Miriam's gratitude

by Miriam

It’s Wednesday before Thanksgiving and we’re busier than a trendy restaurant on Valentine’s Day. I keep wishing we could take a breather from the meetings and admin stuff so that we could catch up on our slush piles, our edit memos to our clients, our nice notes to authors whom we’re regretfully turning down, our blog browsing, etc. But, when I start whining, I am invariably told that I should be grateful that, in this poor economic climate, we’re busy and thriving. And, despite the fact that I will continue to whine, I agree wholeheartedly. So, today, I carry on Jane’s theme about gratefulness.

Like Jane, I’m grateful for the amazing staff we have here. These are people whom we’ve watched grow into their jobs and who have become like family to us. Like the championship Yankees of the ‘90s (you knew I had to get a Yankees reference in there), we are a great team. Sure, we bicker, lobby sarcasm at each other and, occasionally, call each other names (the kitchen melee when the breakfast order arrives is ugly), but we also support and give generously of our time to each other even when we’re drowning in piles of work. This is a group of smart, creative, and kind people who work very hard and who enjoy what they do.

I’m also grateful for our clients, who are the engine that drives this ship. With as varied and wide-ranging a client list, I’m always amazed at how many of these people we consider friends. Our clients allow us to be part of their lives as well as their creative process. They challenge us to be better--better communicators, better readers, better agents, better people--and they provide us with endlessly interesting, engaging ideas that make our jobs exhilarating. We are privileged to have the opportunity to serve our existing authors and excited at the prospect of forming new relationships with those we haven’t even met yet.

Finally, I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Jane Dystel lo these many years (I was 12 when I walked into her office for an interview). She has taught me a tremendous amount about business, but the most important lessons I’ve gained from her have had a much broader impact on my life. She has been immensely generous with her friendship, support, and encouragement even when she disagreed with whatever crazy scheme I was hatching. She’s the Joe Torre of our team.
So, I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you have as much to be thankful for as we here at DGLM do.