Publishers Turn Internet Laughs Into Fast Cash

Remember, it hasn't actually been announced yet

(NEWSER) - Rob Shoesmith is currently camped outside London's Covent Garden Apple store in a tent, awaiting the release of the iPhone 5. Not all that weird, except of course that the iPhone 5 hasn't even been announced yet. Why is he doing it? As a "marketing and PR experiment," of course, and the Los Angeles Times notes that he's blogging about the whole thing. More»

Judge ruled Taiwan woman didn't have the evidence to declare them salty

(NEWSER) - Be careful what you blog about in Taiwan. One woman, identified only as Mrs. Liu, learned that lesson the hard way recently, after she complained on her little-read blog about the Sichuan Flavor Beef Noodle Restaurant in Taichung. The place, she wrote, was full of cockroaches, the owner was a “bully,” and the noodles were “too salty.” The enraged owner sued for defamation, the Telegraph reports. More»

Young people turn from long posts to short tweets

(NEWSER) - Just a few years ago, blogging was hot enough to be Merriam-Webster’s word of the year—but as Facebook and Twitter have grown, blogging has declined, the New York Times reports. The trend is particularly notable among the young: between 2006 and 2009, a survey found, blogging’s popularity among 12- to 17-year-olds dropped by half, while between 2008 and 2010, it fell 2 percentage points among the 18- to 33-year-old set. More»

'The Woman I Was Born to Be' will be out in the fall

(NEWSER) - Susan Boyle is out to conquer a new medium. The Scottish singer is working on an autobiography to be published in the fall, reports the BBC . The Woman I Was Born to Be will chronicle her unlikely rise to fame after she appeared on Britain's Got Talent, with the main theme being that you "shouldn't judge a book by its cover," she says. More»

Maybe your embarrassing parents can help you land a TV deal

(NEWSER) - Easter and Passover are coming up, which means more embarrassing incidents at family get-together, plus a silver lining: You could potentially score a book deal. Chris Mathias, writing for Nerve , lists five blogs based on “familial eccentricities” that have scored their creators some cash—or at least some popularity:

• Shit My Dad Says : Moving back in with your parents doesn’t suck so bad when your 73-year-old father’s hilarious utterings end up getting you a TV show—starring William Shatner, no less.
• Tiny Art Director : An artist’s 5-year-old daughter offers harsh critiques of his work, often involving the addition of dinosaurs or dragons. The book will be out soon.