Confidence in a brighter future has sold a few books in its time. Norman Vincent Peale called it the “power of positive thinking” and certainly, it worked for him – the bible of self-help has sold more than five million copies since it first appeared in 1952.
Today in publishing, where so much about the book business is uncertain, positive thinking is surprisingly widespread among employees. At least that’s what respondents told a recent Publishers Weekly survey.
“In spite of the turmoil of recent years, 90% of respondents said they were ‘somewhat confident’ or ‘very confident’ in the future of publishing, and 75% said they were ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ secure in their jobs,” Andrew Albanese, PW senior writer, tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally. “And this comes even as those jobs are changing. Among respondents who took on new responsibilities in the last two years, 42% said their new duties were tied to digital.”
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Every Friday, CCC’s “Beyond the Book” speaks with the editors and reporters of “Publishers Weekly” for an early look at the news that publishers, editors, authors, agents and librarians will be talking about when they return to work on Monday.