We’ve all heard the phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Aside from the shuddering usage of such an informal contraction, I’ve never adhered to that colloquialism. I’m more of the mindset, “You’re either getting better or getting worse but never staying the same.”
With those somewhat useful if not cliched idioms in mind, it gives me great pleasure to introduce the newest iteration of the Ballast Books website! This complete redesign—over a year in the making—strives to be the informative, direct, valuable author resource that our author and publishing services company is known for and that our authors demand.
You might ask, What was wrong with the old website? Well, nothing, I suppose. But “nothing wrong” isn’t the standard here. Excellence is. And the legacy site, while serving us well for years, needed a revamp to meet that standard. But—you guessed it—“meeting” a standard doesn’t cut it around here. I hope you agree that ballastbooks.com now exceeds the measure of being merely an “excellent website.”
The first thing we want to impart to current and prospective Ballast authors is the family feel we strive for here. The Ballast team is a family unto itself, welcoming new members every month, like long-lost siblings or recently discovered in-laws (the type you like). We aren’t changing tires or cutting lawns here—the services we provide deal with an incredibly emotional and personal “product.” Books are not commodities—they are extensions of us and should be treated as such. Gingerly, respectfully, and with great responsibility. At least, that’s how we perceive the “product” we service: our authors and their books.
Next, we want to ensure the new website is direct about who we are, what we do, and our value proposition. We aren’t trying to hide our business model or be something we’re not. We’re the best author and publishing services company in the industry. We’re a services organization, and our storefront—website—should clearly communicate that. Our headline says it all.
Finally, we want to be a resource for authors. Our website, our YouTube channel, our social media handles, and all other public-facing content should be a destination for authors seeking information about the ever-changing publishing landscape. We’re the experts in our field, and we want to impart that wisdom to authors. It’s what we do, why we get up in the morning.
I encourage you to surf around the site. Read some blogs. Watch some videos. Then come back a week or two later. There will be new content. Changes to the site. Maybe a slightly different user experience. Definitely a new blog or two. We’ll never stop improving because you’re either getting better or getting worse. And Ballast Books always strives to continuously reach new levels of excellence.
Sincerely,
Andy Symonds
Ballast Books and Blue Balloon Books President and Publisher