggling for their survival globally. Publishers are concerned about the declining sale of books, and authors are worried for not getting royalty for their published books. Some of the eminent authors are struggling to publish their books. The situation is worse for the upcoming and ambitious authors who are passionate about authoring books. What are the reasons for the present scenario? Is it due to the declining interest in reading books? Is it due to the availability of free online content? Let us look at the present global scenario objectively and analytically.

First of all, the reading habit in people has not declined as opined by a few section of people. People read books due to various reasons including to acquire knowledge. Some people read books as a pastime activity. For some people, reading is a passion.

One of the main reasons for decline in sales is the rapid changes in technologies. The digital era has changed the face of the publishing industry. People prefer reading books online. There is a shift from physical books to e-books globally. Secondly, too much of information is available through online resources. Hence, people read free content available online. There are many blogs sharing knowledge apart from LinkedIn offering their members to post their ideas and insights through articles.  People also share their knowledge on Facebook and Google+ and other free websites including various forums. Therefore, when information is available free, readers don’t spend money on buying books. Readers have become very choosy in selection of topics and content. However, the authors who have credibility and visibility need not to worry about the availability of free knowledge online since they have a fan following globally. They must strive hard to write books that are innovative and relevant in the present context. They must reinvent as per the expectations and aspirations of the readers. They must write simple and short books rather than bulky books as the readers don’t have time and patience.  The readers want the essence in a distilled format. They can read it while travelling or during their leisure time.

The upcoming authors must be more careful while writing books as they don’t have any fan following. They must build their brands gradually by posting articles on their blogs and sharing them on social media. Over a period of time, they can enhance their visibility and build their fan base.

The publishers must reinvent in the digital era. They must emphasize more on publication of e-books. They must change the means and methods of marketing. 

Remember, only when the publishers survive, authors can survive in this world. Hence, both authors and publishers must work together to ensure quality content to the readers to ensure sales successfully. They must trust each other and promote and market together to provide value for money and time to the readers. There must be synergy between the authors and the publishers.  Marketing is not the sole task of publishers. Authors must also take keen interest in promoting their work and books on social media and various forums to help publishers achieve the desired objectives.


Conclusion

To conclude, there is no death for reading and no dearth of readers globally.  People enjoy reading books. Only thing, the present condition is only a correction for both authors and publishers to reinvent with changing times and technologies to add value to the readers who invest their precious time and money.


“To read a book, to think it over, and to write out notes is a useful exercise; a book which will not repay some hard thought is not worth publishing.” ― Maria Mitchell



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Read my ‘Vision 2030 One Million Global Leaders’ URL: http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.in/2014/12/professor-m-s-raos-vision-2030-one_31.html  


Life is great!

Professor M.S.Rao, India
Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants India
Listed in Marquis Who's Who in the World in 2013
Vision 2030 Webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBCO-gWmTRk
Twitter: @professormsrao  
Blog: http://professormsrao.blogspot.com
Blog: http://professormsraoguru.blogspot.com
Global Top Gurus 30: http://www.globalgurus.org/leadership/upcoming.php
21 Success Sutras for Leaders: Top 10 Leadership Books of the Year (San Diego University) Amazon URL: http://www.amazon.com/21-Success-Sutras-Leaders-ebook/dp/B00AK98ELI




Thanks for reading!

Kindly share your thoughts and comments below, I’m sure someone out there will find your story useful.



Copyright©2015 MSR Leadership Consultants India. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

This is a nonprofit blog to share Professor M.S.Rao’s passion and vision to build one million students as global leaders by 2030. Please don't cut articles from my blog and redistribute by email or post to the web. The use of this material is free provided copyright is acknowledged and reference or link is made to the Blog http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.in.  This material may not be sold, or published in any form, or used in the provision of business services to a third party without permission.
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Thursday 12 November 2015

“Hello Secretary! You Cannot Become a Professor. But I can Become the Secretary of a College” ―Professor M.S.Rao












"Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds." ― Franklin Roosevelt


Some of the private pharmacy, medical and engineering colleges in Telangana State are run by business people, arrack contractors, real estate agents and financiers. Some of them do not have formal education and a very few of them are degree holders. There are a very few with high educational background who are passionate to establish educational institutions. Most of the owners from these private colleges don’t know the meaning of passion and excellence. They are eager to make money by setting up educational institutions. As a result, many private engineering, pharmacy, and medical colleges came up thus downgrading the quality of education. Here is an interesting story of Professor Mani who worked as a professor in the MBA department of a private engineering college in Hyderabad.

Mani was a passionate professor with a big heart to make a difference in the lives of students. He often thought about students and interacted with other educators in the campus to exchange knowledge and intellectual ideas and insights. The college was run by family members headed by Secretary with postgraduate qualification.  The college was founded by secretary’s father who was a visionary leader with values. The secretary did not know the true value of the educational institution as it was set up by his father who rose from ranks. Since the secretary got everything on the platter, he did not realize the challenges involved in founding and establishing an educational institution. Therefore, he took everything for granted.  The secretary was noted for several unethical practices and most of his policies were unfriendly to faculty and non-teaching staff. After the death of secretary’s father, things went worse as there was none to correct the secretary. The secretary became more autocratic with a feudal mindset.  

The image of the educational institution was falling down due to the hostile attitude of the secretary. Additionally, the secretary gradually removed the principals and senior professors appointed by his late father to have more control on the college. And most of the senior professors and faculty left after the death of the founder. The secretary conducted several meetings regularly to find out the reasons about the declining image of the institution and intake of the students.  Mani was also in the meetings regularly. He gave feedback to make policies that are faculty friendly with decent salaries and to improve the image of the educational institution by encouraging research and investing in infrastructure. Since Mani was a loyal professor to the institution, he had great heart to contribute his best to revamp the institution to take it to great heights.

The secretary did not appreciate the views and inputs given by Mani. Instead of taking Mani’s views and suggestions positively, he took them personally. One day, the secretary called Mani to his office and expressed his displeasure. Mani was a honest and straight forward professor with ethics and etiquette. He didn’t believe in flattery. The following conversation took place between the secretary and Professor Mani.  

Secretary: I didn’t appreciate the way you expressed your views about the college in the recent meeting.
Professor:  You conducted meeting to get ideas from all sources to overhaul the educational institution. As everybody expressed, I also expressed my views to convert our educational institution into excellence.
Secretary:  You emphasized more on hiking the salaries of faculty and building infrastructure. I did not like it when you mentioned about the hike in salaries.
Professor:  When you pay decent salaries, you get the best faculty who can improve the output in the college and enhance employability and employment. They can contribute quality research papers to add value to the institution. Infrastructure is an imperative to enable the students to learn well apart from enhancing the image of our institution.
Secretary: I am talking only about the hike in salaries, not infrastructure. Additionally, you must learn how to behave with me. You cannot behave the way you behave with your students.
Professor:  Please don’t mix up issues. Our discussion is about revamping the college, not about my behavior. Secondly, I always have a heart to make our institution better, and to educate students effectively. Please avoid talking about my behavior.
Secretary: If I want, I can remove you from employment.
Professor: I am not concerned about my employment as I am always marketable since I am a PhD holder. I am only concerned about the declining image of our institution since I have been serving in this institution for many years.
Secretary:  You don’t have to be concerned about my institution as I know how to develop it. If you give inputs in this way and behave in this manner, I can remove you from employment.
Professor: If you remove me from employment, there are a plenty of employment opportunities for me. Hence, I am not worried about my employment.
Secretary: Don’t come to college from tomorrow onwards.
Professor: It is a great relief to me. You don’t know the value of a professor. You take faculty for granted. You don’t realize the importance of a spanner until you lose it. When you miss me, you will realize that you made a great mistake.
Secretary: I will hire another professor by paying less salary.
Professor:  Since you are the secretary for this college, you can make your own decisions. But one thing you must note here: If I want to become the secretary of an educational institution, I can become. But you cannot become a professor in any college as PhD is a must to become a professor.

The egoistic and sadistic secretary was shocked with professor Mani’s response. The secretary fired professor from employment. He had the habit of cheating faculty by not paying salary to the leaving employees. He did not pay salary to Mani for the leaving month. Subsequently Professor Mani started an educational institution with the help of his friends and became a successful entrepreneur.  But the pity is that secretary tried to do PhD but he could never complete and compete with Professor Mani. Finally, the image of the institution declined with the exit of quality professors, and it was closed forever.

The conclusion is value people as people. Respect people. Don’t take them for granted just because they are serving loyally for many years.


"One of the secrets of a long and fruitful life is to forgive everybody everything every night before you go to bed." ― Bernard Baruch



If you like this article, Like and share Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Professor-MSRao/451516514937414


Read my ‘Vision 2030 One Million Global Leaders’ URL: http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.in/2014/12/professor-m-s-raos-vision-2030-one_31.html  


Life is great!

Professor M.S.Rao, India
Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants India
Listed in Marquis Who's Who in the World in 2013
Vision 2030 Webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBCO-gWmTRk
Twitter: @professormsrao  
Blog: http://professormsrao.blogspot.com
Blog: http://professormsraoguru.blogspot.com
Global Top Gurus 30: http://www.globalgurus.org/leadership/upcoming.php
21 Success Sutras for Leaders: Top 10 Leadership Books of the Year (San Diego University) Amazon URL: http://www.amazon.com/21-Success-Sutras-Leaders-ebook/dp/B00AK98ELI




Thanks for reading!

Kindly share your thoughts and comments below, I’m sure someone out there will find your story useful.



Copyright©2015 MSR Leadership Consultants India. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

This is a nonprofit blog to share Professor M.S.Rao’s passion and vision to build one million students as global leaders by 2030. Please don't cut articles from my blog and redistribute by email or post to the web. The use of this material is free provided copyright is acknowledged and reference or link is made to the Blog http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.in.  This material may not be sold, or published in any form, or used in the provision of business services to a third party without permission.
at 2 comments:

Wednesday 11 November 2015

“Is it not a Violation of Human Rights if Educators Encounter Financial Hardships and Depression due to Non-Payment of Salary by Private Educational Institutions in Hyderabad?” ―Professor M.S.Rao











“If it can be destroyed by the truth, it deserves to be destroyed by the truth.” ― Carl Sagan, astronomer and author


Is it not cheating when the owner a private educational institution doesn’t pay salary to a professor for more than three months? Is it not cheating by transferring the professor from one educational institution to another institution within his educational group by the owner just before the JNTU inspection to show it on records that a PhD holder is working?  Is it not cheating by not giving the relieving order and service certificate to the professor after giving one month notice to leave from service on administrative grounds? Is it not a violation of human rights when teachers and educators are cheated by private educational institutions in India?


Irregularities in Private Engineering Colleges in Hyderabad

Some of the educational institutions in Hyderabad are run by rogues and criminals who don’t pay salaries of the last month to the leaving employees. There are rogues who don’t pay salaries for more than three months and terminate the services of educators. It has become like a ‘use and throw’ philosophy in these erring educational institutions.  It is highly deplorable to note that these rogues don’t give relieving letter and service certificate to the leaving employees. They don’t allow the employees to continue their services also. These rogues stop paying salaries to their serving employees on flimsy grounds. They are so sadistic that they want the intellectuals, educators and employees to stand in front of them with begging bows to receive their salaries. They enjoy when intellectuals stand in front of them for begging salaries. Very sadistic indeed! Is there no one to check such sadistic activities?

When colleges are fraud and owners are cheats how can the students have better education? When they cheat their faculty by not giving salary for months how can the best faculty join these private colleges?  At times, the officials in the affiliated universities bend in front of these rogues for freebies. If these officials were strong, the owners of these colleges would not have had any scope to cheat their faculty and students.

The fate of educators and intellectuals is very pathetic in private pharmacy, medical and engineering colleges in the state of Telangana and especially in Hyderabad. When the aggrieved employees approach the registrar, vice-chancellor and grievance cell of the affiliated universities, the response is lukewarm. We need to check such irregularities in private colleges to create a healthy ambience for educators and students to achieve excellence in education.


Conclusion

The registrar, vice-chancellor and grievance cell of the affiliated universities must not remain as mute spectators to corruption and irregularities in these colleges. They must intervene to check such irregularities to ensure the sanctity of educational institutions. Additionally, The Andhra Pradesh Human Rights Commission must treat such grievances as violation of human rights because the family of the person suffers due to non-payment of salary from the owners of these erring educational institutions. The social media, press, right thinking citizens must come forward to check such irregularities and teach lesson to rogues and criminals who run educational institutions in the name of entrepreneurs.

If essential, CBI must intervene to check irregularities in these private educational institutions. Some of the institutions are run by mafia and goons who use all kinds of coercion to suppress faculty and employees. They level fictitious cases to get rid of the faculty who are honest and straightforward.  They pay huge donations to political parties during elections to keep the latter in good humor.  To conclude, coordinated approach from all stakeholders is essential to check irregularities and corruption to ensure sanctity to educational institutions.


“If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher.” ― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

References
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/faculty-names-fraud-across-engineering-colleges-in-india/article7190827.ece
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/colleges-at-a-loss-to-explain-shared-faculty/article7190859.ece?ref=relatedNews



If you like this article, Like and share Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Professor-MSRao/451516514937414


Read my ‘Vision 2030 One Million Global Leaders’ URL: http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.in/2014/12/professor-m-s-raos-vision-2030-one_31.html  


Life is great!

Professor M.S.Rao, India
Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants India
Listed in Marquis Who's Who in the World in 2013
Vision 2030 Webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBCO-gWmTRk
Twitter: @professormsrao  
Blog: http://professormsrao.blogspot.com
Blog: http://professormsraoguru.blogspot.com
Global Top Gurus 30: http://www.globalgurus.org/leadership/upcoming.php
21 Success Sutras for Leaders: Top 10 Leadership Books of the Year (San Diego University) Amazon URL: http://www.amazon.com/21-Success-Sutras-Leaders-ebook/dp/B00AK98ELI




Thanks for reading!

Kindly share your thoughts and comments below, I’m sure someone out there will find your story useful.



Copyright©2015 MSR Leadership Consultants India. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

This is a nonprofit blog to share Professor M.S.Rao’s passion and vision to build one million students as global leaders by 2030. Please don't cut articles from my blog and redistribute by email or post to the web. The use of this material is free provided copyright is acknowledged and reference or link is made to the Blog http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.in.  This material may not be sold, or published in any form, or used in the provision of business services to a third party without permission.
at 3 comments:
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