Publisher Lesson #1: “It’s all about them.”
Chris Brogan’s got this one right. And I have a feeling this is going to continue being a big takeaway from just about every lesson. Don’t expect to gain a fan base just because people like your books; you’re going to have to create a whole lot more value than that.
Publisher Lesson #2: If you want a community, you have to get involved.
And that means getting involved wherever your community wants you. The old Field of Dreams adage has never held true for publishers, and it’s not going to for publishers’ digital communities either. If you need a Kevin Costner movie reference to get your brain going, think Dances with Wolves. You’re never going to have your audience’s attention unless you walk straight into their camp and prove yourself worthy of their time and trust. You’re not going to get there with an intern at the helm, and you’re not going to get there with marketing messages.
Publisher Lesson #3: Listening is integral to leadership.
If you want to really lead–in your community, in the industry–you need to really dig in and spend some time understanding and absorbing the opinions of those around you. You’ll develop perspective on the choices you’ve made and are making for your business. And if you return the favor by responding in kind to your community members, you’ll start to really solidify trust. That doesn’t mean you have to turn your business into a democracy, but you need to understand how the decisions you make affect the community around you. If you’re going to do something unpopular, you’ll be better off for having first understood how the members of your community will react.
Publisher Lesson #4: Be prepared to assume some risk, or you’re never going to get anywhere.
Building a community takes time, and undoubtedly that’s going to cost any publisher money. Your ROI–whether you’re defining it as Return on Investment or “Return on Involvement” as Chris Brogan notes in the video below–is going to be low for a while. If you wait out the tough, building phases and establish credibility, you’ll start to see the point of all of this. But unless you’re willing to risk the time, energy, and money it takes to get a digital community going, you’ll never get anywhere.
