bcrabtree
1st November 1999, 22:00
Sincere apologies for inconvenience to anyone who is suffering the continuation of our Autumn-comes-early syndrome.
Before I try to explain, let me please make a few things clear.
First off, let's put Bob Crabtree into context. I'm the editor.
That means that I plan what goes in the mag, ensure it does (or blame someone else when it doesn't), read all of it, rewrite a lot of it, plan the pix, pick the pix; decide to do things like start up this messageboard; plan editorial strategies and xyz etc, etc etc.
Usually, I work seven days a week, often (and this includes weekends) to the early hours of the morning - last week, I worked to 4am three times and to 3am at least twice.
I'm not complaining, just explaining that I really do not have the time also to print the bleeding magazine myself - I have to let someone else do that, and they do it without me being there to check they are doing it right.
This whole business of issues falling apart is DEEPLY embarrassing to me (not to mention damned inconvenient as the person who reads the issues more than anyone else in the world) and, in my opinion, is totally unprofessional.
It shouldn't happen, and part of our agreement with our printers - and, I think, this is not unusual - is that they produce a magazine, not a collection of loose-leaf A4 sheets.
I have on a number occasions explained in this forum what I have been told, in explanation of what has been going wrong, and I have done so in good faith.
I have complained to the magazine’s production editor (who liases with printers, paper suppliers etc), to its assistant publisher and publisher, and to the managing director of WV Publications.
We have had various lab tests carried out – independent lab tests – the latest of which has shown that the glue and binding method used with MOST of the November issues we printed should prevent autumn coming early again.
I today saw some of these issues – all of the ones we had had delivered to the office did NOT use the new glue – and they are very much better (though, in my opinion are not as strong towards the back of the mag, as they are from front to middle).
Even though I am reasonably certain that the problem will not arise again, because of this unevenness, I have asked our production editor to see if he can get the printers to do better still, and I also informed the MD what I asked the production editor to do.
That, folks, is about the very best I can do for you, and me, at the moment, to stop this utter nonsense happening again.
I hope we will not be here in a month’s time going over this again but, if the mag is not produced properly, I hope and expect people will complain loudly – though, perhaps, in a voice that does not hold me personally responsible, as some folk have tended to do.
Once again, apologies.
Bob Crabtree
(Ed) Computer Video mag
[This message has been edited by bcrabtree (edited 02 November 1999).]
Before I try to explain, let me please make a few things clear.
First off, let's put Bob Crabtree into context. I'm the editor.
That means that I plan what goes in the mag, ensure it does (or blame someone else when it doesn't), read all of it, rewrite a lot of it, plan the pix, pick the pix; decide to do things like start up this messageboard; plan editorial strategies and xyz etc, etc etc.
Usually, I work seven days a week, often (and this includes weekends) to the early hours of the morning - last week, I worked to 4am three times and to 3am at least twice.
I'm not complaining, just explaining that I really do not have the time also to print the bleeding magazine myself - I have to let someone else do that, and they do it without me being there to check they are doing it right.
This whole business of issues falling apart is DEEPLY embarrassing to me (not to mention damned inconvenient as the person who reads the issues more than anyone else in the world) and, in my opinion, is totally unprofessional.
It shouldn't happen, and part of our agreement with our printers - and, I think, this is not unusual - is that they produce a magazine, not a collection of loose-leaf A4 sheets.
I have on a number occasions explained in this forum what I have been told, in explanation of what has been going wrong, and I have done so in good faith.
I have complained to the magazine’s production editor (who liases with printers, paper suppliers etc), to its assistant publisher and publisher, and to the managing director of WV Publications.
We have had various lab tests carried out – independent lab tests – the latest of which has shown that the glue and binding method used with MOST of the November issues we printed should prevent autumn coming early again.
I today saw some of these issues – all of the ones we had had delivered to the office did NOT use the new glue – and they are very much better (though, in my opinion are not as strong towards the back of the mag, as they are from front to middle).
Even though I am reasonably certain that the problem will not arise again, because of this unevenness, I have asked our production editor to see if he can get the printers to do better still, and I also informed the MD what I asked the production editor to do.
That, folks, is about the very best I can do for you, and me, at the moment, to stop this utter nonsense happening again.
I hope we will not be here in a month’s time going over this again but, if the mag is not produced properly, I hope and expect people will complain loudly – though, perhaps, in a voice that does not hold me personally responsible, as some folk have tended to do.
Once again, apologies.
Bob Crabtree
(Ed) Computer Video mag
[This message has been edited by bcrabtree (edited 02 November 1999).]