2011: The Year of Writers and Creators

As I consider the publishing world in 2011, and the ways I want to be involved, I can’t help but feel that I want to focus more on helping writers and creators produce great work and share it with the world. Filled with those who:

challenge me with their work

move me with their ideas

educate me with their research

show me something I’ve never before imagined

engage me with their story

break boundaries that I took for granted

inspire me to do better

give me something worth remembering decades from now

These are not easy things. But regardless of what we feel are barriers, the only thing standing in the way is the will to make it happen. That no one will magically clear our schedules, or put more money in our bank accounts so that we have the luxury of focusing on these things.

I hope my days in 2011 are filled with those trying to cut a new path, to turn a risky idea into a viable future. Things like this are often done in the late hours of the day, and the wee hours of the morning. They are done in lonely places when you have no colleagues helping you, and perhaps a few working against you. As much as the media presents ‘innovation’ as something everyone embraces, for many folks, these new ideas are pursued at professional risk, as it requires you to go against the grain, and to rethink existing models that give people power and comfort.

There are so many conversations about the future of publishing, and all of them rely on the ability of creators to work through the challenges to produce great work, and do everything possible to share it with the world. That “good is the enemy of great.” (Voltaire/Jim Collins) That getting bogged down in the echo chamber of publishing issues can stand in the way of enabling creators to produce and share amazing work.

I hope I can help others do that next year. Thank you for an amazing 2010. I can’t wait to see what we can achieve in 2011.

-Dan