Not Quite New, Not Quite a Recipe

[zingerella]

Had a meeting with PubDude and Mrs. Pub. late this afternoon, extending well past 5:00. They want to know how to go on, and how we can work together better. Of course this is all moot because we don't have any new projects coming up, because PubDude would rather play editor than actually acquire books

Comments

[zingerella]

Well, I didn't know the evening was going to start the way it did. I mean, I've been dreading this alleged planning meeting for a week, but I didn't know it was going to happen when it did.

I don't know whether PubDude would go for that. He is very dubious of sales people, and in general doesn't believe that you can separate acquisition from development. Never mind that the model seems to work for most successful educational publishers. I'll suggest it when we reconvene today (I'm putting off going to work, which says a fair bit about how much I'm looking forward to the day), and see how it flies.

The evening, after the meeting, was more meh and "where's my sympathetic shoulder? Woe!" than abject and utter crap. The weekend will be better.

[bunsen_h]

Bottom line, someone has to do acquisitions; if not PubDude, then someone else, either a current employee or someone new.

I had a former employer who, shortly after I left the company, decided to devote most of his R&D resources for most of a year to a new product, because he thought it would be a cool thing. Never mind that there was no market for it; never mind that it wasn't even technically feasible. What they eventually came up with didn't even do the "cool thing" (it was, after all, not technically feasible). A small business owner sometimes has to face the unpleasant reality that s/he doesn't necessarily get to do what s/he likes, not if the business is to succeed. Failure to accept this can be hard on owner and employees alike.

[zingerella]

Bottom line, someone has to do acquisitions; if not PubDude, then someone else, either a current employee or someone new.

Yes. I know this. He, apparently, wants it to be me. And I'm cool with that, in theory, except that I haven't the experience or exposure to really do it effectively, in this setting, at this point.

Thing is, up until he acquired a staff, he got to do all the cool things he liked, and let other things slide-his overhead was lower, and he was responsible only to his authors, and himself.

Which is why our big book was two years late, and why we have books whose fourth editions got pushed through with minor revisions, which should have been utterly overhauled two editions ago and are now misshapen and culpably out of date, to the point where we've probably lost adoptions.

Other publishers have acquisitions/development models that work. But he thinks they're all doing it WRONG, and that he can do it all better. I get the feeling that he really doesn't want to have a staff, at all, which causes me to wonder why he

[human_loser]

Oh my poor love, I'm sorry you have to deal with those freakshows! I'm sorry I wasn't there to be fallen all over and to head up a sushi excursion!

But at least the recipe looks yum!

Miss ya!

[zingerella]

Sigh. I wish you'd been here too. I missed having you to fall apart all over, because this was the kind of meltdown that you're really good at dealing with. I mean, I love you for more than your ability to be cried on, but that was your special mutant talent that I missed last night.

The food was not bad, if I do say so myself. Wine would have helped the risotto, I think.

Marinetti is lying on mu mousing hand and mouse. I dcan't post this. Send help!

[troubleinchina]

but because I needed to fall apart, and I needed someone else to give me permission to do so.

You too, huh?

Somehow I'm not surprised.

*hug*

[mycrazyhair]

Now I'm very sorry I didn't come. I really couldn't, though; I was up until 1 a.m. cleaning in preparation of my parents' visit. It's very sad that even with seven straight hours of cleaning I still had a better day than you did.

(((hugs)))

[zingerella]

You can come another time, and have food without the falling to bits. That'll probably be more fun and tastier.

I hope your parents' visit goes very well.

I'm spending the rest of the day cleaning and generally doing chores, and I antipate having a much more pleasant afternoon than any this week.

[courtly]

Oh, I sympathize helplessly about the meeting... but the food improvisation leaves me somewhat in awe. Improvised food makes me REALLY nervous.