Learning… Scary At Times…
Learning Curves Can Freeze You Up…
I know. I am in the middle of a bunch of them at the moment.
For those who do not know where the term “learning curve” even means, it is a supposed representation on a graph of a person’s progress in learning a new task. Usually steep at first, then flattening out as the person gets used to what they are learning. (That is a way simple description, so shoot me, but don’t tell me about “s” curves and all that, please.)
Kris and I are in a very odd position of learning at the moment. When we started WMG Publishing, we did everything ourselves, and then as we kept going we hired people (mostly a huge mistake because of who we hired) and those people took over doing a lot of the tasks. So our knowledge of how to do certain things got stagnated, and often with new tech coming in like Vellum, we didn’t bother to learn it at all.
Now we are. New tech, remembering how to do old tech that has been updated, and so on. Or mostly just remembering how to do something in the details. And we now have the help of trusted old friends who help us learn, point us in a direction, and then let us go into the wilds.
All learning curves, and seemingly an elephant herd of them, but all learning that Kris and I are excited to do. Really excited, to be honest. It feels like we have finally become indie writers and publishers.
But most people I know find learning scary, something to dread, something that will stop them from moving forward. I find that puzzling. Usually learning something in publishing won’t kill you. But so many people are afraid of failure (which comes with learning) that doing nothing and guaranteeing the failure is a far better path. Again, puzzling.
So at times here I will talk about a learning curve I am on for a task. Not asking for help, just talking about the learning.
Tonight, I am doing covers for Ingram paperback and dust jackets for hardbacks. InDesign using the Ingram templates. Normally it would take me, back in the good-old-days, maybe an hour a cover. Got a hunch tonight it will take a little longer. I know how to ride the bike. Just don’t know where they moved the bell to and how touchy the brakes are,
Going to be fun.