Only connect

I had it in mind to write today about pricing strategy, until I heard Richard Nash speak this morning at Booknet Canada’s Technology Forum.

Defining the strategic world view that underpins Cursor, his current venture, Nash invoked E.M. Forster’s Howard’s End: “Only connect.” In Nash’s words: “Publishing is not an end. It is a means to an end.”

I’ve written before that publishers need to start with the reader and back up from there. Nash convinced me this morning that I had missed the opportunity. The lesson is: Start with the community and find out how to serve it, now and in the future.

Publishing will still be part of the solution, but “it is not an end”.

I haven’t forgotten the pricing piece. Maybe tomorrow.

Edited May 12 to add: Interviewed at The Literary Platform, Nash adds some detail on his thinking about the Cursor business model.

About Brian O'Leary

Founder and principal of Magellan Media Consulting, Brian O’Leary helps enterprises with media and publishing components capitalize on the power of content. A veteran of more than 30 years in the publishing industry and a prolific content producer himself, Brian leverages the breadth and depth of his experience to deliver innovative content solutions.

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