Personal News: Mission accomplished.

The “open to work” banner came down on LinkedIn, my consulting work is back on ice, and my new role is officially official.

I’ve joined Simmons-Boardman Publishing as the new publisher for the Railway Educational Bureau, which has provided books, educational materials, and training services for the railroad industry for more than one hundred years.

It’s no secret that I’m a systems guy, and one of the most fascinating systems ever devised is the railroad, which changed the world in ways most people take for granted. I’m also a publishing guy who believes in verticals, and the opportunity to combine those two interests was the kind of dream job I wasn’t sure existed.

Turns out it does!

Publishing and professional development have been two consistent pillars throughout my career, and I’ve been fortunate to work in verticals that were personally interesting — so as a kid who grew up on the subway, it’s been exciting learning more about the breadth and depth of the railroad industry the past several weeks in preparation for this new role.

OMAHA?!?

Yes, another midwestern publisher! I don’t know how that keeps happening, but instead of Ohio or Wisconsin (or further west, Colorado), the main office is in Omaha, Nebraska, which also has some historical importance for railroads in the US, as well as being the home of one of the biggest, Union Pacific.

I’m not relocating, but I am planning to be out there frequently, especially in the beginning. I spent a couple of days out there this week meeting the staff, and had an amazing dinner and found a great coffee spot, so it’s already off to a promising start.

Also, it’s another “legacy” publisher. Building something from scratch is a fun challenge, but I also love having a solid foundation to enhance and build new things on top of. Writers Digest and Library Journal remain two of my all-time favorite places I’ve worked, and I’m hopeful the REB will eventually join them on that list.

Network Effects

My career has been pretty atypical, particularly when I shifted from magazines to magazines AND books (RIP F+W), and then to libraries AND magazines AND ebooks. Most of my moves were either via internal promotions, or former bosses and industry colleagues I’d met along the way.

The last job I got through a cold application with no connections was 20 years ago when I first sold ads for Writers Digest!

This was the first time I’d hit the open market in 11 years, leaving a job before I’d found my next one, taking another gamble on a public search surfacing something I wouldn’t find otherwise. This was my third time taking that approach, each after the longest I’d stayed at one place up to that point. Two of them came after acquisitions taking those companies in directions that didn’t align with my interests, and all of them took about six months to find my next full-time gig.

The first time around, I shifted my focus to libraries, but was still heavily involved with publishers and books. The second time, I went back to magazines via a former boss, before eventually finding my way back to ebooks AND libraries, also via a former boss. Each move was always into verticals I was already very familiar with.

This time, I’m exploring a completely new vertical — albeit one I’m somewhat familiar with as a consumer and casual enthusiast — thanks to a former colleague who recruited me for the role and saw the fit before I did.

Beyond the role itself, Simmons-Boardman Publishing is one of the last remaining privately-owned — better yet, FAMILY-owned — publishers in the industry, which will be a refreshing change after a long career of private equity-driven shenanigans.

Ideally, I want to be challenged by interesting problems that need solving, while being inspired by a meaningful mission. And I want to do good work with good people.

Personal News: Open to Work!

Mission accomplished!