For Love, But Not Now for Money
It’s hard to imagine that someone who loves books and reading as much as I do would want to leave BN.com. And true, on paper, it seemed like my dream job: getting to create experiences for an online bookseller should be the perfect combination for a librarian in interactive. And for a while, it was. I did some amazing things that made me feel like I was moving the needle in the world of reading – launching Rare & Collectible was an extraordinary experience, among others.
I am not foolish enough or naïve enough to think that in today’s market, a company can have a profitable future in selling just books. Nor am I a traditionalist when it comes to reading. But what I do believe in is a strong, clear mission statement and business strategy. “Selling things” is not a business strategy. “Copying Amazon” is not a business strategy.
Interestingly enough, this morning, MSNBC was talking about Fortune’s naming of Howard Schultz as Business Person of the Year. They pointed out that he stopped Starbucks from doing this very thing: trying to be too many things, grasping at any low-hanging fruit that might make money. He gave them focus, and that is what makes them successful. That said, I am fine with working for a company that sells books, and I am ok with working for a company that does other things. But I want to be somewhere that knows who it is and what its product is, whether or not it’s books.
So as of today, I’ve gone back to the interactive agency world – which is, honestly, a bit more my speed. I am still specializing in content, which though not specifically books, is a kissing cousin. Yet I am a librarian and reader at heart, and I still care passionately about the user experience of the book, whether or not it’s my primary source of employment.
From → Ebooks, Library/Info Science
Great stuff, Dawn. I hope you get to do some innovative work at your next gig. I know you bring great experience, wit and skills to the party. Enjoy!
Thanks, Noreen! I hope we get to work together again someday.
Congratulations. I assume you’ll be working with Marc V.
The last place I worked at was supposed to be a TV station, and it was…sort of, but, as my business partner at the time used to say, the company tried to come up with solutions and then would go out to try and find the problems. They would apply for grants that had nothing to do with television production and if/when they got the occasional money, they would re-assign anyone who could help to do tasks that were not remotely part of the core business and left everyone confused and disillusioned. ADHD is not a disease specific to humans; sometimes companies suffer from the same exact symptoms. It’s a shitty prevalent pattern, unfortunately.
Anyway onward, upward, etc.