So, Thursday Already...

[doronjosama]

I'm getting a lot of stuff done, but the novel rewrite/copyediting continues to be the heaviest load. Of course, it would be easier to concentrate on that alone if everything else under the sun wasn't all due at the exact same time. When it rains, it pours!

But now the solictation copy for July books is sent off to Diamond. (Furrlough #162, with a cover by zorichan, Milk #54, with a cover by missmonstermel, Anubis: Dark Desire #3, featuring all the lovely art ladies and then some, and Hit the Beach #13, with a cover by Ursula Husted and Phil Morrissey, in case anyone was curious.) Genus #76 is at the printers, they are just waiting on paperwork from Diamond, we are in the middle of Furrlough #157, and the Radio online store has just been updated with new products and new specials (spotlighting the talented Mark Moore this week). I've done reorders for other books we need to restock on (more yaoi, go figure...), answered a ton of email (though there is still a ton more), and put out various low-grade fires in the mail order department. (Lately, the post office has been *extremely* slow in getting first class or priority mail to its destinations... I don't know what the deal is, really, but honestly, priority mail should never take two to three weeks to get somewhere!)

Now to go do more work and then go pay the storage rent.

Comments

[missmonstermel.livejournal.com]

Hey can you put missmonster instead? Thanks for opting my porno name though, I'm so silly....I like this one too much to let it be a missbeast ;)

[doronjosama.livejournal.com]

Sure, we'll do that! It won't really matter in the solicitation info (which Diamond already has...) because almost nobody actually reads the adults only Previews supplement. (Heck a lot of retailers don't even order it!)

Changed!

[missmonstermel.livejournal.com]

Thanks a ton!! So glad it getting used! :)

[chasecorbeau.livejournal.com]

Speaking of yaoi, do you know anything about Iris (publishing company) other than it's new? I'm in negotiations to do the art for a yaoi GN with a writer who's got a hook with them... but I know little of that particular company.

[doronjosama.livejournal.com]

This is the first time I have ever heard of them. A quick web search brings up their website, which looks professional enough, but I can't find any information on their parent company (Lynch Publishing). So, no idea if they are reliable or not! ^_^;

How to solve 99% of your mail-transit-time problems

[matthigh.livejournal.com]

I know that I've said this before, and I will say it again. You need to start using Endicia for your mail -- not only will it save you hours upon hours of time each month, it also really helps in speeding up the actual delivery of the mail.

How does it help in delivery times?

1. Whenever I enter an address, Endicia automatically double-checks EVERY SINGLE UNITED STATES address against the USPS database, to confirm it is a valid address.
2. Once confirmed, it will "standardize" the address into the format that the post office prefers, changing "Streets" that should be "Drives", adding the appropriate suffixes and prefixes, correcting spelling mistakes, making sure the city name matches the zip code.
3. It also automatically finds the correct Zip+4 code, which helps the post office sort and route the packages tremendously.
4. It also adds that little string of little bars at the bottom of the address, so that the package can be automatically read by the huge scanners at the post office sorting facilities. No delays in having to wait for it to be hand-processed (which usually adds 1-2 days).
5. Electronic delivery confirmation is FREE - it automatically adds a e/DC bar-code at the bottom of the package, which the postman scans when the package is delivered, and confirms the exact date and time of delivery. (No more people saying "They never delivered it, give me my money back.)
6. Endicia also automatically sends the recipient an email which contains the delivery confirmation number, so they have a record of when it was shipped. And with the click of a single button, I can track the package, too.
7. With the computer-printed, confirmed-with-USPS-database addresses with the proper bar codes, packages speed through the postal system much faster and easier than hand-written packages without the bar codes. Solves 99% of my slow-delivery problems.

Not only that, but I also no longer have to affix stamps or stand in line to buy postage. Just one little click, and I buy postage in $10/20/50/100 increments, deducted straight from my checking account.

Also, no standing in line to send packages. A couple clicks of the mouse on the USPS website, and I can request Carrier Pickup for all my packages. I only have to go to the post office once a week now, to drop off international shipments.

No more hand-cramps writing out all the addresses - just type it all in and print out the labels with the postage. (And you can also have an address book, and choose names from the address book instead of having to type them in again -- like if you are sending packages to lots of subscribers). And no more tediously filling out those customs forms -- the postage software does it all for me.

I started using Endicia at exactly this time last year, and since then I've shipped out 2300 packages with it - about 45 a week. I couldn't do what I'm doing without the automation saving me huge chunks of time. Took me about one day to learn how to use the software, and haven't looked back since.

Seriously, you could save lots of time and effort. With the volume of mail you go through, it's well worth it. Even if you have to get a cheapo new printer that can handle the fine details in the bar-codes, it's worth it. It's not hard to figure out, not hard to set up. No more harried midnight runs to the post office.

Re: How to solve 99% of your mail-transit-time problems

[doronjosama.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I went to look at their website, but it's down for monthly maintenence, so I can't even find out if A) there's a monthly fee on top of the postage, B) if you can use a bank account that doesn't have a debit card attached to the account (the Radio account doesn't, for security reasons), and C) if there will be conflicts with using a Mac that is still on OS 9-ish. (The only computer in the house with a working printer currently is the iMac.)

Also, do they do pickup at apartments? Because our apartment mail carrier is woefully lazy and uninterested in doing work, and I think having to lug 50-75 packages away from our apartment every week would make the person completely rebel. (They already have tried to put a "hold" on our mail four times simply because they think we "get too much mail"- and this isn't even the amount of mail we get at the PMB address! It's just regular bills and circulars. And yes, they were reprimanded for doing this, which makes them treat our mail very... carelessly, shall we say.)

[zorichan.livejournal.com]

I'm stoked to see my cover =) and get mentioned in the Previews *excitedly bounces around*