HuffPo | We are all on a journey. None of us know with absolute certainty what
happens next. All we can do is position ourselves for the future we
prophetically or delusionally imagine. History will judge us all. Those
who position correctly will be rewarded. Those who aren't prepared will
face the harsh realities of the future marketplace.
Every one of us holds the power to change the course of history by
taking actions today that enable the future we desire. Our actions
mirror our aspirations, which means the future of publishing will be
determined by our collective and sometimes competing aspirations.
Readers are our gatekeepers.
I challenge you, my dear writer, publisher or reader, to take charge
of your future. Imagine a brighter and better future ahead, where the
culture of books reigns supreme, where more people are discovering,
reading, purchasing, publishing, selling, and profiting-from books.
Imagine a future where more readers than ever before will enjoy a
greater diversity of books than ever before. Imagine a future where the
power center of the publishing business shifts from traditional
publishers to ordinary writers where it belongs.
The utopian and often self-serving aspirations of industry
participants don't always intersect. Sometimes, objectives are at odds
with one another, and at other times objectives are aligned. Our
experiences, biases and fears color our perceptions, and sometimes
distort them.
Much is at stake. The world's 50 largest book publishers alone achieved $68 billion in sales in 2011, according to Publishers Weekly. Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) estimates the US consumer ebook market alone will surpass $10 billion
by 2016. When so much money and power is up for grabs, industry
players have a lot to fight over, and much to protect. Books are worth
fighting for, so fight for the future you want. Otherwise, someone else
may determine your future for you.
None of us can truly predict the future, but we can still prepare for
it by remaining flexible. We must be willing to roll with the punches
when fate tries to smack us upside the head, and adjust our course and
our beliefs when we make mistakes, or when we discover new opportunities
on the horizon.
The doubters like Donald Maass are becoming the exception, not the
rule, and that worries me. When everyone starts swimming in the same
direction and believing the same group think, that's when I start
wondering about what comes next. It's the job of any entrepreneur - and
we are all entrepreneurs of our own destiny - to prepare for the future
while surviving today.
