Five Publishing Personas
#4. Makers
Think of all the service providers that makeup the process of publishing...
Five Publishing Personas
#4. Makers
Think of all the service providers that makeup the process of publishing books, and let’s call them makers for this section. Cover designers. Typesetters. Interior designers. Editors. Printers. Marketers. Publicists. You get the idea.
Previous posts in this series:
▶ Preamble (http://goo.gl/dZoZcQ)
▶ RFAS (Reader first, author second) (http://goo.gl/uVkvRs)
▶ Author-first authors (http://goo.gl/QqXNcK)
▶ Publishers (http://goo.gl/wEZzSm)
Makers actually make things happen, and have in many cases a highly honed skillset of value in publishing companies or made available directly to indie publishers. For the three attributes I’m exploring here, I’d like to keep our attention on freelancers rather than employees, though I’d wager that much would still hold true.
As with our previous exploration of authors, makers are motivated by paying the rent. Much of the time, they are able to do so by providing quality work to others also motivated to pay their rent by providing their audience quality work. And if they can’t do so with their current clients, they seek out new ones to keep their business going and pride in their craftsmanship high.
Calling out a single time-horizon for such a disparate set of professionals is tricky. But most center around the next cycle. For the designers, it’s the next release of the software or hardware they use. Editors look to (and often lobby for changes in) the next style guide update. Formatters speculate on new publication standards or changes made by marketplaces. Business-service providers attend regular gatherings and conferences to get their look at the future.
Makers, almost by definition, are focused on outputs. They play a key role but are just one step in a larger output (a book). This is not to say that they never think about their career by securing their role in the changing industry (a worthy outcome), it’s just not their primary focus. To achieve par excellence, makers must stay focused on creating high quality outcomes when they are “on the job”, so to speak. They can shift their focus when the next cycle comes around.
On Friday, I'll wrap the series with a discussion of Disrupters, Because some of us just like breaking things.
All posts in this series:
▶ Preamble (http://goo.gl/dZoZcQ)
▶ RFAS (Reader first, author second) (http://goo.gl/uVkvRs)
▶ Author-first authors (http://goo.gl/QqXNcK)
▶ Publishers (http://goo.gl/wEZzSm)
▶ Makers (you are here)
▶ Disruptors (http://goo.gl/YXL5v2)
Creative commons licensed photo from Flickr: http://flic.kr/p/gvyvZ
#4. Makers
Think of all the service providers that makeup the process of publishing books, and let’s call them makers for this section. Cover designers. Typesetters. Interior designers. Editors. Printers. Marketers. Publicists. You get the idea.
Previous posts in this series:
▶ Preamble (http://goo.gl/dZoZcQ)
▶ RFAS (Reader first, author second) (http://goo.gl/uVkvRs)
▶ Author-first authors (http://goo.gl/QqXNcK)
▶ Publishers (http://goo.gl/wEZzSm)
Makers actually make things happen, and have in many cases a highly honed skillset of value in publishing companies or made available directly to indie publishers. For the three attributes I’m exploring here, I’d like to keep our attention on freelancers rather than employees, though I’d wager that much would still hold true.
As with our previous exploration of authors, makers are motivated by paying the rent. Much of the time, they are able to do so by providing quality work to others also motivated to pay their rent by providing their audience quality work. And if they can’t do so with their current clients, they seek out new ones to keep their business going and pride in their craftsmanship high.
Calling out a single time-horizon for such a disparate set of professionals is tricky. But most center around the next cycle. For the designers, it’s the next release of the software or hardware they use. Editors look to (and often lobby for changes in) the next style guide update. Formatters speculate on new publication standards or changes made by marketplaces. Business-service providers attend regular gatherings and conferences to get their look at the future.
Makers, almost by definition, are focused on outputs. They play a key role but are just one step in a larger output (a book). This is not to say that they never think about their career by securing their role in the changing industry (a worthy outcome), it’s just not their primary focus. To achieve par excellence, makers must stay focused on creating high quality outcomes when they are “on the job”, so to speak. They can shift their focus when the next cycle comes around.
On Friday, I'll wrap the series with a discussion of Disrupters, Because some of us just like breaking things.
All posts in this series:
▶ Preamble (http://goo.gl/dZoZcQ)
▶ RFAS (Reader first, author second) (http://goo.gl/uVkvRs)
▶ Author-first authors (http://goo.gl/QqXNcK)
▶ Publishers (http://goo.gl/wEZzSm)
▶ Makers (you are here)
▶ Disruptors (http://goo.gl/YXL5v2)
Creative commons licensed photo from Flickr: http://flic.kr/p/gvyvZ
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