Sure, compare. But compare the things that matter to the journey you're on. The rest is noise.

Quality is not an absolute measure. It doesn't mean 'deluxeness' or 'perfection'. It means keeping the promise the customer wants you to make.

Go ahead, do something impossible.

No niche is too small if it's yours.

I think that the economics of book publishing favor hits with long book runs. You make all your money on the last bunch of books, not the first.

We live in a vague world. And it gets vaguer all the time. In this environment, the power of the specific, measurable and useful promise made and kept is difficult to overstate.

What marketers used to do is make average products for average people. That's what mass marketing is. They would ignore the geeks, and - God forbid - the laggards. It was all about going for the center. I don't think that's the strategy we want to use anymore.