Why must people make things difficult?
Feb. 15th, 2006 09:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eee1313I've been tapped to work on these conversion books, right? When my company bought out five other companies last year, we were told we needed to take their books and make them sync with ours. Same text treatment, same covers, same branding, etc. My production department has been swamped. Swamped. Tons of stuff to do. (Which is why I'm blogging right now. Yes, I know.) Anyway, we've all been putting our regular work aside to do this crap, and the deadlines are way past. One of the editors insisted on seeing the books again and again. The normal process is layout → proof → changes → editor's check → changes → final QA → changes → release. Well, with this book we've done layout → proof → changes → editor's check → changes → editor's check → changes → final QA → changes → boss check → changes → editor's check → changes → release. Now the editor wants to see it again. This would be the FOURTH time. She's insisting that "half of her changes weren't made." Bullshit! I did her damn changes. If they've changed, it's because either the proofers changed them back at QA, or my boss wanted them changed back. Or, that she's seen it three times already and keeps finding new things she didn't fix when she should have, or she's circling back on herself. Either way, her claim pisses me off, because I do my job. Also, FOUR editor's checks? That's crap. We need to get this shit released. I'm so tired of these people gumming up the works. I've got a book that's over a month behind, and it hasn't even been laid out yet because it keeps getting bumped for other "#1 priority" projects.
Seriously. Our department keeps getting shat on. Every time there's a rush, it's our department that gets its time pulled. "Copy editing needs at least a week." "The editors need at least three days." "Manufacturing needs at least two weeks." "Okay, well, that least two days for production. Get it done!" And then when we in production say two days isn't enough, because our process takes 4 days minimum (and that's if we crunch, and if we have nothing else going on, which NEVER happens). But in the end, we're always the one that gets shafted.
Now it's 10:00, and I've gone to bitch out the producer about this. Because I'll be damned if I'm going to have people saying I did a half-assed job, especially when I have the hard copy in front of me WITH THE EDITOR'S HANDWRITTEN MARKUP that proves I did what I was told was needed. I hate these people. HAAAAAAATE. Michael seems to think that the editor jumped ahead and marked up the XML version that went to our outsourcing group in India, which means that it's never crossed my plate. Ever. And I'm sorry, but if she marked up things back in January and she's discovering NOW that it doesn't match her initial revisions, then that's HER problem and SHE is the one doing a shitty job.
I'm so sick of this crap. I can't believe Michael has been dealing with this for two months already and he hasn't gone postal. I've been on this for two weeks, and I'm ready to punch people. I'm sorry, but I don't fuck around when it comes to doing my job. I'm good at it, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let some woman do the same shit to me that the Wisconsin Asshole did to me back at ATP. This is crap, and I don't care who knows that I think it. Because I've done my job, and I've done it right.
ETA: It's now 11:15, and things are better. However, the following just made my day. From an e-mail I just received from the local independent bookstore:
BWA! That's why I love that bookstore. Anyone have suggestions as to what books I might want to look into buying? Ficton only, though. Comment if you think of anything good that you think I need.
Seriously. Our department keeps getting shat on. Every time there's a rush, it's our department that gets its time pulled. "Copy editing needs at least a week." "The editors need at least three days." "Manufacturing needs at least two weeks." "Okay, well, that least two days for production. Get it done!" And then when we in production say two days isn't enough, because our process takes 4 days minimum (and that's if we crunch, and if we have nothing else going on, which NEVER happens). But in the end, we're always the one that gets shafted.
Now it's 10:00, and I've gone to bitch out the producer about this. Because I'll be damned if I'm going to have people saying I did a half-assed job, especially when I have the hard copy in front of me WITH THE EDITOR'S HANDWRITTEN MARKUP that proves I did what I was told was needed. I hate these people. HAAAAAAATE. Michael seems to think that the editor jumped ahead and marked up the XML version that went to our outsourcing group in India, which means that it's never crossed my plate. Ever. And I'm sorry, but if she marked up things back in January and she's discovering NOW that it doesn't match her initial revisions, then that's HER problem and SHE is the one doing a shitty job.
I'm so sick of this crap. I can't believe Michael has been dealing with this for two months already and he hasn't gone postal. I've been on this for two weeks, and I'm ready to punch people. I'm sorry, but I don't fuck around when it comes to doing my job. I'm good at it, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let some woman do the same shit to me that the Wisconsin Asshole did to me back at ATP. This is crap, and I don't care who knows that I think it. Because I've done my job, and I've done it right.
ETA: It's now 11:15, and things are better. However, the following just made my day. From an e-mail I just received from the local independent bookstore:
"Everything fiction is now 20% off for the rest of february at our OP Location. This include A MILLION LITTLE PIECES by James Frey, hahaha."
BWA! That's why I love that bookstore. Anyone have suggestions as to what books I might want to look into buying? Ficton only, though. Comment if you think of anything good that you think I need.
