First Signs of Improvement?

And so the cycle begins anew... and the first magazine went to press a whopping three hours earlier than last month. It might even have been earlier if (a) the Copy Controller hadn't decided to bunk off on press day and (b) if the Copy Controller had actually done some Copy Control. Granted she'd been helping out on some other magazines before getting to her own, but when she was given help, she made no use of it.

But, still. Three hours earlier. Three hours worth of improvement.

This is partly due to my greater familiarity with the system, partly due to the Salespeople having learned some lessons. Not all of them, naturally - that would be far too much to ask - but some significant lessons.

Also, frankly, a good part of it is that the 'two teams' structure has basically been dropped, so ads are to be picked up by anyone on any team... and, this month, we didn't have the preceding magazine delayed by two days because of a supplement going to press rather suddenly and unexpectedly, having been put back several times over the months.

Of course, it's not all sunshine and clear skies. The company haven't quite decided what to do about web ads - they were supposed to be invoiced last Monday, but this came as a surprise to the Accounts department, and upset both the MD and one of the Commercial Managers. I've been waiting for someone to explain the new 'system' to me for the best part of the last month, and nothing has happened. I suspect (as does my boss) that this is because they're not sure what the system is themselves, and how best to make it work.

Funny, then, that no-one has asked the guy they're paying to do the work.

The 'system', as it stands, appears to be this: There is a 'publication' called 'web', divided into 'editions' which represent the individual websites. Whereas the actual print magazines get invoiced the week after they go to press, web ads are invoiced in bulk, under the heading of the publication called 'web', in the last week of the month. This means that Salespeople can sell for web throughout the month... except those that go to press in the last week of the month. Bear in mind that these same Salespeople should be working on their next magazine for most of the month (I wonder if this is why most sales are made in press week), rather than blundering on with web sales for the magazine just gone, and you start to see the problem. Factor in that they have no effective deadline, and you've got a problem both for web (no time to make the ads) and print (no attention from Sales until web deadline hits).

Now, funnily enough, it transpires that invoicing can be dealt with by edition, rather than by publication... So why has no-one considered the far more logical alternative: Set up an edition called 'web' on all the publications, and set the invoicing date a week after the print editions?

Any takers?

Personally, though, I'm bored of it. I'm bored of Salespeople mis-selling, having no idea of what they've sold, and believing they can strongarm Production into doing whatever they please, at any time of the month.

Getting out of dealing with web ads would be enough for the time being, but that appears to be out of the question for no obvious reason. Getting out of the company altogether seems like the best option overall and, to this end, my boss is helping me out with my CV (when she has time...). I'd like to be out by the New Year, but - short of resigning before I find a new job (not a good idea now I have a mortgage to think of), I don't see that happening. I seem to be hanging onto this job out of morbid curiosity: What will go wrong next? How bad will it be?

Sounds kinda familar, really... It was about this stage that I quit my last job - back when I had the luxury of living under my parents' roof rather than my own.

Tomorrow, I'm hanging out with my family - it's my mother's birthday on Monday, so we're having lunch (in a pub, naturally) while we're all available. Since my sister, her husband and their daughter will be in attendance (or so I believe), it shouldn't be too desperately dull... and it'll give me the opportunity to pick up some more stuff that's currently in storage at the house... but most of my news I've already shared by phone.

I already have my mother's present - got it last year, in fact - and I'm not bothering with a card as I can never find one I like. I also picked up a Christmas present for my niece today, after my monthly visit to the Chiropractor, in Acton Farmers' Market: a handmade jigsaw in the shape of a butterfly - nice, chunky pieces with numbers from one to ten. Kate's probably too young for it right now, but it'll keep...

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