I just had lunch with Rosemary Brutico of Quintessence Communications where we had a terrific conversation about marketing, consulting and publishing....


One of the recurring themes of our conversation: the value of publishing -- and the way the Web has changed everything.
Take articles, for instance. In the old days (not so long ago), consultants like me aimed our bylined articles at relevant industy print publications. But now, I've found that there's much greater power in publishing with online sites like MarketingProfs. Whereas a print publication is a one-shot deal, a Web-archived article collects hits and generates traffic for months and years to come.
Even books have changed. Certainly there's great value in publishing a book with a credible publishing house. (And the big ones have enviable distribution networks.) But the Web evens the playing field by becoming a virtual distribution medium of its own, making e-books a viable alternative for spreading ideas, generating attention and building sales. Now many of us really have to think twice: should our book be a traditional print publication? Or can I get more traction releasing it online?
Add in Webinars, downloadable PDFs, podcasts and other media, and suddenly, the publishing/distribution picture looks very different from the one we lived in just a few years ago.
What do you think? Today, which publishers really matter?