A Journey of a Thousand Miles .....
begins with a single step.I've moved imperceptibly from a quiet existence, where my main concern was finding work to fill my time to the centre of a maelstrom as I prepare for the launch of A Friend in Every City and gear Ecademy Press up for future growth and development.
Ecademy Press is a virtual business, made possible by the digital age. Without digital printing, we could not offer Print on Demand, allowing us to run without carrying expensive book stocks. Without the internet and broadband, we couldn't develop books and upload them for printing as easily and cheaply as we do. Covers are developed using software (though some start out life as real sketches) and the book is typeset from (usually) Word documents created by the writer directly. PDF files have made it possible to create finished files and know that the printer will see them exactly as intended.
The business can, therefore, keep small and lean as it grows. We contract for printing and distribution with external companies. The authors are freelance as are our designers. We need to develop books and run operationally (essentially Project Management), to account for our business, pay our bills and raise our invoices, to market our books and to ensure that Ecademy Press is as accessible (by web technology) as we can make it. The form of leadership cannot, therefore, be hierarchical because there isn't a hierarchy.
So how does one 'lead the way' in a network. The answer is by setting standards. The quality of the books we accept for publication is important - we don't vanity publish. The quality of the design and production process is important, too - we want a reputation for producing good books that last under use. Our customer service has to reflect what the customer wants to receive. That means, I guess, keeping in touch with the customer base and seeking out feedback.
We can't compete as a generalist publisher with a huge list of blockbuster titles from celebrated authors - there are many who already do that well and they have the capital to invest in that approach. We are niche and we have to be good at what we do - actually we have to excellent at what we do.
To be excellent means that we apply the resources we can to ensure that we meet all expectations of us to the best of our ability. That means that more of the business will need to be delegated to other people - and the likelihood is that they, too, will be freelance working on a contract basis with us.
In a network business - and even the big hierarchical businesses will have to adopt more or less of a networked model - leading is not about the "bark of the Sergeant Major" and the giving of orders. It is about leading by example, by setting standards and encouraging everyone to care enough to meet them. It is about a win/win.
Thanks to my friend Martin Dewhurst (who I've never met IRL) for this quote "Unless we all win, we all lose."
posted by Andy Coote @ 2:03 am
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