HarperCollins Named Publishing Innovator of the Year
“I think innovation is absolutely key,” says Friedman. “… Traditionally, we still are a publishing company, and we bring books to the public. But what’s happened is that we must innovate, because different channels of distribution have come up. Obviously, we’re very into the digital space, and have embraced it and have never been frightened of it; but innovation has always been kind of a byword for me,” she continues. “Years ago, I started the audiobook business, I started a Spanish-language publishing imprint, I started to work with the Internet early. I just happen to like doing something that’s a little bit different and out of the ordinary. And I have found at HarperCollins a group of people who feel exactly the same way. So whereas we have respect for tradition, we feel that innovation and futurism … [are] absolutely necessary.”