Herding Cats: Liz Taylor, Rebecca Black and the Future of Nuclear Energy

Can't mention the goings-on this week without mentioning the death of Elizabeth Taylor (who was great) or Rebecca Black (who is...hmmn).  Also, info on becoming a self-published millionaire, handy tips for eating rotten fruit, and some unique ways to pay for college. Booksquare - A Tale of Two Authors: Big news in publishing this week was one commercial author choosing to turn down a $500,000 book deal to self-publish--where he feels he can make more money--and another self-published author who got a $2 million traditional book deal.  The verdict: it's possible to make a lot of money self-publishing.  Not guaranteed of course, but if you've got an old unpublished novel laying around, or you've thought about writing something, it's now easier to break in.  For a $2.99 Kindle book, you make around a dollar--and people are selling hundreds of books a day, so you can do the math...

Women of the Web - Elizabeth Taylor: God Save the Queen:  Not exactly money-related, but can't talk about this week without mentioning the passing of Elizabeth Taylor, and here's a good post from someone who got to know her behind the scenes. True story: my mom once worked for Michael Jackson's manager.  One day she stepped into a movie lot trailer with him and there was Michael Jackson, Bubbles (his monkey), and Elizabeth Taylor, as MJ was showing her his new video.  They basically ignored my mom, but one of the weirder experiences a person can have.

Fortune - What's Next for Nuclear Power?: Good article outlining what's going to happen with nuclear power going forward.  The main argument for nuclear power is that the Fukishima plant is outdated, which is why it's having so many problems.  Also, there aren't alternative energy sources that can immediately solve our energy needs. The verdict: there's going to be more debate about nuclear power, but it's not going to dramatically change policy going forward.

Wisebread - 7 Ways to Make Use of Sub-Par Produce: People will do anything to save money, including eat rotten fruit and vegetables.  OK, that's not what this is about--it's possible at some markets to get bruised fruit on the cheap, and these can actually be put to good use.  If you've bought some good produce that's gone bad, don't throw it away, there may be a good use for it.  Good, comprehensive post.

SmartMoney - 5 Weird Ways to Pay for College: I think we've reached a disturbing point in college costs when the Wall St. Journal is telling you to join a sperm bank in order to make some extra dough for college.  The web is probably a more wholesome way to go about it.  No, it's not easy to make money on the web, but it's also an avenue that students didn't really have ten years ago, and every little bit of money counts--even if it's just Adsense clicks on a personal blog.  In related news, Ralph Nader calls for an end to sports scholarships.  Basically he wants to take the big money out of college sports. Good luck with that.

Newser - Did 'Friday' Really Make Rebecca Black a Millionaire?: Sick of Rebecca Black yet?  Of course you are.  What's weird about this story is that even if you become popular because everyone basically hates you, you can still make a lot of money from it.  However, she's not a millionaire--not even a six-figure-aire.  But that doesn't factor in her possible future--she actually does have a decent voice sans the auto-tune and with 47 million views and counting, it'll be interesting if that translates into an actual career, or if it's just this week's internet blip.  Before you start hating Rebecca Black too much (and you shouldn't anyway, because she's thirteen) she's donating the "Friday" proceeds to charity. Which finance-related stories captured your interest this week? Weigh in with your two cents in the comment!

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