ESPAN

Today’s guest blogger is Mary, from Pink Petal Books:

As an author, a reader, and a publisher, I’ve had the pleasure (and the pain) of being involved in the romance eBook industry for many years. My first book was published in December 2002, and in the summer of 2007, I made the decision to become a publisher. While I made this decision for many reasons (including the fact that I loved the editing and pre-publication work that comes with producing high-quality books, as well as my firm belief in paying things forward), a single conversation was, in fact, the primary impetus for my decision. I was speaking with my boss about ways to help us do our jobs better, and he said, “This is work. That’s why they call it work. There will always be parts that you don’t enjoy or that you don’t agree with. I’m sure the same thing happens with your writing.”

I paused. I thought. And I realized, yeah, the same situations did happen with my writing, with one important difference – when I wrote, I could change what wasn’t working for me. So, with this understanding, as well as the knowledge that I already had an online business and website to use as a base of operations and the experience and insight into publishing that come from years spent as a writer, I set out to change the electronic publishing industry. Little did I know that I was practicing Conscious Capitalism.

Conscious Capitalism rests on two principles. The first is that every business has the potential to either discover, or create, a deeper purpose for itself, which goes beyond maximizing profits or shareholder value. The second is that the most ethical and conscious businesses, over the long-term, consciously create value for all of their independent stakeholders—customers, employees, investors, suppliers, community, and the environment. Paradoxically, this principle also creates the most long-term value for the investors. (Taken from the statements at the website for the C3 event, http://www.conciouscapitalism.com)

I knew when I started Pink Petal Books that I wanted to do two things: create the best romance novels possible, with a focus on the romance no matter the intensity level, and ensure from contract to publication that authors were treated fairly and with professionalism.

So, how does Conscious Capitalism come into play with Jupiter Gardens Press/Pink Petal Books?  First of all, as an author with several publishers, I could look at what worked for me, and what I wished could be changed. For example, I wanted a strong print plan so I knew when, and how, my books would make it into print. I didn’t want contracts that grabbed more rights than they ever planned to exercise, so the contracts for Jupiter Gardens Press deliberately only take those rights which we plan to use, and our options clauses are quite limited.  I wanted to ensure that the quantity of our publication met the twin goals of not printing more books than the market could support (which isn’t in anyone’s best interest), while at the same time ensuring that every author got his or her turn in the spotlight. And, there was also the principle of enlightened self-interest: that by creating an environment which works to improve a reader’s enjoyment of the books and an author’s experience with the company, I further my goals as well. Which is a good thing, since my goals include being the owner of Jupiter Gardens, LLC and the publisher for Jupiter Gardens Press full-time.

The deeper purpose I found within Jupiter Gardens Press became two-fold. First, I wanted to publish books that left me with a positive, uplifting feeling long after I turned the last page. And, I wanted authors to have an opportunity to write such books, instead of being told they needed more sex or that the genre didn’t sell, especially since I have read novels of all genres and levels of sensuality that created those feelings.

The second part of the equation are the authors who would provide these stories. I wanted Jupiter Gardens Press to demonstrate its commitment to its authors as stakeholders by treating them as more than content providers. The more the authors prosper, I believed, the more we would prosper. If that meant allowing authors to promote titles with other houses through the “freebie files” downloadable on the Jupiter Gardens site, or even implementing plans to try and offer these same authors’ books with other publishers through an ebook sales site, then we would be willing to work towards those goals. Because the truth of the matter is, the better an author sells with any publisher, the bigger an audience that same author will bring to us.

This belief has produced tangible and intangible benefits for the other stakeholders, such as the readers, investors, community, and the environment. The readers receive well-written books at very competitive prices. For them, we offer “book bundles” of multiple books in a series that save them money. The investors know they’re working with a solid company. The romance community garners a positive net-citizen that will add value by providing well-written books and a company with a good reputation. The environment benefits not only because of the environmentally-friendly policies implemented by the home office (such as recycling packing material to use again), but also by the inherently greener technology of electronic books.

The truth is that we’re just one company. And we’re probably not the only ones already working along these principles. However, at the moment, I feel that our adherence to Conscious Capitalism gives us the momentum to keep moving forward. It may even be a selling point for some authors and readers because here at Jupiter Gardens, it’s about serving the customer. The internal and external customers – the authors, the readers, and industry partners – who help grow this business by working together to create the kind of company that will do the romance community, and our larger communities, proud.

Mary
Pink Petal Books
Because love is a beautiful thing!
And don’t forget Jupiter Gardens, LLC for nurturing your inner worlds.

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