Friend or Foe in Publishing?

One of the many things I enjoy about attending Saskatchewan Publishers Group professional development sessions and meetings is the opportunity to interact with other publishers of Saskatchewan and Prairie books. This morning, I was chatting with three other publishers about sales and distribution options for e-books and printed books, accounting software that works best for our industry, and what social media we all use or avoid. And that was just during the coffee break!

Later in the day, I found myself sitting with two other women who – like me – are both running successful or growing book publishing companies. What do we have in common besides our gender and love of books? We each spend part of our time helping authors self-publish their works. We had some pragmatic discussion, sharing our personal stories of how we approach certain issues, how we do certain tasks, and some of the things we would each like to do in our own respective businesses.

I don’t know about other industries, but this kind of honest sharing of secrets, advice and potential pitfalls is commonplace in the book publishing industry – and is actually actively encouraged at every gathering of Saskatchewan Publishers Group members. Instead of sitting back and watching others make the same old mistakes or flail around trying to figure out an increasingly complex industry, there is a willingness - almost an eagerness – to answer each other’s questions and share ideas on marketing, promotion, sales options and more. I know we came home with a ‘To Do’ list for some of the ideas we had which have now gained more focus and momentum because of what we learned from people who might, in other industries, be seen as competitors but who, in the publishing industry, are considered friends who will do what they can to help the industry thrive.

Thank you to our colleagues in the publishing industry in Saskatchewan and Canada. Once again – we’ve learned a lot and are anxious to put some of it into action.

Stay tuned!