From having high-level positions at Johnson & Johnson (chief scientific officer and VP of consumer pharmaceutical R&D), the largest healthcare company in the world, to owning a small publishing company, it is clear that Bob Gussin and his wife, Patricia, have made a drastic change in their lives. They both retired from J&J in 2000 and soon after, in 2006, they launched their own company, Oceanview Publishing. Oceanview Publishing focuses its efforts on publishing mystery, suspense, and thriller novels.
In the span of eight years, Oceanview Publishing has put over 100 books in the market and has worked with over 60 authors. Bob has observed many differences between the two corporate worlds. While they both produce a "product," the facets of each industry are vastly different. While they deal with authors who are the sole creators of the books, the products for J&J are formulated by long processes with collaboration between many scientists and researchers. Books may take a year to publish due to marketing, production, and editing processes. While that may seem like a long time, it is nothing compared to the duration of a research/testing/marketing project at a pharmaceutical company. Funding the product could take years and costs for this can go up to a billion dollars or more.
Another, very important difference is marketing. For a drug, a doctor prescribes the patient a drug, and typically the patient takes it - there is no thinking about it or weighing the options. For a book, there is a lot of competition and there is no doctor telling you to take it. It is up to the publisher to persuade the customers to buy the book and to sell it. This aspect of the industries is difficult to compare, though, because medication is crucial to ones' life, while the other is just for leisure. Bob notes that both industries allow him to meet great people and help to market a product, having great satisfaction when the product is successful.
For the original article, please view the following link:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/columns-and-blogs/soapbox/article/63812-leaving-the-lab-behind.html
In the span of eight years, Oceanview Publishing has put over 100 books in the market and has worked with over 60 authors. Bob has observed many differences between the two corporate worlds. While they both produce a "product," the facets of each industry are vastly different. While they deal with authors who are the sole creators of the books, the products for J&J are formulated by long processes with collaboration between many scientists and researchers. Books may take a year to publish due to marketing, production, and editing processes. While that may seem like a long time, it is nothing compared to the duration of a research/testing/marketing project at a pharmaceutical company. Funding the product could take years and costs for this can go up to a billion dollars or more.
Another, very important difference is marketing. For a drug, a doctor prescribes the patient a drug, and typically the patient takes it - there is no thinking about it or weighing the options. For a book, there is a lot of competition and there is no doctor telling you to take it. It is up to the publisher to persuade the customers to buy the book and to sell it. This aspect of the industries is difficult to compare, though, because medication is crucial to ones' life, while the other is just for leisure. Bob notes that both industries allow him to meet great people and help to market a product, having great satisfaction when the product is successful.
For the original article, please view the following link:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/columns-and-blogs/soapbox/article/63812-leaving-the-lab-behind.html