Macmillan Blogs…And The Heavy Lifting Begins
by Ami Greko
Wow, cool. Macmillan started a blog! (Incredibly well-designed, too. Wonder who did that…)
First of all, I think I speak for a lot of people by saying, good on you, John Sargent. This is absolutely a move in the right direction, and I can’t think of an executive better suited that Sargent for speaking plainly and honestly. It really suits him.
And now? Now is when the heavy lifting begins—making Macmillan Speaks a success.
The pitfalls of executives blogging are well known. It’s hard for anyone to blog regularly, let alone someone as busy as Sargent must be. I suspect crafting posts takes even longer once you add in the additional challenge of needing to make sure nothing you say inadvertently, you know, makes the lawyers angry.
There’s also what I’ll call the SXSWbp problem. Remember last year at SXSW, when the audience went a little berserker over a panel of the publishing executives who were “there to learn” what readers wanted? As Kassia from Booksquare smartly described it:
At the after-party, one panelist told me that “this is all new to us.” Give. Me. A. Break. It’s only new for those of you who’ve been pretending change is something you get from a dollar bill. Now you’re wondering how to interact with blogs? Now you’re learning that there’s an entire conference devoted to change in the industry?
Obviously there are differences between Macmillan’s blog and the panel. But I believe the underpinnings to be the same: the smart comments on Sargent’s post are questions and thoughts that have been kicking around in discussions on digital publishing for a while.
At this point, for the most part, discourse seems respectful, and even civil. Readers are willing to give him some breathing room because hey, he’s new at this! But how will they respond in two weeks? In a month? In half a year? The key to social media is right in the name: it’s social. As in, to be successful, you need to both speak…and listen.
Getting Sargent on the blog is a great first step. His responding directly to comments on his post is an incredible second step. We’re all excited to see what’s next.
Comments
I was equally thrilled to see Sargent take a progressive and transparent (as much as he can be) approach to educating creators and consumers on the shifting trends in publishing. In light of the recent Amazon/Macmillan standoff, Macmillan is uniquely positioned to lead the discussion about the promise and potential pitfalls of the evolving marketplace.
Cheers to John for venturing into this terrain fraught with peril. His former Macmillan colleague Richard Charkin led the way inspiring many of us to follow suit (I dont pretend to have the knowledge, scope, or importance of either)
But this is a tough road to hoe. Coherent, meaningful, helpful commentary amidst the shifting sands of change is very hard to pull off, much more so if you are the boss!
Kudos to John for trying… and after looking at the comments, I wonder if he is regretting the decision!
I keep suggesting animated cat gifs, but no takers.
I am very much appreciative of John Sargent’s stepping into the world of social media (blogging=gateway drug) and that he responded directly to comments. It’s not easy to face your critics directly, but this is exactly the kind of conversation I (and so many others) have wanted for so long.
I also understand the very real challenges of CEOs blogging, from time, to content, to time (and, oh yeah, the lawyers). Time is going to be the tough one. He might want to empower someone to handle the day-to-day responses, stepping in when it makes sense. I doubt anyone would fault him for not being an active participant on the blog (I mean, if he were, I’d be supremely impressed).
And yeah, you get the usual suspects, but you also get the people who really want answers and clarity. The former have good points mixed in with the, uh, crankiness, and the latter really are seeking information. It is in short supply.
(And it is a great design. If you happen to see the genius behind that lovely look, give up a fist bump from me.)
@Ryan I would also recommend the WordPress plug-in that allows readers to rank people on ‘Hot or Not’ in the sidebar.
@Kassia, @Evan, @JC I’m excited to see where this goes. It’s nice to know there are others along for the ride with me!
[...] I left asking for clarification. Ami Grecko, formerly of Tor and now with Adaptive Blue (GetGlue) says that the time for heavy lifting for Macmillan and other publishers begin. But we can start the [...]