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Somersault was invited to attend the recent TEDxGrandRapids (@TEDxGrandRapids) (#TEDxGR), a local event inspired by the internationally known TED talks (@TEDTalks & @TEDNews). On May 12, 16 Innovators from diverse fields and from all over the world came to Grand Rapids, MI to share their personal stories of innovation with over 500 local thinkers and doers.

An insightful summary of the day’s speakers is provided by Sharon Oleniczak, strategist at Peopledesign (@peopledesign). For example, she writes: Robert Fuller: Innovate Wonder. Professor of Religious Studies at Bradley University (@bradleyu). Robert Fuller wants all of us to live in a state of wonder every day. “A life shaped by wonder is much different than a life shaped by fear or guilt,” he said. 

Read her recap in full.

If you have a chance to participate in a TED or TEDx event, you’ll want to prepare for it by reading these helpful tips from Ben Brousch (@brousch).

One of the videos shown at the event was this one, a life lesson presented by Mark Bezos, a volunteer firefighter:

How are you going to innovate today? Let Somersault help. And remember to daily use the SomersaultNOW online dashboard to read inspiring articles of innovation.

Harvard Business School (@HBSNews) professor Lynda Applegate says one of the forces that threatens established companies — disruptive change — can also be a source of salvation. She encourages executives to leverage disruptive change as a platform for innovation.

Disruptions in the business environment cause economic shifts that destabilize industries, companies, and even countries. They allow new entrants or forward-thinking established players to introduce innovations — in products, markets, or processes — that transform the way companies do business and consumers behave.

These disruptive innovations are not just novel inventions. Successful innovators take ideas and turn them into opportunities by adding a business model that creates sustainable economic value for all stakeholders. They then go one step further and exploit the opportunity by creating a sustainable business.

She lists the following guidelines to positively leverage disruption to create value:

• Listen to — and learn from — the market: Identify sources
• Expand your horizons
• Identify potential disruptors that could be a source of opportunity
• Select ideas for further evaluation
• Turn promising ideas into opportunities
• Implement to reduce risk and manage uncertainty
• Collaborate!

Read this article in full.

Let Somersault help you turn the revolutionary changes occurring in the publishing world into a playground of possibilities for your brand.

And be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard.

The purpose of the National Day of Prayer (@NationalPrayer) is “to mobilize prayer in America and to encourage personal repentance and righteousness in the culture.”

Since the first call to prayer in 1775, when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation, the call to prayer has continued through our history, including President Lincoln’s proclamation of a day of “humiliation, fasting, and prayer” in 1863. In 1952, a joint resolution by Congress, signed by President Truman, declared an annual, national day of prayer. In 1988, the law was amended and signed by President Reagan, permanently setting the day as the first Thursday of every May. Each year, the president signs a proclamation, encouraging all Americans to pray on this day. Last year, all 50 state governors plus the governors of several US territories signed similar proclamations.

And as recently as last month, a panel of the US court of appeals overturned a ruling that previously found the law requiring the President to proclaim a National Day of Prayer each year as unconstitutional.

When I pray for another person, I am praying for God to open my eyes so that I can see that person as God does, and then enter into the stream of love that God already directs toward that person. — Philip Yancey

Alberto Vitale was running Bantam Books, the world leader in paperbacks, when the Newhouse family recruited him to become the COO of Random House (@atrandom). In that role, and later as the CEO of one of the world’s top publishing firms, Vitale oversaw huge changes in the publishing industry. In this interview with Stephen J. Kobrin, publisher and executive director of Wharton Digital Press and Knowledge@Wharton (@knowledgwharton), Vitale discusses the rise of digital publishing, the future of bookstores, and the globalization of copyright, among other issues. Among his statements:

Digital technology may allow a lot of individual authors to self-publish. That's the power of digital technology, of the Internet. But still, the role of the publisher will continue [to be] as strong as before. You still have to figure out which book you want to publish. And, how do you want to publish it? There are obvious synergies between paper and digital [media]....

Absolutely [bookstores will survive]. However, they're going to undergo major changes. Three [or] five years from now, up to 70% of the space in [big box bookstores, such as Barnes & Noble] may be dedicated to other products. It makes sense. You have the universe that is digitalized now. You don't need these huge stores anymore....

Everybody's online now. The access to information is tremendously enhanced. But remember, the publishing model will change. And the product will change. The prices of hard cover books are now still $27.95, $26.95, which I find ridiculous. They cannot possibly make ends meet with those prices. They are going to grow to $36.95, $46.95. But the reader will have a much better product to purchase. Better paper, better type, better binding. And so, you will have a book to cherish....

Read the transcript in full, listen to the audio, and watch the video.

Do you agree with his views? Post your comments below.

Today is singled out internationally to promote reading, publishing, and the protection of intellectual property through copyright. According to Wikipedia,

World Book and Copyright Day (also known as International Day of the Book or World Book Days) is a yearly event on 23 April, organized by UNESCO. The Day was first celebrated in 1995.

The connection between 23 April and books was first made in 1923 by booksellers in Spain as a way to honor the author Miguel de Cervantes who died on that day.

The radio program On the Media (@onthemedia) has a segment that discusses the complexity of copyright protection and the Internt. And The Blog Herald (@blogherald) has a post on how bloggers should know the difference between copyright, patent, and trademark. 

UNESCO’s World Forum on Culture and Cultural Industries this year has as its theme “The Book Tomorrow: The Future of the Written Word.” It’ll be held June 6-8 in Monza, Milan.

What books that you publish today will contribute to character building in tomorrow’s generation?

The board of Thomas Nelson has promoted Mark Schoenwald (formerly the president and COO) to the position of president and CEO. Michael Hyatt (@MichaelHyatt), president and CEO of Thomas Nelson for the past 6 years (photo above), will remain as the company’s chairman, while he pursues writing, speaking, and other business interests. On his blog, he offers the following advice any leader should remember:

1. Your position is a role, not your identity.

2. Your position is temporary, not permanent.

3. Your position is a privilege, not a right.

4. Your position is about faithfulness, not achievement.

5. Your position is about them, not you.

6. Your position is about stewardship, not ownership.

7. Your position will require more than you can provide on your own.

8. Take care of yourself.

Read his blog post in full.

According to Fast Company (@fastcompany), Apple, Twitter, Facebook, Nissan, Groupon, Google, Dawning Information Industry, Netflix, Zynga, and Epocrates comprise the top 10 companies that can be singled out for their mastery of creative contribution to their consumers.

An artificial heart and its lightweight power drive. A better airline for Brazil. Chocolate from Madagascar and a soccer shirt made of plastic water bottles. A fashion leader escaping its pattern, a smelter, and that little coupon startup in Chicago that's suddenly worth billions. All this from one simple word: innovation.

The 50 companies on our 2011 list have chosen a unique path. Today's business landscape is littered with heritage companies whose CEOs battle their industry's broken model with inertia, layoffs, lawsuits -- anything that squeezes pennies and delays the inevitable. How many of these companies will be dominant in 2025? Few.

That world will be ruled by the kinds of companies on this list. They're nondogmatic, willing to scrap conventional ideas. (A mere 30-second TV ad? Let's do 200 online videos in two days, say the creatives at Wieden+Kennedy.) They're willing to fail. (Google's search team runs up to 200 experiments at any one time.) They know what they stand for. (By making home-viewing as easy as possible, Netflix walloped Blockbuster, which thought its business had something to do with stores.)

Read the article in full.

What do these brands know that others (yours?) don’t? What lessons can we learn from them to adapt to innovating in the fast-changing world of publishing?

On Fast Company’s Co.Design (@fastcodesign), Warren Berger (@GlimmerGuy), the grand inquisitor of the website a more beautiful question, says “breakthroughs are often born with someone asking ‘What if...?’”

What if someone sold socks that didn’t match? In his new book Disrupt, Luke Williams (@LukeGWilliams), talks about how that offbeat question was the impetus for the launch of Little Miss Matched, a company whose purposely mismatched socks proved surprisingly popular with young girls. It’s one of a number of examples Williams cites of new business innovations that began with what he calls “a disruptive hypothesis.” Another better-known one is Netflix, whose business model provided an answer to the question, What if a video rental company didn’t charge late fees?...

Innovation is driven by questions that are original, bold, counterintuitive, and perceptive.

Read the article in full.

What “disruptive hypothesis” will you use today to lead to game-changing innovation in your world? What questions should publishers, agents, organizations, and authors be asking?

At age 28, Elon Musk co-founded popular e-payment company Paypal. He went on to start SpaceX, the first private company to launch a rocket into space, and Tesla Motors, which builds electric cars. CNN's Amar Bakshi talked to Musk about inventions he thinks will change the world. His predictions are

1. A fully reusable orbital rocket
2. Rapid, low-cost, perfect DNA sequencing
3. Viable fusion

How big are you thinking? What’s your outrageous idea that will change the world of publishing? What are you doing today to make it happen?