I Promise You Will Never Hear Me Speak of This Again

This is my Island Press rant. Read if you want, or don't. Whatever.
This rant is in part, inspired by the transmittal meeting I attended the other day. Transmittal is the meeting we go to when editorial turns a manuscript over to us for production.
I can't stand the way everyone in editorial and marketing wets themselves over a book they think is going to be big and start a movement and get students involved etc etc. GIVE ME A BREAK. No book at Island is going to set the world on fire and it won't get students invovled with cute little anecdotes about writers from Vermont dressing up as endangered maple trees reading poems by Robert Frost.
Also, you want cyber marketing? Here's a tip. GET THE WEBSITE UP BEFORE THE BOOK IS IN COPYEDIT. Or better yet, HAVE A NAME FOR THE WEBSITE. I can't wait till this book is too expensive (it already is) and we don't sell 9,000 copies like marketing says they will.
It's not totally their fault. They just don't have the manpower to launch a mmarketing campaign like this or to draw the kinds of books they want. But they don't accept this fact. They try to make themselves into something they can't be. It's sad, it's really sad. There's no money for anything and they just end up losing money. For instance, almost 50 grand on one title from the spring 06 list.
They keep making poor decisions over and over and they act all surprised when shit goes wrong.
OK, I'm done I suppose. That feels better.