mercury retrograde 2

on march 30th--two days ago--mercury entered its retrograde phase just as my book of the same name was going to press. astrologically speaking, this is somewhat inauspicious. even less auspicious, perhaps, is that i actually sent the files today, april fool's day. but i choose to focus on this: the first photos of the planet emerged on 3/30--after 6 1/2 years of NASA's satellite hurtlling through space--photographs became available for the first time ever.

is it a coincidence that on the same day the planet begins to give us the illusion of its backward winging through space, is the same day that my book is being finalized? well, i'm a sucker for kismet things if that's not obvious by now. i like to think that mercury is feeling the love its always wanted to feel, and so is ready for its close up. my book was not always going to be called mercury retrograde. it was the first title that suggested itself to me, but i didn't even acknowledge it. it seemed too easy. nice to know that sometimes you get a moment back.

i hate to think of it now, that some other words came thisclose to living on my cover, but the truth will have its way. the right thing does tend to win out. in any case, my first experience of this retrograde (they really can be quite lousy with communication snarls) happened today, two days in.

it began when my contact at the printer's headquarters didn't confirm receipt of the files. given the import of all this, and my general impatience, i called them. i should say here that this printer has been fairly responsive up to this point. it was weird that no confirmation had come by the 2nd hour.

anyway, i called them. they had received the files. i was informed that production would start on monday, and that an invoice would be sent. good enough, right? then the e-mails from them started coming fast and furious. it seems that the estimates the printer has been supplying up to this point did not factor in color on every page. and this printer does C-M-Y-K, not Pantone, so that's a 4-colour spot everytime, not 1.

on march 7th, i sent an e-mail. note: this is a good 3 weeks before the retrograde began. that e-mail said that i wanted an estimate that assumed a bleed on every page. so, that's what i thought i'd been getting. no.

i was always taught that "bleed" automatically translated to mean "colour." not so, not so. so, the estimate nearly doubled when the actual specs were factored in. and because this book is so beautiful, and because the subtle, slate blue-grey and white palette i've chosen is so central to the design and connotative integrity of the book, i could not, in good conscience, tell the printer to print the guts of my manifesto in black and white.

tremendous miscommunication potential was realized in that moment. here's hoping this is as bad as it gets.