Publisher’s Minute: May 4, 2018
Iaconagraphy Press’ Editor-In-Chief, Michelle Iacona, is the self-styled “Wicked Witch of the South”; I guess that makes me the resident “Poison Pen with a Big Mouth”! Hi, I’m Frances Keys, Iaconagraphy Press Assistant Editor. Most Fridays at this time of day, you can expect to hear from Michelle, but in her absence, I’ll be taking over the keys: like today.
The purpose of the Publisher’s Minute is to give all of you out there a special glimpse inside the “working parts” of Iaconagraphy Press, and one way we can accomplish that is by introducing you to our staff. Iaconagraphy Press is anything but a “one person show”. Unfortunately, we are presently a “one computer/one work surface show”, however, so balancing everyone’s jobs gets more than a wee bit hairy quite often. Let’s take a peek into that crowded work room and see who does what, shall we?
Editor-In-Chief/Publishing Editor/CEO: Michelle Iacona
Assistant Editor: Frances Keys
Layout Designers: Michelle Iacona, Connla Freyjason, Frances Keys
Cover Art/Artists-In-Residence: Connla Freyjason, Frances Keys
Staff Photographers: Suzanne Hersey, Connla Freyjason, Frances Keys, Sharon Currie
At this point you might be asking: What’s the difference between an Editor-In-Chief and an Assistant Editor?
The Editor-In-Chief here at Iaconagraphy Press is also the Publishing Editor, which means they are the person who ultimately “steers this ship”. That person is responsible for making sure that manuscripts selected for publication fit the content style we have established in our mission statement, and likewise makes certain that subsequent production and marketing reflect said content style. I’m super glad this is Michelle’s full-time job, and not mine, because it also falls upon the Publishing Editor to make sure the production process runs smoothly, make sure all deadlines are met, recruit staff, and handle all levels of marketing.
Not that life as Assistant Editor is all blissful and easy, either. In the immortal words of Stevie Nicks: “Sometimes it’s a bitch, sometimes it’s a breeze”! My primary job is to edit content. I’m the gal who goes through every single manuscript selected for publication and turns them into rainbows of grammatical and spelling errors that need repair, disjointed or unwieldy sentences that seriously need some help (like this one), and items that require further fact-checking, citations, or a total re-write. If that was the totality of my job here, I would be stoked, but it isn’t. It’s also my job to pitch ideas to Madame Publishing Editor for possible future publications, keep a weather eye on every single stage of the production and release process (so that I can “pick up the pieces” in the absence of Madame Publishing Editor, and maintain forward momentum), and handle scheduling, budget, and all those other little “essential non-essentials”, like writing cover blurbs, and front matter, and publicity blurbs. Basically, my position makes me Michelle’s “second in command”, which is why my nickname here at the Press is “The General”. She is the Queen; I’m her “woman-at-arms”.
On this team, I also play the position of self-publishing safety, hence my claim to fame as “Poison Pen with a Big Mouth“! I am the resident screener of all material here at Iaconagraphy Press, and I don’t care who wrote something, if it’s crap, or needs work, you can count on me to say so, loudly and proudly. That includes our resident “Queen”*. Hence, some minor changes in our current publishing schedule. Luckily, scheduling is also part of my job description!
As the “woman-at-arms” to the “Queen”, being the voice of reason often also becomes my job. Let’s face facts: it doesn’t require a degree in history to know that “Queens” are often prone to “upset”. When our “Queen” goes through such a phase, it’s my job to step up to the plate, and keep this “ship” moving forward. It’s also my job to try to reason with the “Queen” and somehow “yank her out of the crazy tree”. While I’m “yanking”, I temporarily become the “PR Guru” (and everything else in her job description) of Iaconagraphy Press in her stead.
So, May the Fourth be with you! Our “Queen” is presently “up the tree”. Meanwhile, I will be doing my utmost for Her Highness and the authors and other staff members here at Iaconagraphy Press.
*Note: Not that I’m implying that Carnavale is in any way, shape, or form “crap”. It’s a fabulous “seed”. It just needs a world of work to become what it is intended to be, and that level of work would be impossible to achieve in time for a June release.
