Ryan McFarland

I won a caption contest at Instructables and earned a “patch” on my profile page as well as a tape measure from DIY Network.  It looks like it is a Komelon SS Gripper.

One of my least popular Instructables has been an entry for the “Fridge Magnet Challenge” on how to reuse cheap fridge magnets.  The contest was over a year ago and my Instructable only has 2,600 views.  (Compared to the cart-bike with 66,000 views, Kevin’s and my t-shirt printing press with 49,000 views, or my geek wallet with 198,000 views.)  I didn’t even rank as a runner-up in the magnet contest.

I’ve been very happy with the exposure that the Instructables site has given my projects.  My first project for the site ended up in Popular Photography magazine.  It looks like i’ll have two projects in the upcoming book.  I’ve had my stuff in Australian and Italian magazines.  Of course, i’ve won a number of t-shirts and a few other prizes but to date none have ever brought me any direct money.  (Not that i do it for money but some cash wouldn’r hurt!)

Then I got an email from someone at HowCast.  They would like to pay me $50 to use “my” idea for a video.  They also are offering 50% of the ad revenue generated if i embed the video on zieak.com or in my Instructable.  It sounds like they will do all the production but will “work with” me.

Since this project has been one of my bigger flops i’m willing to sell off my idea for a few bucks.  Maybe I’ll stop waiting around for worthy contests to create and post my ideas now.

It seems that i might end up with two projects in the Instructables book.  I didn’t even enter this one in the book contest so this one has been selected purely by the editors and not because of popularity.

Hi Ryan,
It looks like we are considering a second instructable of yours, the “Stool made from bike parts and crutches” project. If you haven’t sent back the agreement yet, I can resend another one with both of the instructables in it, or just send you a new one for this one. Let me know what works best for you.
Thanks,
Terry

Despite the fact that the “Instructables Book Contest” that will be produced by O’Reilly (”The Best of Instructables Volume I” on Amazon.) is not yet closed it looks like one of my projects has been picked as a potential for the book.

Here’s the email I received:

I’m part of the editorial team working on The Best of Instructables book, a joint effort between MAKE and Instructables. We’re interested in using your “Wallet-made-from-a-computer-keyboard” project. Can we have your permission? If you are interested, please reply with your name, mailing address, email address, and the name you’d like to appear in the book. I will send you a Permissions Form to review, sign, and return…

We’re still in the process of sifting through projects and getting the right mix for the book. It’s possible that, even after seeking permissions on projects, a few won’t make it into the final cut. If that happens, you still get a credit in the book and a free contributor’s copy.

We’re very excited about this project and hope you’ll consider being a part of it.

My direct email is: [redacted]

Many thanks,

Terry Bronson
For Make: Books and The Best of Instructables