True story, we tried that with a former iteration of this publisher. Unfortunately, I think when people figured out that would mean I wouldn't therefore be doing all the work, the idea suddenly lost its luster.
Interesting! Thanks for letting me know that Rhyd. I guess in that case, you might as well just reap the rewards of all the effort you are putting in yourself. I am glad you tried it though. It just seemed like it would be a good match: having writers, editors, layout people, people doing the work with distributors, etc. and then profit sharing ala the Mondragon Corporation or the like... I suppose you really have to find the right crew and the workers who want to work.
The successful cooperatives that I’ve seen work well because everyone has an all-in investment in making it work. Also, they were usually started by workers already skilled in the specific industry who also had a general sense of the larger market. Works well for factory takeovers or where everyone is working elsewhere and decides to create a new undertaking together. In my experience, unfortunately, many co-ops fail because the workers are ideologically invested but unaware of how the production and distribution sides actually function.
Have you ever watched the BBC documentary series 'Up'? It follows a group of people through their lives, checking in every seven years. In the first episode they ask the participants (aged 7) what they plan to do when they grow up, and lo, so does it come to pass: most of their predictions prove uncannily accurate later on
Huh, I hadn’t thought about this in a while, but as a kid I wanted to be an entomologist or wildlife biologist or astronaut or writer. I later found out that reducing animals to data points wasn’t for me, nor was the military route to becoming an astronaut, but I do write a lot about critters and I’ve been on many out-of-this-world (and on-this-world) life-altering adventures.
I always thought a publishing house would be a good fit for a workers cooperative / syndicate.
True story, we tried that with a former iteration of this publisher. Unfortunately, I think when people figured out that would mean I wouldn't therefore be doing all the work, the idea suddenly lost its luster.
Interesting! Thanks for letting me know that Rhyd. I guess in that case, you might as well just reap the rewards of all the effort you are putting in yourself. I am glad you tried it though. It just seemed like it would be a good match: having writers, editors, layout people, people doing the work with distributors, etc. and then profit sharing ala the Mondragon Corporation or the like... I suppose you really have to find the right crew and the workers who want to work.
The successful cooperatives that I’ve seen work well because everyone has an all-in investment in making it work. Also, they were usually started by workers already skilled in the specific industry who also had a general sense of the larger market. Works well for factory takeovers or where everyone is working elsewhere and decides to create a new undertaking together. In my experience, unfortunately, many co-ops fail because the workers are ideologically invested but unaware of how the production and distribution sides actually function.
That makes a lot of sense. Thank you!
Have you ever watched the BBC documentary series 'Up'? It follows a group of people through their lives, checking in every seven years. In the first episode they ask the participants (aged 7) what they plan to do when they grow up, and lo, so does it come to pass: most of their predictions prove uncannily accurate later on
Huh, I hadn’t thought about this in a while, but as a kid I wanted to be an entomologist or wildlife biologist or astronaut or writer. I later found out that reducing animals to data points wasn’t for me, nor was the military route to becoming an astronaut, but I do write a lot about critters and I’ve been on many out-of-this-world (and on-this-world) life-altering adventures.
I will now forward a link to this essay to a friend who doesn't want to be involved in politics, possibly because it is too serious.