Friday, February 27, 2009

"Simply edited"

I received my annual performance bonus: $250, net was $153. My bonus was the same as the proposal center manager’s AA, the latter told me.

I sent an email to our division’s senior VP, inquiring as to why my bonus wasn’t larger in light of the much-touted (obviously bogus) “benefit” of bonuses for each winning proposal.

The following is part of her response:
“Participation in the sales commission pools is based on . . . your contribution to winning the contract. So, for example, if you are an editor and you simply edited [my emphasis] the proposal (did your job), then that would not normally merit participation in the pool. However, if you went above and beyond (identified critical problems in the proposal that did not meet stated evaluation criteria, found compliance issues that if missed might have made us non-compliant, provided unique suggestions around content, etc.), then the team would use our process to propose/request adding you to the pool.”

That’s reasonable, all things being equal. But they’re not. I don't see proposals until they reach the “Gold Team” step, i.e, the contributions she mentions that would merit a bonus are completed in the multiple reviews that take place before Gold Team.

This is just another manifestation of the gross undervaluation of editing.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Theater of the absurd: two characters, one act (Persona non grata II: 2/23 update)

Me: I've finished revising the style guide, except for the acronym section. I can't complete that until the acronym list is finalized, you know, the list I sent to you a couple of weeks ago.

Proposal manager: I haven't looked at it yet. [Nor did she ever acknowledge receipt of it.]

Me: Well, I guess in the grand scheme of things, in the context of the proposal center, you should give it as much attention as it deserves.

PM: I'll try to look at it tonight.

And I'll try to not be bald.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Thank you Christine.

I’ve seen her around my floor of our offices for a good while; if memory serves, for most of the year plus I’ve been working there. Yesterday I decided to introduce myself. She’s one of the few people I didn’t know by name.

Christine told me what she does for the company. I did the same. We had a short conversation, at the end of which she said, “Thanks for all your work.” It made my day. I’m easy to please.

I got more from Christine—someone who has no relationship to the Proposal Center whatsoever—than from those I directly support or report to. Ah, the kindness of strangers.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Persona non grata II

At last Friday’s team-building session, we ended with a review of our individual action items. These are designed to improve the functioning of the proposal center.

My action item was to submit to the proposal manager a list of widely used and commonly understood acronyms that don’t need to be spelled out in proposals (e.g., DoD for Department of Defense).

Over the weekend I reviewed several proposals, pulled out a long list of those acronyms, and e-mailed the list to the PM, with a cc to the proposal center manager and the two proposal coordinators.

At yesterday’s staff meeting the proposal center manager again reviewed the action items to ensure we all understand our responsibilities regarding them. She and the proposal coordinators didn’t even acknowledge that I had already completed mine. Nor have I heard back from the proposal manager.

As an editor, I’m familiar with not being appreciated or thanked. As a human being, I’ll never accept being ignored.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

The Hubris of the Production Guy

A.C. produces our proposals—printing, binding, preparing CD versions, shipping, and so forth.

At yesterday’s team building session, we each had an opportunity to speak (among other things) about what our co-workers could do to make our individual jobs easier.

A.C. said that when he produces a proposal he expects to replace pages that are smudged, printed off kilter, blurry, etc. He then added, “But I don’t expect to spot errors when a proposal reaches production.”

Well, excuse the rest of us for living, A.C.!

First, there’s no such thing as an error-free proposal. That’s one reason we have the page-by-page book review step just before proposals are queued for shipping.

Second, and more important—much more important—is the fact that for a variety of systemic weaknesses, we can’t get a handle on version control. Specifically, despite the best quality control/review efforts of editing, graphics, desktop publishing, and proposal coordination, proposal managers and senior reviewers can—and do—go into many documents and screw them up after they’re designated as “final.” And there is no time for any of the rest of us to review post-final revisions.

It must be quite a burden being perfect, A.C.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Neologism

acronymphomania

One entry found.

Main Entry: ac-ro-nym-pho-ma-nia
Pronunciation: \ˌa-krə-nim(p)-fə-ˈmā-nē-ə,-nyə\
Function: noun
Etymology: from Greek akr + New Latin nymphae + Late Latin mania
Date: circa 2009

: excessive desire to use acronyms in one's writing, without ever spelling them out: the condition also can manifest itself in an acronymphomaniac's speech

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Overheard at the Editors' Club

Who's Who: Him and Her are freelance editors for the publishing company where Hayley works as a production editor.

Him: After receiving all that feedback from Hayley, including how we use the serial comma, I started proofing the book. And there's a pattern. The serial comma is there without the "and" following it, as in, "He feels that editing is tedious, unrewarding, thankless." WTF is going on here?

Her: Hmmm. I'd've inserted the "ands." Maybe Hayley did and the author pitched a fit, fell in it, and demanded that they be deleted. Understand they cave on issues that don't affect meaning/content.

Him: I'm putting them in; she can deal with it however she wants. Your final sentence, which I get, certainly calls into question why we even bother to make a large percentage of our edits.