Summer 2010
“Issues Affecting Reput atio n Mana gement and St rat egic Co mmunicatio ns”
The Future Of Books: An Author’s Perspective
S U M M E R R E A D I N G A N D R E P U TAT I O N
ummer is the time to open up the possibility for renewal. Perhaps
S 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 certainly
chronicled 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 ethics
of 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
vol.10 no.
he world of publishing is changing
T 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.
FUTURE OF BOOKS – CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
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 take
too 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 quarter’s Mount Vernon Report is dedicated to summer reading. Pick up
a book and read or experience the lessons of a book by writing some
pages of life.
President and CEO
Morrissey & Company
I invite you to join the conversation and share your thoughts and ideas about safeguarding
an organization's reputation. Please join me on my Reputation Excellence blog –
http://blog.morrisseyco.com.
FUTURE OF BOOKS – CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
As the above statistics demonstrate, the e-book industry’s footprint is increasing at
a tremendous rate. Do you think this growth is sustainable? Is there enough of an
appetite for e-books today?
The growth of e-books will accelerate as new technologies build on the
foundation laid by the Apple iPad and Amazon Kindle. As new
technology bridges the gap between paper and electronic displays, the
market for paper books will continue to shrink. I think it will be a long
time before printed books go away completely – after all, they look great
on a shelf – but for practical purposes, e-books will be the preferred
medium for most readers in the next 10 to 15 years.
In the past authors were regarded as an elite group of those writers lucky enough
to be selected by publishers. How will self-publishing impact the reputation of
authors if there’s no barrier to publishing?
When barriers to entry fall, the rules always change. The barriers are
now falling in book publishing as they have already fallen in music and
periodical publishing. When anyone can afford to publish a book, then
reputation becomes a function of audience rather than the ability to
secure shelf space at Barnes & Noble.
This will raise the bar for everyone. Professional publishing houses will
have to find new sources of value in order to maintain relevance.
Authors will also have to work harder to stay on top because new
competitors can emerge so quickly. We will still have star authors, just
as we have star musicians, but they will have to work harder to keep their
work relevant and will have to take on more responsibility for engaging
with their audience to ensure they deliver work that keeps them on top.
What will it take to move readers from hard copies to e-books? A major, disrup-
tive event (like when Stephen King decided to utilize electronic distribution only)
or will it be a gradual process?
It will happen gradually. Some people simply prefer paper and there are
some advantages of paper that electronic readers won’t be able to match
for a long time. For example, flipping through a book is still a faster way
to find some information than searching. You can also read books on
airplanes when no electronic alternatives are available. Also, some older
readers will simply never give up on paper. As the Millennials move into
the mainstream of the market, I expect that paper will become a niche
medium for books, but that transition will take a couple of decades to
complete.
Anything else you think our readers need to know about e-books and/or
self-publishing?
I’m often asked about the merits of self-publishing vs. going with a
professional publisher and here’s the guidance I give: If you want to
bring a book to market quickly and have a chance of making some
decent money from it, then you should self-publish. The economics are
much better for the author and you can move much faster than a
commercial publisher can move.
However, if your motivations for publishing are to reach a wider
audience, generate visibility that leads to other kinds of business (such
as speaking or consulting) and have a chance to gain reviews and
recognition, then a commercial publisher is still the way to go. For
better or for worse, book reviewers and bookstores still look more
favorably on branded books than self-published books. The big
bestsellers will come from commercial publishing houses for some time
to come. However, there will be self-published authors who make more
money than the best-sellers because their profit margins are greater, even
though the volumes are smaller. Self-publishing will be an increasingly
popular business model but remain a difficult way to achieve wide visi-
bility.
~ Sarah Gerrol
Paul Gillin is an award-winning writer and content marketing consultant specializing in
technology and new media. He is a veteran technology journalist and the author of two books on
the subject of social media marketing

The Gorilla in the Room

ow many times have you nearly middle, pounds her chest, and leaves. People ing successfully apprehended the suspect, the
H walked past a close friend on the
street, not seeing them until they call
your name? Or you go into the library look-
ing for a particular book – do
just watching the video never miss it, but half
of the people tasked with counting the passes
never see the gorilla.
officer spent nearly three years in prison and
was fired from his job on the police force.
Eleven years later, thankfully, he was
reinstated as research demonstrated the
you notice if the library is empty In “The Invisible Gorilla,” officer could have not seen beating, despite
or crowded? Could you tell Chabris’ and Simons’ new being feet from it.
someone what magazines were book, the authors use this
on the rack by the circulation experiment as a metaphor for “The Invisible Gorilla” explores six kinds of
desk? You look, but do you see? exploring illusions we experi- everyday illusions that significantly influence
ence in everyday life, and our lives: attention, memory, confidence,
In 1999, Christopher Chabris explain how we may be able to knowledge, cause and potential. It will have
and Daniel Simons published a avoid or overcome them. The you questioning how much you know, how
study demonstrating the “zero- book was inspired by the sur- reliable your memories are, what you saw.
sum nature of attention,” as Paul prise they felt when they This book shows us that people aren’t perfect
Bloom dubs it in his New York learned they’d missed some- and that our minds have limitations; and this
Times book review; when you thing. “The Gorilla study illus- awareness can lead to increased understand-
focus on one thing, you may not trates…the powerful and per- ing of ourselves and others, impacting per-
see something else that’s literally vasive influence of the illusion sonal and professional relationships. Perhaps
right in front of you, because it’s of attention: We experience far we, as humans, are predisposed to want to
not what you’re looking for. less of the world than we think understand, giving us the opportunity to
we do.” rebuild reputations that have been tarnished.
In Chabris’ and Simons’ experi-
ment, subjects watch a video of two teams Chabris and Simons draw you in from the “The Invisible Gorilla” will make you second-
passing basketballs back and forth – one beginning with a story about a Boston police guess yourself (in a good way), and have you
team in white, one in black. The subjects are officer who scales a fence in pursuit of a sus- watching for hidden “gorillas.”
tasked with counting passes. Halfway pect, mere feet from where another officer is
through the video, a person dressed in a being beaten by fellow officers. He claimed ~ Megan Page
gorilla suit walks onto the screen, stops in the to have seen nothing. As a result, despite hav-

pg.
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 Reaching Orbit in Today’s Economy
s our economy emerges from its most challenging period in recent his-
A tory, the culture of corporate America has undoubtedly changed as a
result. Companies are leaner. Resources are scarcer and teams smaller.
For a sense of security in times of uncertainty, companies often look to
process, policy and structure to guide the ship through rough waters. However,
leading economists all agree that it will be innovation that leads us back to pros-
perity.
While this standard definition is adequate to
describe the basic concept, the etymology is
far more revealing of the underlying spirit.
Originating from the Latin word innovare –
or the combination of in (“into”) and novus
(“new”) – in plain English “innovate” simply
means to renew or change. Emerging from a
time of financial insecurity, our economy
needs a fresh start and the driving forces
behind this renewal will most certainly be
original ideas and creative thinking.
The question will be how to foster a new
wave of creativity amidst the tangle of busi-
ness process companies are clinging to during
the downturn. To light the path forward, we
may need to blow the dust off a business book classic from the days of the tech
boom and revisit the lessons of the late Gordon MacKenzie. A
former creative executive at Hallmark Cards, MacKenzie penned “Orbiting the
Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool’s Guide to Surviving with Grace” to guide
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion & Purpose
ony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, shares his philosophy on business and life
T in his new book, “Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose.”
Hsieh knows a bit about profits. After debuting as the highest ranking
newcomer in Fortune magazine’s annual Best Companies to Work for list in
2009, Zappos was acquired by Amazon in a $1.2 billion deal, that
came on the heels of Hsieh’s initial success at age 24, when he
sold his first company, LinkExchange, to Microsoft for $265
million. He also knows a bit about passion and purpose, having
built Zappos on a platform of culture and customer service with
the goal of having an enjoyable place to come to work to every
day.
Zappos has a reputation for being a fun, dynamic place to work,
characterized by a culture that encourages self expression and
growth. Things such as beard-growing contests and a lending
library create an an environment where people want to come to
work in the morning. The culture at Zappos, we learn, is essentially
a reflection of the personality of its CEO, Hsieh:
a reminder that a company’s culture and often its reputation are
highly influenced by its CEO.
Part of the allure of this read is the fact that Hseih, like a true business maver-
ick, wrote the entire book himself without the assistance of a ghostwriter.
He is open, funny and real, apologizing in the beginning to his second grade
teacher for ending some sentences in prepositions.
pg.
3
readers to a more enlightened career existence. Before leaving Hallmark, after 30
years of service, MacKenzie ascended to the title of “Creative Paradox” – today,
we would certainly assign him some level of “guru” status.
In “Orbiting the Giant Hairball,” MacKenzie uses the striking vision of a
hairball to symbolize the stereotypical company. Each strand of hair represents
a different policy, cultural norm or business decision. All snarled together, the
strands create a collective gravitational pull that enforces uniformity among the
corporate masses. MacKenzie characterizes this phenomenon to “creating a
Gordian knot of Corporate Normalcy.” He acknowledges the importance of
the hairball for the structure and stability it provides, but warns readers to avoid
permanent refuge within the uninspiring tangle.
Rather than attempting to untie the knot, MacKenzie encourages workers to
stretch beyond manmade constructs and escape the ground below. By acting
courageously on original ideas, workers can rise into orbit around the corporate
snarl. Orbiting provides the beneficial aspects of structure, but also “emanci-
pates our inner creative genius.” MacKenzie, who began his Hallmark tenure as
a visual artist, created a book that must have been a typesetter’s worst nightmare,
peppering the pages with doodles to illustrate his vision for creativity in the
workplace. “Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool’s Guide to
Surviving with Grace,” serves as a true creative masterpiece in both form and
message.
The success of today’s economic recovery will depend upon how many of us
dare to break from gravity, take flight, and begin the next phase of creative
innovation.
~ Sean Findlen
The book’s title, however, is a bit misleading in terms of replicating Hsieh’s
path to success. While an enjoyable read, one can’t help but think that Hsieh’s
ascendancy has more to do with his personal gumption, gusto and dedication
(he turned his loft into the company’s office, added cots for employees when
times got really tough, and eventually sold everything he owned to sink the
profits back into the business) than a clearly defined set of business principles.
Both LinkExchange and Zappos’ success probably have more to do
with his innate intelligence and good business sense than follow-
ing certain guidelines. This isn’t something that can be taught
from any book. And that’s just the point.
The real magic of this book is two-fold. First, Hsieh’s is a suc-
cess story about someone who did things a little differently,
followed his heart, and eventually found success. That is sure to
be inspiring. Second, the book is interspersed with Zappos’
company e-mails, first person employee stories and charts,
graphs and other useful tools.
While reading “Delivering Happiness” isn’t going to make your
business the next Zappos, it very well may inspire you to
become more passionate about your own business goals.
~ Lauren DiGeronimo
Morrissey & Company
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Boston, MA 02116

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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 that
full 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 peter@morrisseyco.com.
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Reputation Advisor
TIPS FOR SUMMER READING

ith summer in full swing, children and young adults are free • “The Portrait of a Lady” by Henry James

W from school, often attending summer camp, spending days at

the beach or local pool and family barbecues. What is most
important is often forgotten: tackling the summer reading list.
•
•
•
“Parade’s End” by Ford Madox Ford
“Little Dorrit” by Charles Dickens
“New Grub Street” by George Gissing
• “Middlemarch” by George Eliot
According to The Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Summer
Learning, studies have shown that students experience learning losses For those readers interested in books on business-related topics, our
when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer. Morrissey & Company staff recommends the following:
Children who do not read during the summer can lose up to three
months of reading progress, and that loss has a cumulative, long-term • “18 Immutable Laws of Corporate Reputation: Creating, Protecting
effect. and Repairing Your Most Valuable Asset” by Ronald Alsop
• “The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use New Releases, Blogs,
Likewise, with the changing business world, it is even more important for Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly”
professionals to keep up on their summer reading. Understanding the by David Meerman Scott
newest innovations and trends will help further their careers and enable • “The New Influencers” by Paul Gillin
workers to stay ahead of the learning curve. Whether it’s for fun or for ~ Liza Stewart
professional 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 superbly
portrayed in these novels (as recommended by The Wall Street Journal):

pg.
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