Digits, Digits, and more Digits
Feb 7th, 2008 by gibsondirect
After spending 28 years in the publishing business, I find it easy to become jaded. After a while, publishing becomes simply numbers on a page. How many can we sell? What are the markets for this book? Who will endorse it?
Born in East Africa, Phillip Keller worked as an agricultural development specialist, and wildlife photographer and naturalist. He also became a best selling Christian author in the last part of the 20th Century with such titles as A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 and Lessons from a Sheepdog. However, Keller always seemed to avoid talking about his success. In one of his books, Thank You, Father, he addresses this issue:
“I am aware that it is common in Christian work for those engaged in it to look for tangible results. We are a success-oriented society. We measure a man’s worth by the numbers he commands and the net returns delivered. But no such measurement can be used in assessing spiritual achievement. Our Father does not deal in digits. His chief concern is the solitary inner response of a single soul to the still quiet voice of His Spirit. Ultimately He deals with us as individuals. He does not manipulate us en masse. …So it was that in large measure I refused to keep any record or results achieved.”
Later he writes,
“The question was not, ‘How many books would sell?’—’Or would this work make the best-seller list?’ Rather, the central concern was that it be used by our Father to awaken His people to their peril. Here our faith could not repose in any publisher, editor, sales strategy, bookstore or publicity.”
These are good words for a jaded publishing person to read. Does it mean that I no longer believe in marketing? No, not at all. I believe marketing can inform people of books and resources available. How many times have I heard customers say, “Why, I never knew this book even existed!” Such comments convinced me long ago that marketing is not all bad.
But, on the other hand, it’s good to read these words and be reminded of a higher purpose and a higher calling. It’s not about numbers…it’s about people.
I used to get a little jaded about Christian music when I worked for a Christian music publisher. Then one day I was in church and I heard a teenager play a guitar and sing while his father and sister accompanied him. The music was beautiful and really moved me. I sat there and thought, I’ll bet this is what happened to the first person who put Christian music on a record. She or he was sitting in a church service, heard something that moved them, and wanted to share it with the world. Two things that make that difficult is that it can be hard to capture the Spirit of a moment like that in a recording studio. Also, if you create a company to publish the record, the company eventually needs to be fed with money so more recordings that don’t necessarily hold that same Spirit end up being published. But it is fun to remember that it can start with a really beautiful moment when the Holy Spirit really moves. Maybe lives are changed in spite of us.