It’s 9:50 AM, Tuesday morning as I start to jot this particular Murmur. I have to leave for a doctor’s appointment at ten, so I’ll end up finishing this when I get back.
9:50 in the morning, I’ve only been working for about two hours, but I'm already feeling a bit worn out. Answered a bunch of business related e-mails, talked to Julius and Margaret (our cheerful intern is back), and made a long list of what I have to try to get done today. One of them is to write a new Press Release for tomorrow. Another is to get contracts and art assignments out for The Rifter #40 and Dimensional Outbreak (should have done the latter a couple weeks ago).
These are kind of strange times for us Palladium.
On one hand, we’ve come a long, long way on our road to recovery. We are very hopeful about Palladium’s future and have a lot of great ideas for books, the website, and all kinds of things we want to do or publish. And I mean lots and lots and lots of ideas.
We have accomplished much to be proud of, and even more to be grateful about. I have a growing number of talented freelance artists and writers knocking down our door, and I’ve had several business advisors tell me Palladium’s no longer in the “recovery stage,” but the “growth stage.” I sure hope so, though it doesn't feel that way some days. I should be meeting with my attorney to sign a certain licensing agreement in the next couple of days. We’ll be moving next Spring to a smaller building and saving a bundle on rent and utilities, and I’m already scouting out buildings to lease that are closer to home. I need to hire an extra person or two to help Palladium into the next stage of getting back on our feet and releasing more great RPG product.
On the other hand, money is tight, we are overworked and tired, but we can’t stop now. It has been difficult getting product out on time and that has to change (working on Dyval between everything else, right now). We are entering our traditional slow sales month, September, and that will mess with cash flow right when we’re spending a pile of dough (licensing fee, mass mailing of the Palladium catalog, etc.). For example, last week’s sales were phenomenal (a record high), this week’s sales are lousy (only 3 orders yesterday!) and seem to be headed for a record low. That extra person I need to hire has to be “the right person” – someone with a range of skills and talent willing to work hard and accept lousy pay, at least in the short term (first year). I have the perfect person in mind, but I fear the timing may not be so perfect for him. Frustrating.
We may be in recovery mode, but we still need to work like maniacs and sell lots of books to keep it all together and continuing to improve Palladium's situation. I’m sure Christmas season sales will be strong and that we’ll sell a zillion Christmas Grab Bags again (awesome), but I could use $50,000 in working capital right now. The Mega-Million Lottery jackpot is up to something like 250 million bucks, so I bought my ONE ticket today. Not gonna throw away more than a dollar, and I figure if it’s meant to be, one ticket should do the job, right?
And will there ever be a Rifts Movie? Your guess is as good as ours. We sure hope so, but these things take time.
Meanwhile, we’re working on a bunch of secret projects; some small, some large, and Palladium's future seems full of promise and limitless potential. Still, I feel a bit like a yoyo . . . no, more like taffy that’s being pulled in a dozen different directions. If only we could catch our breath, or a significant break, that would help.
Back at the Office by Noon
All went well at the doctor's (just a follow up on some lab work). I got to see my old family doctor (semi-retired) and his side-kick, Nurse Sunny. I’ve been seeing them since I was like 14 years old, so they're more like family friends than physician and nurse.
I got back to the office around noon after stopping to get gasoline (never thought I’d be happy to see gas at $2.88 a gallon) and picked up Season One of Heroes on DVD at Target (I love that show, though my current favorite summer cable shows have to Burn Notice and Psych).
I was pleased to see Thom Bartold’s car in the parking lot. He’s been giving us a helping hand on a variety of things. Thom’s one of the original Defilers, a long time pal, and our computer expert. Thom, Wayne and I talked for awhile until my insurance man, John Carrizales, arrived a little before 1:00 PM. Palladium needs to get some insurance documents to complete the licensing deal for you know what. All went smooth on that front.
Then, Thom, Wayne and I brain-stormed for the next three hours with very productive results. I touched base with my attorney a couple of times and checked my e-mails.
At 5:00 PM, I realized I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. I had skipped my morning meal in case the Doctor needed to take a blood test, and the afternoon was so busy, I forgot to eat.
After munching on some delicious Kathy Simmons leftovers, I returned the calls of freelance writer Josh Sinsapaugh. We needed to catch up a bit and discuss his next couple of writing projects. That was another good call that lasted about an hour and a half (had a similar productive call with Matthew Day and Mark Evans the day before). I don’t want to mention the "projects" yet, but they are all things you should enjoy down the road.
I took one of my famous 20 minute naps, spoke to Kathy on the phone about a few things. It looks like another slow night of online sales, but what can you do?
I’m back at work in front of my computer. After I post this Murmur I still have those contracts and art assignments to do so they can go out in tomorrow’s mail. Ironically, it's approaching 9:50 again, PM this time, as I post this murmur. I got a lot done these past 12 hours. It’s been a good day. Alex is the only other person here and he's in good spirits too. I’m sleeping over at the office in an attempt to catch up on work late tonight and get an early start tomorrow morning. I’m actually feeling pretty motivated at the moment, and I hope to get a lot done before I hit the sack.
Keep those imaginations burning bright and keep the faith.
Sincerely,
Kevin Siembieda
Publisher, Writer, Artist, and Game Designer
© Copyright August 28, 2007 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved.