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A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: 💌 Royalty Statements as Messages in a Bottle

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  When a $3.34 Deposit Means More Than It Looks Most authors have received a royalty statement that made them laugh — not because it was large, but because it was tiny. A few dollars. A few cents. A number so small it feels almost absurd. But those tiny deposits are messages in a bottle. They say: Someone found your book. Someone cared enough to buy it. Someone spent time with your words. In an industry obsessed with launches, lists, and metrics, it’s easy to forget that books live slow, wandering lives. They travel through time. They find readers long after we’ve stopped tracking them. And sometimes they send back a little signal, a quiet acknowledgment that the work still matters to someone. A $3.34 royalty isn’t a paycheck. It’s a whisper: I reached someone. And for many authors, that whisper is worth more than the number on the statement.T hese Tuesday talks reflect real discussions between the management of MSI Press LLC and our own authors or those would-be authors ...
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Publisher's Pride: Books on Bestseller Lists - Mental Health Mayday (Bagdade)

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  Today's Publisher's Pride is  Mental Health Mayday,  by Gregg Bagdade, which reached #222 on Amazon's bestseller list for psychology education and training and #278 for safety and first aid. Reviewer:  "saved my life" Book description: From their swearing-in all to the way until retirement, even the most hardened firefighters can be affected by mental health concerns. A fascinating look behind the scenes of the career of a firefighter, this book explores the why and explains the how to better prepare these individuals for a healthy and productive career and life, based on the author's personal experience as a counselor, who also has 27 years as a firefighter and paramedic. Firefighters can learn how to acknowledge their mental health issues, such as PTSD, addiction, or anger issues while developing strategies to address these concerns with techniques and solutions throughout their career. This powerful book is part memoir and part call to action. Through the...
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What Makes a Leader Cross‑Culturally Effective?

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  Cross‑cultural effectiveness isn’t about charm, charisma, or even experience. It’s about perception—how leaders see the people they are trying to influence, and how willing they are to revise that vision when it proves incomplete. The most effective leaders abroad are not the ones who know the most cultural facts. They are the ones who can reframe their perception in real time. 1. They Recognize That Their First Interpretation Is Not Neutral Every leader arrives with a perceptual lens shaped by home‑culture norms. Effective cross‑cultural leaders understand that: what feels “efficient” to them may feel “rude” to others what feels “respectful” to them may feel “distant” to others what feels “transparent” to them may feel “exposed” to others They don’t assume their interpretation is correct. They treat it as a hypothesis. 2. They Practice Cultural Relativism as a Cognitive Discipline Not moral relativism— cultural relativism. They ask: What does this behavior mean here? What...
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Holy Week(s)

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  This week, two great faith traditions pause… and remember. For Jews, it is Passover . For Christians, it is Holy Week . They begin in the same place— and then they tell two very different endings to the same story. I’ve always found that deeply moving. Both observances are rooted in the ancient story of the Exodus—the escape from slavery in Egypt, the long road to freedom, the formation of a people. That story, told and retold for thousands of years, still shapes how both Jews and Christians understand suffering, hope, and deliverance. In Jewish homes, Passover unfolds around the Seder table. The story is not just remembered—it is relived. Each generation is asked to see themselves as if they personally came out of Egypt. It is about survival, identity, and a covenant that binds a people across time. In the Christian tradition, that same historical moment becomes the setting for the final days of Jesus’ life. The Last Supper is understood as a Passover meal—but what it comes to m...
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