A Must Read Book

In today's wired world, there is no limit to information access. We are Twittered, Plaxoed, Facebooked, and Linkedin. Ask a question and the vast ethernet network is ready to respond. That is all well and good, but for my information I for one still look to the comfort and support of the expertise captured in a bound book originated by a known authority.

Hopefully, an inquisitive toy or game inventor sought the advice contained in The Toy and Game Inventor's Handbook. (Always good to engage in a bit of self promotion). But for those inventors seeking to navigate the broader arena of consumer product licensing, there is an important new book by my co-author, Richard C. Levy. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cashing In On Your Inventions (Second Edition) is a must read all inclusive information compendium for any inventor's personal library.

How much time do you want to spend on Google sifting through a multitude of dubious sources in search of information related to defining, selling, protecting, and licensing ideas? If time is money, isn't a tell all tome of "turning an idea into a windfall" a truly invaluable resource at less than $20?

There are numerous sources for information on how to protect intellectual property, including free literature from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the U.S. Copyright Office. There are books on how to invent and sell inventions that are written by patent attorneys, IP managers and agents trolling for business. Most of these people are all hat and no cattle, as they say in Texas. Richard is a marketing dynamo who has co-created, co-developed and licensed hundreds of products that combined have generated $1 billion in global retail sales.

Where Richard's book excels is in its practical, down-to-earth, non-theoretical, real-life information on how to protect your wallet and bring your ideas to market. You are fortunate to be able to peek over Richard's shoulder as you turn the pages of this book and learn the secrets to his success.

Written in a crisp, energetic, insightful manner, this eye-opening book is crammed full of Richard's firsthand experiences that are enhanced through interviews with experts in disciplines ranging from prototyping and off-shore manufacturing to patents and trademarks. He reveals his personal strategies. He shares templates of licensing, option and hold confidential agreements that could save you thousands of dollars in legal fees.

So, if you are a serious inventor or designer who has licensed or wants to license original ideas to industry, you can benefit from this quintessential tool for turning ideas into money-spinners.

Simply put, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cashing In On Your Inventions (Second Edition) is an essential addition to any inventor's library and just plain fascinating reading.

Knowledge is power and this is one powerful source for any inventor who wants to sharpen all the important and related skills. Read, dream, invent--with an added edge! If there is one disappointment I have with this book, it is that I did not co-author it with Richard!

4 Eyes

In my youth, anyone wearing eye glasses was taunted by the ridicule of having "4 eyes". As hurtful as that might have been then, that is pretty tame by standards of today's bullying. Eyewear has since evolved to where frames and tints make glasses fashion statements. At a Toy Fair Creative Factor presentation with my co-author, Richard Levy, I unveiled my latest inventions to assembled inventors, marketers, and curious guests. The initial line has three SKUs shown here:

The first SKU is The Spotter, to be worn by inventors. These glasses have rose colored lenses that allow wearers/inventors to scan exhibitors' booths and view holes in product lines. No more wasteful speculative time for inventors guessing on how to "fill the holes" to get marketers' attention.






















The second SKU is "The Judge" to be worn by potential licensees of inventor prototypes. The viewer (or as inventors lovingly reference this person, the "product picker") slips on these glasses and can immediately judge the first years product sales. Telepathic waves allow the wearer to determine up to a seven digit output of likely sales volume. The Judge will make for on the spot decisions by the licensee and new found euphoria for licensors.






















The third SKU is "The Banker" that allows successful inventors to see projected royalty streams over a one, two or three year period.

















Last minute production details are being wrapped up. We are on track for a $9.95-$14.95 retail. This eyewear should be a blowout, home run. For those vain users who remember too vividly being called "4 eyes", we are working on contact lens that can give the same results.

OK, if you have read this and are ready to order, it is time for a DISCLAIMER. This product vision is untrue. Maybe the Toy & Game world needs these products, but they aren't in the works yet, at least with me. But I do thank Elope Inc in booth 383 at Toy Fair for loaning these fun specs from their wonderfully whimsical line of playful products.

Juggling Act

                               
EGG | CHAIN SAW | BOWLING BALL

If coming to see Richard Levy isn't enough, come see the juggling act I've been working on for years. Surprisingly, I still have all my fingers.

The TIA has scheduled an open forum, The Creative Factor. This year the Drop-In Learning Center will be in Booth 4838. Check out the full lineup of topics in the Toy Fair program. Be aware that Richard and I will present at the Licensing and Business Hour on Sunday, February 15 and Tuesday, February 17 from 3 to 4 PM each day. Stop by with a smile, a wave, or a timely question. On Sunday, we'll be focusing on perspectives on how the industry has changed for inventors and on Tuesday how character licensing has shaped toy and game product since the release of our Toy and Game Inventors Handbook. You may want to mark a stop at 4838 in your daily Toy Fair schedule.

P.S. I'm working hard on that wrap-up to feature my life long dream: to juggle a chainsaw, a bowling ball, and an egg. Don't miss us!

Introducing Santa Doesn't Make Toys

Dreamers filling their heads with new thoughts at New York Toy Fair 2008.

Welcome to the dreamers, aka toy and game inventors, blog. Likely, readers are adults that know Santa and his elves don’t make those toys in the frigid North Pole. That myth was driven out of us with advancing age. We learned that the red suited cherub served as nothing more than a seasonal marketing icon who fronts for companies that import all those kiddie wishes from the largest country on the planet. I don't want to be too hard on Santa especially since he may help the holiday demand for one of our items and gets us personal fame and a lot of cha-ching in our Bank of America accounts. Perhaps some of us are still idealistic enough to think that beyond those personal rewards for our toy biz efforts, there may be the hope those creative efforts can change the world through play! ( Is that just an election year hangover?)

No guarantees, but my hope for this blog is that exchanges in this digital stream will make dreams reality whatever your personal motivations. Likely you already possess creative talents, boundless hope, and unique perceptions for you to recognize what exists now as you dream about what will be in the future. You are someone that can "see, dream, define, and do". So as you read something on this blog from time to time, please share your wisdom on the topic. (Helping thy fellow toy/game colleague may get you an EZ Pass to the eternal Playroom).

Much of the commentary on this blog will be triggered from what Richard Levy and I co-authored in The Toy and Game Inventor’s Handbook (movie rights still available). One compliment given the book is that it is “the Bible” of the industry on its subject. We have received many less spiritual compliments from satisfied readers who recounted labor saving tips as they have navigated the seas of idea licensing and product marketing. Several have actually attributed our words as directly allowing them to prosper in the business as a result of what they found in the Handbook. (If you haven’t seen the Bible, check it out at www.greatideagear.com/toybook.)

So as this blog is launched, look to Santa Doesn’t Make Toys as visits to “new testament’ readings which extend the reach of the Handbook into an interactive and inclusive medium to complement our ink on paper version. I would like to think we can involve many of the persons quoted freely in the Handbook as they embellish their experiences since they have been out and about the industry since the book’s release. The advice of the professional inventor community profiled in the Handbook was and can be very inspirational especially as “practicing” inventors offer insights on past and current successes. And for those newbies just dreaming of future megahits still incubating in the depths of their creative marrow, this blog will hopefully provide an audition stage to “Dance with the Stars”. Look at this blog as shareware for toy and game inventors as they continue to be the life blood for Santa workshops.