Now? Now? Now? How about now? Or now?

It's the time of year to break out the old definition of insanity:  Repeating the same action and expecting different results.

Essential to any high-volume publishing operation--especially an operation which revolves around a set date, like the first day of classes--is to incorporate a plan.  With every project, we forecast weeks ahead of time when the book will be sent to a print vendor, when and for how long it will be on the press, and how it will be shipped so that students get their books on time.  With tens of thousands of new titles being processed in one summer alone, there has become less and less margin for error.  These days, if we hand a book off for manufacturing even a few hours behind schedule we throw a wrench in the works that effects not only our titles, but the titles of every other editor.

Part and parcel to this, titles that truly need to be moved forward can sometimes face a wall of difficulties.  I give a lot of credit to our team members who are constantly asked to juggle schedules and coordinate moving parts so that everyone gets their books on time.  Sometimes, we're even surprised with an urgent request to get something done earlier, to assuage a grumpy professor.  Most of the time, we have to say 'no.' Even when asked again, 'no.'

Of course, happy professors are the goal of our business, so the grumpier they get, the more times we're asked.

[careful, mild language]