the mount vernon report summer 2010 vol. 10 no. 2

8/8/2019 The Mount Vernon Report Summer 2010 vol. 10 no. 2

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The world of publishing is changing

rapidly. According to the Association of

American Publishers, U.S. book sales fell

1.8 percent last year to $23.9 billion, while e-

book sales tripled to $313 million, and market

research group Mintel estimates that e-book sales

could reach as high as $1 billion by 2012. And

authors are taking notice! For this edition of the

Mount Vernon Report, I spoke with veteran technol-

ogy author (and Morrissey & Company Senior

Counsel) Paul Gillin about how these changes

could effect authors and readers.

Summer is the time to open up the possibility for renewal. Perhaps

this comes from the feeling of freedom we all felt when school let

out for lazy hot beach days. Maybe the possibility of exploring

new romances, going off to camp or other out of the ordinary places.

The idea that these months held the possibility for adventure and some-

thing to be discovered about life and about ourselves was in the air. We

knew we would be changed for the better or for the worse in some way

after just three months. Our reputations were being formed by events and

people along the way. Summer could be like a quest of sorts you did

not know where you were heading or quite where you might end up but

you knew you were going somewhere. Jack Kerouac captured these feel-

ings for wandering in his classic On the Road and Perceval certainlychronicled this in the wonderful, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.Both books challenged us to think differently about it. In your youth,

you decided what the it of the moment and future would be. As you got

older, others decided, and the options of life narrowed with responsibil-

ity. A newer and equally thought provoking book is Shop Class as Soulcraft:An Inquiry Into the Value of Work.The author speaks of the values and ethicsof work in modern times how we have lost the ability to make and

repair things in the knowledge economy. This book took me back to ear-lier times of summer spent beneath the hood of a sports car rebuilding

a motor just to go faster. All done for the fun of it because you had all

the time in the world.

Younger was my feeling a few weeks back when we set out for our annual

week long motorcycle tour. While I have never thought of myself as a

biker, I have done these rides for the last 13 summers, so much so that it

is now a right or ritual. You are formed more by what you do than what

you say, so reluctantly, I must admit, I could be called a motorcycle

enthusiast (nerdy). I join three or four of the same friends each June or

July and we either drive north or south long enough to get lost a

few times. Life is often defined as either Harley or BMW both hold cult

status like Ferrari or Corvette drivers. We are in the latter camp

college educated and maybe too intellectual to be rally smart. On these

annual treks we have been to points in Canada and places in the deep

south, but always, the journey is less about the road and more about the

people we meet along the way. This year was no different as we spent time

with everyone from a former Ducati team motorcycle racer to a world

famous folk guitar musician (who had tragically lost his hearing, but still

played an amazing 10 string under the stars in his backyard). The places

we stay can at times be like bad dreams when we open our eyes in the

morning or they can be destination luxury hotel resorts (this year the

destination we visited had a six lane bowling alley in the basement).

So in a way, the trips read a bit like summer beach reading not too seri-

ous or deep, but clearly a lot of living takes place in the chapters as they

unfold, whether we want it to or not. Every turn in the road has a lesson

(never argue with Virginia State Troopers about whether you were driving

too fast) or send a meal back for any reason in a strange hotel (they might

spray bug spray on your burger). You learn these things after years of

trial and error. As we say, we mature as people because we use reason but

really thrive mostly on our wits and hard-earned experience. I always taketoo much with me for these trips. This year was no exception. You tend

to wear the few shirts and jeans that fit the best, basically until they can

almost stand on their own and give off a wonderful fragrance of too

much sweat mixed with bugs you intersected with along the highways.

This quarters Mount Vernon Reportis dedicated to summer reading. Pick upa book and read or experience the lessons of a book by writing some

pages of life.

S u m m e r 2 0 1 0 v o l . 1 0 n o . 2

I s su e s Af f e c t in g Repu ta t i on Manag emen t and S t r at e g i c Communi ca t i on s

I invite you to join the conversation and share your thoughts and ideas about safeguardingan organization's reputation. Please join me on my Reputation Excellence blog http://blog.morrisseyco.com.

The Future Of Books: An Authors Perspective

FUTURE OF BOOKS CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

President and CEOMorrissey & Company

S U M M E R R E A D I N G A N D R E P U T A T I O N


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The Mount Vernon Report is published and copyrighted 2010 by Morrissey & Company, an independent Reputation Communications firm headquartered at 6 Edgerly Place, Boston, MA 02116. Permission to copy and distribute is granted, provided thatfull attribution is given to Morrissey & Company. Further commentary or response to any of the topics discussed in this issue is welcome and should be directed to 617-523-4141 or via e-mail to [email protected].

Printed on recycled paper. In an effort to conserve natural resources we have altered the format of The Mount Vernon Report to omit the use of an envelope. Art Direction/Design: Neville Design, Braintree, MA

Please visit our Web-site at: http://www.morrisseyco.com and RepEx Blog: http://blog.morrisseyco.com/

Morrissey & Company6 Edgerly PlaceBoston, MA 02116

Reputation AdvisorT I P S F O R S U M M E R R E A D I N G

W

ith summer in full swing, children and young adults are freefrom school, often attending summer camp, spending days at

the beach or local pool and family barbecues. What is mostimportant is often forgotten: tackling the summer reading list.

According to The Johns Hopkins Universitys Center for SummerLearning, studies have shown that students experience learning losseswhen they do not engage in educational activities during the summer.Children who do not read during the summer can lose up to threemonths of reading progress, and that loss has a cumulative, long-termeffect.

Likewise, with the changing business world, it is even more important forprofessionals to keep up on their summer reading. Understanding thenewest innovations and trends will help further their careers and enableworkers to stay ahead of the learning curve. Whether its for fun or forprofessional advancement, adults should join a book club to keep their

minds stimulated.

For those readers interested in books on reputation, like our Morrissey& Company team, the whimsicalities of reputation are superblyportrayed in these novels (as recommended by The Wall Street Journal):

The Portrait of a Ladyby Henry James Parades Endby Ford Madox Ford

Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens New Grub Streetby George Gissing Middlemarchby George Eliot

For those readers interested in books on business-related topics, ourMorrissey & Company staff recommends the following:

18 Immutable Laws of Corporate Reputation: Creating, Protectingand Repairing Your Most Valuable Assetby Ronald Alsop

The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use New Releases, Blogs,Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directlyby David Meerman Scott

The New Influencersby Paul Gillin~ Liza Stewart

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the mount vernon report summer 2010 vol. 10 no. 2

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