So while I was in the midst of checking various tidbits for Realms of Fantasy today, I was struck by how many different running lists I'm keeping in regards to the magazine.  I used to keep four lists for RoF.  With my recent promotions, I'm now keeping 9:

1) RoF Author List: This is the third list I started keeping.  It lists every author who has ever published (or will publish) fiction in RoF.

2) RoF Artist List:  This one I finished compiling recently.  It lists every almost artist who has ever done done a cover or interior illustration for RoF, including reprints.  The only names I'm missing are any new artists whose work we have in inventory from when Sovereign Media sent over their files.  So in due time this list will be complete.

3) Artist Galley List: This is another one I just finished putting together.  It lists every solo artist (or tandem, like the Hildebrandt Brothers) who has been featured in the Artist Gallery.

The Excel Files:

4) Automatic pass log: Along with number 5, this was the first list I started keeping for RoF.  It logs the name of every author and story that has been an automatic pass since I came aboard.  Other details include which batch the story arrived in, the sub-genre of the work, some really quick thoughts about the piece, its status (rejected, accepted, or published), when it was published, and any miscellaneous tidbits worth including.

5) Slush Survivor Log: Same concept as 4, but for slush survivors.

6) RoF Story Log: I started keeping this log when I started reading the back issues to RoF and posting my retrospectives.  I decided keeping it as I went along would be hugely helpful, not just with the retrospectives, but my work in general.  Boy has it ever!  This log provides an exact breakdown in order of the stories we've published from beginning to present, along with the author,  the sub-genre, some brief thoughts about the piece, a 1-2 sentence summary to remind what the piece is about in case I've forgotten (after 4 years on the job I've learned how easy it is to forget short stories, even the ones I like!), and any miscellaneous tidbits worth including.  This is how I always seem to know exactly how many times an author has appeared in the magazine when I'm doing my retrospectives.  The log tells me.

7) RoF Art Log: It's basically the same idea RoF Story Log.  I didn't do the summaries to remind of what's going on in various illustrations.  I suspect it's rather impossible to remember all of these images.  So I'm trusting my mind to remember what it considers worth remembering.  And if I need to hunt down a specific image in a specific issue, it should be easy enough to hunt it down thanks to my logs.

8) Rof Nonfiction Production Log: This allows me to know what's in the pipeline for nonfiction, who's working on it, what if anything we have in inventory, what the deadline is for the next issue, invoice/payment details, etc.

9) RoF Art Production Log: Same idea as # 8, but for the art.

So five of these lists are recent, but they're already proving their worth many times over.  The last two lists are without a doubt the most critical.  I couldn't function without them.  The next most important lists are 4 & 5.  Everything else is just gravy, but that's some good gravy!  I admit that putting all of these lists together is a bit geeky and it consumed a lot of time, but they've made me a lot more efficient and organized.  Ultimately, these lists have saved (or will save) me far more hours than I've spent putting them together.  I now can't imagine functioning without them. 

Shawna, if you've ever wondered how I always seem to have the answers at my fingertips, now you know!