Poetic
license is a powerful thing. It has not only assisted cultural,
social and scientific progress for the civilized world, but it can
give a big voice to a small mouth, that is, if anyone is listening.
Throw in an information revolution and a big voice just got bigger.
While information technology has found a home for a mouse under every
hand and turned every young music lover into a copyright criminal it
has created a rush for power and position so blind that we have been
caught in the era of the mismatch (see Time Warner/AOL) and the
misdeed (see Enron, WorldCom). I feel hoodwinked just thinking
about. Who do these guys think they are? King of the world?
Haven’t they figured out that in the New World Order, a King’s
reign is too often the forerunner for indictment, shame and public
humiliation? Then allow me to proceed cautiously, hoping the power
of poetic license shall beckon a King’s reign for me without
the messy ending….
When I am
King of the world, there will be a tax on used textbooks that would
be equal to the discount from the price of the unused (new) version.
For those who will pay full price to have a textbook highlighted
artistically by another student whose course grade is unknown, the
tax would go toward orthopedic treatments for anyone paying college
tuition and presumably carrying a lot of books. It shall be known as
a back tax.
When I am
King of the world, guidance counselors will be required to let every
high school senior know that nursing and health professions textbook
titles are priced SIGNIFICANTLY lower than nearly every other
textbook in a college bookstore. In fact the new health science core
texts are priced even lower than many “used”
business/biology/psychology texts that proliferate the college scene.
I don’t mean to say that health science textbooks are not a
sizable investment, just that we are not pricing at levels that have
caused the recent negative publicity for other college publishers.
When I am
King of the world, full scholarships would be awarded to any
qualifier aspiring to become a nurse/health science educator. In
other words, the Nurse Reinvestment Act needs much more funding. If
the economy is driving career seekers toward nursing and the health
professions there should be someone there to teach them. The
solution for the nursing shortage may be more complex than this, but
without a fully trained army of health care professionals, there is
no solution.
When I am
King of the world, the quality of beer and the quality of health
science content will not be confused. Just because the Dutch and the
Canadians make better beer doesn’t mean Dutch and Canadian
parent companies make better publishers, especially in the United
States. But how can you, the customer, know whether you’re
buying American when the other industry imprints still look the same?
That’s easy. Simply buy FA Davis publications. That way,
you’re not only buying American, you’re buying into 126
years of publishing independence, too.
When I am
King of the world, the smallest publisher in the health science
college publishing industry shall have the best selling publication.
And it shall be a reference so versatile that it is useful to all
disciplines, all professions, and to students and clinicians alike.
Perhaps it should be a dictionary so committed to the latest in the
vocabularies of all health science professions that its first 19
editions will have sold over 9 million copies. Its name, Taber’s
Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, shall be synonymous with breadth,
accuracy and reliability. And when its 20th edition is
published in February 2005 it shall, after 65 years of serving the
health care community, arrive at the peak of its popularity and
proliferation. It shall be big enough to keep a small independent
publishing company continuously independent and small enough to carry
everywhere. You might even say it shall have content fit for a King.
And when you
are King of the world, don’t forget us. We’re the ones
keeping your Taber’s a title to rule by.
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Robert H. Craven, Jr.
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