Learn tips on Publishing For Lasting Impact from Mark Carpenter, CEO of Mundo Cristâo Publishing House in Brazil and founding president of the Brazil Association of Christian Publishers. As a writer, editor and publisher, Mark has led numerous international training sessions on leadership, writing and the editorial process.
- Christian book publishers have the inherent opportunity of producing books that will reach beyond the church; I learned that I should see this opportunity as a responsibility, and as a result, many of our books today are available on the general market.
- Hiring a gifted and productive editor is the best way to serve our authors and our readers; they invariably improve the authors’ final manuscripts and create a more seamless reading experience.
- Setting high standards for book design is often the best way to implicitly communicate to the consumer that you have also invested in the quality of the book’s content.
- The first person you employ should be a financial manager who understands accounting and the delicate economics of publishing. Without a clear plan for your finances, your publishing house will likely live a short life.
- Your most important role is to serve as a mediator between author and reader. There is not a lot of glory in the back office, but that is where publishing becomes viable. The stability and longevity of management is ultimately what enables authors to shine.
- Don’t shy away from innovation. Without new ideas coming into print, new proposals challenging old paradigms, and new ways of connecting authors and readers, your institutional stability may survive, but your potential impact will fade.