Rant Archives — Page 2 of 38 — As in guillotine...

Does it [still] spark joy? On Mallory, #ComicsDNA and book publishing.

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:February 15, 2019
Post category:Media Personal
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Thinking about my early days with comics, I realized they were the gateway to my interest in publishing, my first real awareness of people and a process behind the scenes that connected me to the stories and characters I enjoyed so much. I read "regular" books just as voraciously as comics, but Marvel and DC were meaningful brands while book publishers weren't. I had no idea (and didn't particularly care) who published Encyclopedia Brown or Stephen King until my first job in a bookstore (at 19 years old), and even then they were just vague corporate logos with no personal relevance.

Photo by mehul dave on Unsplash

Leadership in Crisis | What I Learned From My FBF

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:September 19, 2018
Post category:Personal
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While there are different ways to lead and different styles of leadership, without the ability to develop realistic budgets, communicate consistently and transparently with staff, and define a compelling mission and vision for all to rally around, they're just meaningless personality traits. If it's raining outside, don't sing me "the sun’ll come out tomorrow," give me a damn umbrella.

What’s Good, Publishing?

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:March 9, 2017
Post category:Media
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For an allegedly liberal industry, publishers do a much better job of packaging and peddling the worst aspects of conservative punditry (along with celebrity memoirs and coloring books), while truth, history, and “diverse” perspectives and experiences are often dismissed as having limited commercial potential regardless of their cultural value. Many are sitting on a treasure trove of great content and access to a roster of truly creative people with timely and compelling insights and ideas that could literally change the world, but we’ll most likely just see a few anthologies cranked out to modest acclaim, with minimal marketing and zero cultural or financial impact.

As Ebook Dust Settles, Publishing’s Future Remains Bright

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:December 3, 2015
Post category:Media
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In these final days of 2015, here we are, with a traditional publishing industry that's evolved to include new players and business models, alongside an independent publishing industry that's steadily growing and continually evolving, too. What we haven't seen are the radical disruptions that so many predicted were right on the horizon...

Asian = Fortune Cookies, and other American Blindspots

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:February 26, 2012
Post category:Personal
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Having our own kids growing up around a relatively diverse group of kids was an important factor for us when we left the Bronx nearly four years ago, and while we technically found what we were looking for, what we didn't account for was the overwhelmingly white staff that would be teaching them.

5 Career Tips to Survive Publishing’s Digital Shift

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:February 8, 2012
Post category:Media Personal
Post comments:16 Comments

Transition, transformation, disruption, disintermediation... whichever word you prefer, the publishing industry is undergoing a massive shift that's being driven by the Internet, with the news and magazine sides arguably a bit further ahead of the curve than the book side, for better or worse, though few major players among them are seeing any light at the end of the tunnel. The Atlantic is one of my favorite examples that I've cited often, and 2011 was the second great year in a row for the "legacy" brand that went all-in on a digital-first strategy in 2007 and are now reaping the…

Realms of Fantasy Probably Can’t be Saved

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:November 2, 2011
Post category:Media
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I casually followed the transition for a couple of months before losing interest, and was disappointed to check in last week to find an uninspired website and social media presence, and PDF-only digital editions. I also realized I hadn't noticed the magazine on the newsstands in months.