View From the Publishing Trenches

The last few years have been quite a ride for our publishing company. Sometimes bumpy. Sometimes smooth. Often surprising. Here are some of the things for which we are grateful on this day-after-Thanksgiving.

1. The many people who have been willing to spend their hard-earned money to read what we have written and published. Writing and publishing can seem pointless unless it finds a way to connect with others who have similar interests.
2. The many people who take the time to read our blog and Twitter postings…and provide feedback. In our hectic 21st-century world, it’s easy to feel disconnected. Finding people across the country and around the world, who care enough about what we post to read and comment on it, is gratifying. We try to return the favors by reading and posting on other’s sites.
3. Meeting, even just electronically, others who are willing to share their own knowledge and hard-won lessons learned. It’s always amazing how much information people are willing to share. We strive to be as open and giving in sharing our own expertise and knowledge.
4. Our repeat customers and clients for both the books published by Slipdown Mountain Publications and the services provided by Five Rainbows Services for Authors and Publishers. Without them, business would be a much more difficult thing to sustain. Their trust and confidence is, indeed, the “pearl of great price.”
5. The dozens of people who have willingly contributed so many stories, photos, and contacts that have been instrumental in putting together our books and articles. And they did so with little or no recompense beyond our gratitude, published acknowledgments, and maybe an autographed copy of the finished book.

Our heartfelt thanks go out to all these people for whom we are indeed grateful.

To whom are you most grateful for your professional successes this year?