Talking Through My Hat

This week, John Espirian and I talk about how to be your own Google (providing the best answers to people's real questions in your areas of expertise), pursing clarity and simplicity in your writing, and how content marketing can work for your business by creating content that works for you even when you're on holiday - and how to balance the time spent creating that content against the time spent doing the work that directly brings in revenue! John is a freelance copywriter, helping businesses communicate better with their customers. He's also been a Director of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders for 8 years, and tirelessly shares his knowledge via his blog and mailing list, and on social media. A central theme in this episode is the idea that no-one ever complained that something was too simple to understand, which John found in Ann Handley's book Everybody Writes.

Mindy Gibbins-Klein and I talk about finding your business idea in unexpected directions, the importance of peer support (for your staff, for your authors and especially for you as the person running the business), and how to balance the need to plan for the future with the need to respond to what's happening now. Mindy runs Panoma Press and The Book Midwife, helping people to find their best message and turn it into a great book. She came from a corporate marketing background and moved into helping people publish books as a result of her own experience writing books. In this episode, we discuss some of the networks Mindy has used to get support from other business leaders: Vistage; the Academy for Chief Executives; and MD2MD.  

Simon Appleby is Founder and Director of Bookswarm, the digital agency for the publishing industry. In this week's episode, we talk about being a non-specialist founder of a tech company, the power of networks and personal connections, and the idea of business-karma and "paying it forward".

Bridget Shine is the Chief Executive of the Independent Publishers' Guild, a UK-based organisation that helps independent publishers to have better business through support, training, communication and a whole range of activities. She's run the IPG for about 15 years, in which time it's more than doubled in size. In our conversation, we talk about the ways in which the IPG helps its members, as well as the approach Bridget takes and what she's learned. What always amazes me about the IPG is its open and collaborative atmosphere, and the way that people help each other - whether their businesses compete or are completely different!

Suzy Astbury owns and runs Inspired Selection, a recruitment agency dedicated to the publishing industry. In this podcast, we talk about her early determination to run a business, her decision to buy Inspired Selection, and the many things that working in recruitment brings. It's not just the people who work for us, either, but those we work for, those who advise and support us, and those who hold us to account. Overall, a great conversation!

Ken Jones is Director of Circular Software, creating software like CircularFLO (to easily create advanced fixed-layout EPUBs) and GreenLight (to make sure that files from your team and suppliers follow all the right specs for your printer). He's also helped develop exciting ebooks like Galdo's Gift (with Tapocketa), which we talk a little about in the podcast. In this episode, Ken talks about his background in print (an actual family tradition), his time spent training and in particular his work creating software to help publishers do their jobs better. We discuss the need to experiment and learn, and how important it is to listen and understand what publishers actually need.

In this week's episode, Alison Jones and I talk about how important it is to work on your business as well as in it - that is, to plan carefully. But even more, how passion and fun can drive you to success while making sure you enjoy the journey. Alison's worked in publishing for 25 years, starting as a bookseller and then an assistant editor at Chambers, then Oxford University Press and Palgrave Macmillan, to become Digital Innovation Director. Then she left to make a career change, and became a publisher again almost by accident. Now, she runs Practical Inspiration Publishing, helping people write books that actively support their businesses. She also runs the Extraordinary Business Book Club podcast and is a writer and her most recent book This Book Means Business is all about these issues - understanding your business, and then writing content that actively supports your goals for it.

This was the hardest episode of this podcast so far to record (so apologies in advance for the slightly scrappy quality of some of the audio), because I'm getting personal about some subjects that are often taboo - education, career progression, choices, and the privileges that affect our access to these things. "Privilege" is the preferential treatment that we get from other people, companies and society in general because of our skin colour, socioeconomic class, gender, health or other factors unrelated to our actual ability to perform. At the moment, it's important for people to own how they got to where they have. Privilege is sometimes a subtle thing - or just something we don't want to admit to. So, in this week's podcast, I tell my own career story, in the interests of owning some of my own privilege and hopefully encouraging other people to speak, too. And perhaps making a few people think about their own privilege in new ways. If these are issues you're interested in, check out the report from Panic

Suzanne Collier (@suzannecollier) of BookCareers entered publishing at 16 from school and has since then chaired the Society for Young Publishers and worked for a range of publishers in a range of jobs. Some changes in personal circumstance led to her setting up her own business, and over the past 20 years, Suzanne's been instrumental in making the publishing industry a bit more open and honest through exercises like her annual pay survey. And along the way, she's helped a lot of people with their careers! In this interview, we look at her history and discuss some of the systemic issues that still afflict the publishing industry, as well as the effects of physical and mental changes - and some of the ways in which people still succeed. If you'd like to donate to the Book Trade Charity and support Suzanne's epic 140-mile bike ride this coming May, please do so here. Warning: contains a brief reference to suicide.

The London Book Fair was its usual self - perhaps a little cooler this year, both in temperature and busy-ness levels, but still a great few days. This is my review, touching on the terrible mobile app, the fantastic people, the surprising conversations and the odd discoveries. For another view of the Fair, check out Julia Garvey's (written) review!

In a special LBF18 episode, I talk to Emma Barnes, the CEO and Founder of Snowbooks, Bibliocloud and Make Our Book. We discuss discuss epiphanies, passion for what books can mean, and why everyone should learn at least the basics of computer programming. Links mentioned in the podcast: Rails Tutorial Learn Enough to be Dangerous Makers' Academy Thanks again to Emma for this fascinating conversation!

In this episode, I share some thoughts about getting the most from the London Book Fair (or any trade fair) as a visitor: planning; presentation; and parties! If you see me at the Fair, say hello and let me know you listen to the podcast. I hope to see you there!

First proper podcast episode, in which I describe where I'm coming from and the sorts of thing I plan to talk about in future episodes. The importance of books and my experience working on them, especially in education. Disruption and misunderstandings of that. Tech companies and shiny toys. The value of quality content, words, education, entertainment - culture in general. The importance of publishing businesses and especially editors to that.

Thoughts on what makes the publishing industry what it is, and how we sustain it.

A review of the IPG Spring Conference last week (7-8 March 2018), pulling out my highlights of the sessions. Dealing with newsletters and social media. Design and passion in your product and business. Mindfulness and self-care. Good food. Great people.