I Don't See Why Not! The Honey Tate Publishing Way...

I remember it like it was yesterday - October 23, 2001. On the Apple stage, Steve Jobs started by identifying a problem – the existing portable music devices were either too big and clunky or too small and useless, with terrible user interfaces. He stated, "Music is a part of everyone's life...it's a very personal thing. And yet, as we've gotten into the digital age, a lot of this stuff is pretty complicated. It's too complex. It's really difficult to manage your music. And that's what we set out to fix."

He then moved to introduce a solution - Apple's new breakthrough product. He unveiled the iPod, an ultra-portable device with an amazing amount of storage – a 5GB hard drive that put "1000 songs in your pocket." He explained that it wasn't just about carrying, it was about managing music too. He demonstrated how the iPod could be used, with its beautiful user interface and the ability to navigate through a huge number of songs easily. Furthermore, he highlighted the iPod's fast transfer speeds, thanks to its FireWire connection: "Plug it in, and it automatically downloads all your music and playlists from your Mac. It is really fast." He finished with, "We love music. And it's always good to do something you love."

Fast forward two decades, and now we can download a single song from an album. On a daily basis, many of us also purchase a single image from a catalog of photos.

Yet, the commercial book publishing industry has remained fairly antiquated with traditional gatekeepers, such as literary agents or acquisition editors, who decide what books get published (my Relationship Currency was rejected multiple times back in 2006 - it’s now in its 3rd edition). The lengthy publication process from manuscript to a finished book to editing, layout, cover design, printing, and distribution is often 12-18 months. Print-only focus has only recently expanded to audiobooks (those rights are sold separately) or eBooks with the proliferation of digital readers. Physical distribution, primarily through bookstores, distributors, and wholesalers, creates a complex and often costly process. Limited market analysis has been traditionally slow and less accurate than much of today’s data-driven approaches, making predictions of what books would sell more of a dark art than a science. 

For readers, the experience has been equally outdated. Why can’t we buy a single chapter of a book? “Because that’ll cannibalize them buying the entire book,” I was always told. Nonsense - if I like a song, wouldn’t I want more from that artist? Similarly, wouldn’t I want more from the same author if I like one chapter? Why can’t more business books, which focus primarily on a process, a how-to, or otherwise a path to personal and professional growth, come with individual or small-team exercises to help the reader (and their teams) implement what the author has researched, is recommending, or helps his/her clients internalize and apply? “Because we’re not publishing a college textbook,” I was told. Why can’t the same readers access authors to discuss their assertions, assumptions, and unique perspectives? “That’s not our job,” I was told.

So, at Honey Tate Publishing, we believe there is a better way. Our unique co-author model guides business executives through the entire journey. We contribute content with our guidance. We look for opportunities to iterate (doing the same thing better), innovate (doing new things), and potentially even disrupt (doing new things that make the old obsolete) the commercial publishing mindset.

How? By incorporating “I don’t see why not” in our approach to uncover new opportunities. The term comes from a friend who was staying at a hotel and really wanted different parts of the menu from different food and beverage outlets. Several times, from multiple staff members at this particular property, she heard, “I don’t see why not!” And they actually made it happen - a great club sandwich from this cafe, combined with a salad from the beach restaurant, Sushi from the Japanese restaurant across the street, and ice cream from the lobby bar. 

Why can’t your next book be as creative, open-minded, adaptable, flexible, and supportive of your vision? At Honey Tate Publishing, we don’t see why not!