Publishing Reset is two things. First,  just as we’re in a moment of radical “reset” in our economy and our popular mindset (per Jeffrey Immelt of GE), so too are we experiencing a radical “publishing reset.” New rules (i.e., there are none!) are being written now and shaped as much by writers and entrepreneurs as by editors, publishers, and booksellers.  There’s tons of advice out there online and in workbooks. But most of it is based on outmoded assumptions, rah-rah schemes, or the heartfelt yet partisan advice that mainstream publishing is the only thing that matters. Or, on the opposite side, that swearing off the “big guys” and going the indie, self-publishing route is the only thing that makes economic and creative sense. Plus, too often, advice focuses on one piece of the equation—writing a book (in a weekend!); marketing; the proposal; getting an agent; and some newer teaching on platform-building. But this piecemeal approach keeps people stuck in one gear rather than giving them the tools and strategies they need to take themselves forward.

So, that’s where the second Publishing Reset comes in—it’s an intensive, hands-on, interactive program. It introduces people to the new publishing realities and takes them through an entire process of evaluating their book concept and stage of development; understanding the Zeitgeist and the importance of making their work urgent, timely and relevant; sharpening their big ideas and title; and digging into the actual publishing options to create a pathway that will work for them.

2) When did you start and how’s it going so far?

Unofficially, The Publishing Reset Program has been evolving for the past year or two. I’d been using the information and approach with my publishing and strategy consulting clients and they were getting amazing personal results, visibility, and even book deals.

The Publishing Reset program officially started as a live 2-day intensive workshop in NYC at the end of April with my partner Suzanne Falter-Barns, the online platform-building expert. We designed  it to help people overcome outmoded beliefs—“the trance,” I call it—about how you “should” get published and to learn how to think like an editor, a marketer, a publisher, and business person.

The energy and excitement among the first 24 participants was palpable.  We had several six- and seven-figure entrepreneurs, memoir writers, and a professional blogger at work on a novel. Based on the live workshop, we’re just launched the Home Study version of Publishing Reset. It is a complete CD/Workbook program with teaching, discussion, dynamic assessments, pitch exercises, and tools and resources for the different publishing options from ebooks and pod to self-pub and traditional. There’s a matrix that puts the pieces altogether. And of course, as a book person, I made sure we created a gifty book of tips and reminders based on the program. The Home Study launch includes live support classes with Q&As and hot seats to make it all come alive. Based on feedback and requests so far, we will surely have future live events and online group classes . (FYI, The first live class is this Tuesday, July 7th!). The information can all be found at www.PublishingReset.com

3) Where do you think publishing will be in 1 year?  5 years?

Wow. If that was easy to answer, we wouldn’t need publishing blogs… But here are some thoughts:

• I think in the near term, each publishing pathway (ebooks; pod; self-publishing; traditional—major and boutique) will become clearer about what it can and can’t do and will have more transparency and honest conversations with all the participants—meaning authors, agents, editors, publishers, booksellers. This applies to the majors as well as all the hard-to-penetrate pod outfits as well as the cool new ventures like Smashwords and Scribd.
• In the immediate and mid-term, editors will reconnect with readers and audiences—that’s what’s always made the work so satisfying and meaningful. They will get on Twitter (more than the 5 of us that are there now, ha ha). They’ll show up at more conferences and get out of the office. I used to sleep on the couch of sales reps in other cities so I could see and feel what was going on. (IRL—In Real Life will come back in publishing.
• More flexible business models with lots more need for displaced publishing professionals to provide needed expertise, thought partnership, planning and so on for the entrepreneurial-minded authors.
• People will decide that NOT to publish a book is a powerful option as well, or not to publish a book now, before it’s ready (and the author is).

4) A quick follow up, is there an easy way to understand which is the right path for a specific author or book?

There are so many variables we’ve tried to capture, and the pathways all overlap, but maybe our terms  and efforts at simplicity will hint at an answer: The Starter (Cool) Pathway for ebooks, ebooklets, and manifestos; The Just-Do-It, or, One-Book-at-a-Time Pathway for print-on-demand; The DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Pathway for self-publishing books; and for traditional publishing we divided them into the Conferred-Status Pathway and the Boutique Pathway.