Much of the April issue shipped to prepress yesterday, and the big "Recommended Components" feature is on its way out right now. All that's left to go is "Letters," "Industry Update," and the table of contents. Often, our shipping days coincide with the arrival of our office supply of the previous month's issue. That is, as we send off the April issue, the completed and bound March issues are arriving here.
We keep our supply of back issues in a medium-size storage room. Inside, there is the smell of glossy paper, cardboard boxes, and good work. After we've shipped an issue, I like to go into our storage room and straighten our stacks. I take down a box of magazines from one of the steel shelves, and slice through the packing tape, careful that I don't cut so deep as to tear through an actual magazine. Then I remove five magazines at a time and pile them neatly on an open shelf. Five magazines at a time. Five facing one way, five facing the opposite, so that the stack stands tall and the spines don't bend. It's simple, quiet, satisfying work. When I'm done, I feel good.
I love our magazine. The March issue shines like a silver dollar and February is like a copper penny.
