Hello again,
 
from Martin Feldstein <[log in to unmask]>:
>Outlawdooks appears to have been personally insulted by Ferrets; I would be
>curious to know what the magazine did to that person to warrant such venom.
 
Outlawdooks explained the reason for his/her "venom" towards the Fancy
pub -- in the very post you excerpted.  They published this person's CA
address (and phone number) without permission.
 
>Can anybody report with certainty that ferrets have been affected
>adversely because of something these magazines have printed?  Do any of
>these supposedly grievous mistakes render all the worthwhile information
>they have published (and I think there's been quite a bit) null and void?
>Has Modern Ferret NEVER made a mistake?
 
I think there are people on the list who live in CA and who have been
"identified" by one of the Fancy pubs who can say whether they feel they
were harmed or whether their ferrets were jeopardized.  IMO (and *only*
MO), consistent errors make everything "suspect" but not necessarily null
and void.  The Benedryl thing was a very scary to me (as a ferret owner and
as an editor).  Any good editor/copy editor should have checked it/caught
it (that's my opinion as an editor who has been in the field for about 14
years).  I'm sure we've made mistakes -- we're human.  But I check up on
info from *vets* -- I do not assume their articles are 100% correct.  I
look up dosages and words and if it isn't something I know cold, I ask
another vet to check the info (and I look it up, too).  And that's the
articles from "expert vets" -- the articles from regular ferret owners get
a throrough going-over as well -- moreso.  As a professional editor (who
came up through the ranks from proofreader), I believe going the extra
distance matters.
 
>I think some people look at the Ferrets/Modern Ferret scenario as a Davy
>and Goliath situation, and simply resent a large publisher intruding upon
>Modern Ferret's territory.  I'm sure the Shefferman's resent it.
 
That's "David" and Goliath (Davy and Goliath were best buddies -- Goliath
was the dog).  And didn't David slay the beast?
 
This is the important part:
How are you "sure" that I resent Fancy publications?  Have we spoken?
Please don't assign feelings to me (or Eric).  Resentment is something
people like me purge from our lives.  I do not resent Fancy Publications.
I knew from the outset that we would have competition from them someday.
Competition makes us stronger.  It keeps us on our toes.  It makes us go
further and do better.  It gives people something to compare -- which is
good if we're good and bad if we're bad.  Actually, it feels good in a
weird sort of way that Ferrets tries to be more and more like Modern Ferret
(one of the first comments by people in the magazine industry when they
look at both side by side).
 
However, I suspect that Fancy resents us (I don't know this, just suspect
it) because we're still here.  We win awards.  We have fans.  It is very
difficult to compete with the human touch.  But we knew that when we
started.
 
>And do the Shefferman's not publish Modern Ferret for the money?
 
Not *solely* for the money.  I love what I do.  I am a writer.  I am
sprititually, emotionally, and intellectually fulfilled by what I do.  If
all I wanted was to make money, I'd have stayed with medical editing --
it pays boatloads more than what I'm making now.  And "making money" (e.g.
Bill Gates) is different from "making a living" (e.g.  the average working
person).
 
>one of the paramount reasons magazines are published is to make money for
>the publishers, even in the case of Modern Ferret.
 
Again, I'll ask that you refrain from assigning feelings and motivations to
me (and Eric).  You have no idea why I gladly do all the work I do (hour
after hour).  As motivations go, money isn't up on top of the list (if it
were, I'd have stopped doing Modern Ferret a couple of years ago).
 
I won't get into my impressions of the president of Fancy Publications
(I've had dinner with him).  I will say only that he is a very shrewd
businessman.  While I consider myself (and Eric) to be very on-the-ball,
I know that our business plan is nothing like his.
 
Thanks for listening. Give a hug to a fuzzy (heck, hug 'em all!),
 
Mary & the Fuzzy Nine
[Posted in FML issue 2642]