The June 7 edition of The Economist magazine features an article about "Lessons from Apple." The company is consistently named as one of the most innovative, and The Economist points out four lessons that writers could apply as well:
1. The company is not afraid to bring in ideas from outside, but adds its own twists. For writers, a good strategy is to see what's working (best sellers, the articles being featured on magazine covers, etc.) and come up with new variations (note: not just copies!).
2. They design new products around the needs of the user. For us writers, the first "user" is the person or company who will be paying us--an editor or publisher, producer, network person, etc. Too many writers miss this point and think only about the needs of the ultimate "user"--the reader or movie-goer or play-goer.
3. They look at what the market might want tomorrow as well as what it wants today. Sometimes it pays to be ahead of the curve. In writing terms, this might mean that it's worthwhile pitching something to an editor that is very different from what they already have. It's a higher-risk (and often higher-reward) strategy.
4. They know how to "fail wisely." Apple's first attempt at a phone (with Motorola) failed; they have taken the lessons and are about to launch their own phone. Writers can learn not only from their own failures, but the near-misses of others. It's especially useful to look at the projects (books, tv series, etc.) that were expected to be big winners but weren't--what was missing?
