Change...

One thing is for sure.. everything changes. Personally, sometimes I hate this. But at my “advanced age”, I’ve also learned that I might as well embrace it, and try to find the bright side. It’s a bit like “the good news and the bad news”. The good news is that change often means growth. The bad news is that there are often “growing pains” involved.

Change (or growth) means that we are leaving our comfort zone. We struggle for equilibrium, for familiarity, for security. And usually, as soon as it comes into view, the next wave of change is not far behind.

This is true in all venues of life, everything from relationships, to family, TV lineups, the economy, and the weather. And it is particularly true in the publishing world.

From market trends to acquiring lines, by the time we hear about the next hot topic or genre and put the words to page, the spotlight has often been refocused on something else. If we hang around long enough, we’ll see the trend return, in the ebb and flow of the publishing world. It’s a little bit like Maxi dresses, or the VW Beetle. Or the seasons. Or Barry Manilow. Often things recycle. But things are constantly changing.

Technology brings fantastic change. By the time we master the art of a web page, the buzz moves to book trailers. And now we’re downloading books to electronic readers. Or reading (or writing) a book on our phone. What will be next?

Are you tweeting yet? I’m sure you get my drift. It can be a challenge to keep up.

We adjust to all this, because we must. I try hard to keep a positive attitude, to remember that concept that change is growth. New situations, new information. The more life lived, the richer the life experience. Change can be an adventure.

But the hardest changes are the people changes. Sometimes it’s a sad change due to loss, like in death. But sometimes, it’s just a shifting, a realignment, movement, growth. In our industry, writers become agents. Agents become editors. Editors become writers, and sometimes agents. And sometimes editors stay editors, but change publishing houses.

We say a lot of goodbyes. These can be sad changes, too.

We’re facing one of those changes right now. We’re saying goodbye (and thanks)to Faith, as she moves on to the next phase of her editorial career. She will be missed by all of us. But we wish her the best on her new adventure, her new experiences, her new challenges. It’s challenge like this that makes us all become the best that we can be.

Because that’s what life is really all about. Growth. In this wild and crazy industry, all of our paths will sometime cross again, as we each grow in our individual creative pursuits and face whatever changes come our way. We all grow and learn from each other, whenever our lives intersect. And we’ll be very grateful for those intersections, and richer for the experience. That’s a very exciting thought, in this ever evolving world.

Good luck and wishes for every success to Faith in her new endeavor!