Day XXXIX: Inventory

Working at Scarletta has been a great introduction to the book world. Working for a small publisher appeals to me, especially as a spring board, because you get thrown head first into a world that isn't really covered in the classroom. And that I get to work with picture books is even better.

Daily, I am in contact with authors and illustrators of stupendous talent. I get to read tons of submissions--most of them a little underwhelming--and spend my day surrounded by characters that enhance and embrace the imagination and creativity of kids. Many of my favorite books over last few months have actually come through the Scarletta gates. And by "gates" I mean my email inbox. I mean, god, we're a small press with three employees! Did you actually think we have time for gates?

I digress, working at Scarletta has been a joy, a frustration, and a learning curve. It's been empowering and fun, challenging and upsetting. And while there are numerous aspects to my job that I adore, there is one thing that I truly despise:

Inventory.

Oh, inventory, you are the least enjoyable aspect of my time in this office. The thing is, no matter how meticulous and careful you are with tracking, monitoring, and assuring your product is where it needs to be, there are always discrepancies.

And they are flipping obnoxious. Our inventory affects our accounting software and our online count for ordering directly through the Scarletta website. In other words, it's imperative that it's accurate. So in addition to being the worst sort of task, it's also entirely crucial that it's up-to-date and perfectly measured. I hate it.

Today, I've been boxing books and assessing the accuracy of our numbers. Luckily, we're in pretty good shape. And while I'd like to attribute that to my good record keeping, I think it's probably because I've turned inventory into an editorial activity.

Fabulous, right?