hot -> ouch -> burn -> lesson learned? ... I didn't think so

[15_the_circle]

[OT from cottage renovations]

and now for something completely different, in which I admit that I have been toying with the ridiculous thought of a 2008 reprise of last year's calendar project. 

it would need a somewhat higher list price and a much smaller press run.  not that I expect to have such oodles of time in which to put one together, but last year's exercise covered all the one-off stuff so it wouldn't really be that hard to make it happen ... and it's not like there's any shortage of usable images. 

on the practical (never my long suit) side I have some doubts about the fiscal soundness of the idea as the printing has to be paid for up front and these days the priorities are:

1. mortgage
2. tuition // next installment due around year end
64. food // quite minimal
256. all other unavoidable expenses // similarly minimal
512. cottage renovations // focus is on thermal integrity
32767. all discretionary expenses.

the problem is that last category, into which quite a bit has been deferred over the course of the past few months; I won't feel comfortable about another multikilobuck outlay that's essentially all at risk given that last year's calendar resulted in a loss roughly equivalent to a mortgage payment.  but aside from that consideration I regarded it as technically and creatively successful and it was well received so the notion is rather tempting. 

so we'll see. 
there's probably about another month in which to decide whether to go ahead with it and the commit point occurs only when the time comes to reserve some press time at the printer's. 

Comments

[15-the-circle.livejournal.com]

>
> ... a goal of losing less on its investment
>

precisely.  I don't really want the enterprise to be profitable.  the desired end state from a financial point of view would be a modest loss.  that would be quite easy to achieve with a smaller press run.  other than the ones given to friends and family, last year's calendars were made available at cost.  the reason for the loss was the number of leftovers at the end of the exercise.  I don't at all mind that it produced a deficit, I just wouldn't want another one of that magnitude. 

the real constraint is not so much financial, for that can be managed, as it is one of time available.  I wouldn't have a problem getting an '08 calendar to press; where the crunch would come would be in order fulfillment and distribution.  am still looking into that aspect to see if there might be some way to make it happen.