Higher and Higher
I know prices have been shooting up in recent months, but I've managed to face it pretty calmly. However, I just sent a copyedited manuscript back to my editor via Fedex, and the cost of this absolutely stunned me. Nearly $26 for a second-day delivery! This makes me wish I'd finished the doggone thing yesterday and could have sent it three-day Express Saver. After all, I had it ready for shipment in less than an hour this morning. But there are few things in life more exhausting than going over a copyedited manuscript, and after working on it from 9AM to 4:30PM yesterday I was exhausted. Since I saved the trickiest copyeditor observations for last, I felt I needed a clear head, so I decided to pack it in for the day. Now that I'm done and it was relatively simple instead of the daunting task it seemed like yesterday, I'm confident I did the right thing.Most of us have said at one time or another things like, "I remember when that $2 toll was a quarter," or "I remember when gas was 35 cents a gallon." Well, I remember when a full manuscript could be sent second-day Fedex for about ten bucks . . . and it wasn't all that long ago.
I guess I can be grateful that that this is the age of email for manuscript submission (depending on your editor, I suppose), even if copyedits and galleys have to be made on hard copy.
Fedex delivered my covers while I was addressing all those copyeditor comments, and I feel they did a fabulous job on this one. I do plan to put it on my next newsletter before I post it here, which will be in early December, so stay tuned!
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3 comments:
I hear you. It's bad enough that the prices are high, but what they're doing now--UPS and Fed Ex--they're ringing the door bell, dropping things off and leaving things on stoops without making sure anyone is there to sign for the delivery. Now you have to request that the driver gets a signature. If your not home the stuff will be left there unattended, but not unattended for long of course--I live in New York City, someone will come along glady and take your stuff home. lololol
Yes, shipping an entire manuscript via fed-ex or ups can be expensive. I've had to pay up to $40 once when I had to get it overnight (when I got it late from my now ex-agent---I had to make changes and then get it out the house the next day to get to the publisher). The thing is I don't trust the regular mail to get it there, so its like we're forced to use one of those services to ensure our manuscript gets there.
LOL, Leah! That's my second complaint. I was in my office when the Fedex man rang, and in the few seconds it took for me to get downstairs, he was in his truck. I knew he'd be delivering that day and wanted to get a Fedex Pak from him so I could drop my copyedits in a drop box (more convenient to me than a Fedex office). Fortunately, he had to rummage around in the back of the truck for a few, so I caught him and got my Pak. If he hadn't, he would have been halfway down the block.
Ooh, Shelia, I feel your pain (for both the overnight price tag and having to make changes in one day). I can honestly say I've never had to send anything next-day. I try for third-day, although usually I end up with second-day.
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