Shutterstock / PEERAWICH PHAISITSAWAN©In this week’s Editor’s Diary, I’m reflecting on a busy week here at “Friend” HQ. (That sounds more impressive than it is, as “HQ” is currently my kitchen!)
It all started with the launch last Wednesday of our fabulous new publication for the festive season. “The Magic Of Christmas” went on sale on September 16.
And if you haven’t already got your copy, don’t delay. They are selling fast!
Its 148 pages are packed with Christmas stories, features, puzzles and craft projects, and it’s been a real labour of love for the team.
You can order it direct from us here.
Delivery problems
That same day, however, we became aware of a serious delivery problem affecting subscriber copies of our September 18 issue.
Since then, my days have been a whirlwind of calls and meetings with colleagues in Circulation and Operations as we tried to find out what had gone wrong.
And it was a case of all hands on deck to answer queries from concerned subscribers! The “Friend” team is quite a small one and we all pitched in to help as we were deluged with messages.
We have over 40,000 subscribers, and I feel as if I have messaged most of them over the last few days . . .
It’s wonderful to see how much the magazine means to its readers. And we’re always happy to do our very best to sort out problems when they arise — but sometimes, as in this case, circumstances are beyond our control.
It makes me very sad indeed to hear that loyal subscribers are unable to enjoy their weekly “Friend”.
That’s why we made the decision to publish our two serial instalments from September 18 on our website this week. I hope they have gone a small way to make up for the inconvenience suffered.
A visit to the office
And my busy week continued with a visit to the office on Friday! We are beginning to think about how to make it safe for everyone to return to a more normal way of working while the virus is still a threat.
It was lovely to meet some colleagues face to face for the first time in over 18 months.
Let’s hope it won’t be too long before we’re all back together again.
For more from Angela’s Editor’s Diary. click the tag below.
Angela Gilchrist I am the former Editor-in-Chief of “The People’s Friend” magazine. My passions include cats, Highland ponies, good books, vegetarian food and long walks in the Scottish countryside. My favourite place to get away from it all is the magical Isle of Skye.
