11 Best Business Decisions of 2011

Marcus E. Leaver

President
Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.
For 60 years, Sterling has been one of the world's leading publishers of books that aim to educate, entertain and enrich the lives of its readers. Sterling Publishing Co. Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble Inc.

"[Our best business decision has been to] continually [focus] on the quality of the content, whatever the delivery platform."

Adam Lerner

President
Lerner Publishing Group Inc.
Lerner Publishing Group is one of the nation's largest independently owned children's publishers, with more than 5,000 books in print. For more than 50 years, the company has created nonfiction and fiction books for pre-school to young adult readers, and for libraries, classrooms and homes nationwide.

"I would say that my best decision (so far) has been to continue to invest in our digital workflow and products. Even though these are challenging times, clearly the market is shifting toward a print/digital hybrid model. While continued investment is risky, not preparing our company for this shift is riskier. I feel vindicated because we are now starting to earn significant digital revenue."

Margo Baldwin

President and Publisher
Chelsea Green Publishing Co.
For 26 years, Chelsea Green has been a leading publisher of books on the politics and practice of sustainable living. It has more than 400 titles in print, including the national best-seller "Don't Think of an Elephant."

"Maybe the best business decision was not to make any big decisions this year in the midst of all the flux in the industry, and instead to just concentrate on publishing the very best content and not getting distracted by the technology and the proliferation of devices."

John Morse

President and Publisher
Merriam-Webster Inc.
For more than 150 years, Merriam-Webster has been a leading provider of language information, in print and now online. Its websites draw more than 40 million visitors monthly, and its print publications include "Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary" (among the best-selling books in American history) and newly published dictionaries for English-language learners.