Yesterday was the “go to print” day for the July issue of FAMILY Magazine. It was a bittersweet day for me.
I stayed up late last night just in case the crew at FAMILY needed me in the final hours of producing the July issue - the first one without me.
The call never came and I was both sad and happy.
On the one hand, I am very excited that my (oops – not mine anymore) staff finished the first month without me. However, on the other side I feel sad that they did finish without me and I am completely “retired” from publishing.
I really do have mixed feelings about this.
What you don’t know is that July is the hardest issue to produce in any year. The staff at FAMILY Magazine did a stand up job for July being able to complete it on their own!
The reason July is so hard is that it is our (oops – again not ours but theirs) Best for Families survey results. The July magazine in print is picked up faster, kept longer and requested more than any other issue. Online, the survey is one of the most popular pages.
Real estate agents use the print magazine in their relocation packets all year long because it is full of great information for families relocating to the Washington area. It is simply the BEST issue we (oops – they) produce.
The survey runs earlier in the year in print and online. Parents submit their nominations. The votes are counted and then in July, the results are announced. Lori Collett has been counting the votes for Best for Families for over 10 years. It is a huge job that starts in March and continues all the way up until the last week before the magazine goes to print.
In the print issue, the nominees and winners receive a medallion signifying they have been voted “Best for Families.” Making sure those medallions are correctly applied is also a huge undertaking. The staff proofs the placement of the medallions numerous times to make sure the recognition is correct.
Here is a link to last year’s July “Best for Families” issue.
Online there is an entire library of past issues of FAMILY Magazine. If you go to the archives, be sure to look at the cover of the May 2014 issue. It is a collage of my family growing up including a baby picture of my husband.
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| The FAMILY Archives. |
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| Check out my family growing up on the cover of May 2014. |
The July issue was also finished without our #1 salesman, Jim Haiz.
Jim also retired late this month. I was extremely disappointed to not be there when Jim left. He has been with FAMILY Magazine for over 14 years. He was my “go to” sales person who always knew exactly how to help an advertiser achieve their goals. His clients loved him, we all loved working with him. He is already greatly missed.
I know Jim is very close to his grandchildren and I hope he enjoys their sporting events and school concerts even more now that he has free time. FAMILY Magazine won’t be the same without him and I am proud to be his friend. I had to mention his retirement in my blog.
Now the July issue of FAMILY Magazine is off to the printer to be put onto paper. It is digital history.
And, inside July is my goodbye letter. I hope you will pick up a copy and think of me.
Growing FAMILY Magazine was fun and I have some fantastic memories. My own children grew up along side FAMILY Magazine.
Stay tuned – I have some shocking and exciting personal news I want to share with you. But I am saving that for another blog!
Cheers,
Brenda
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