Poliektova interview

I’d like to make a remark that my story about publishing house will begin with that moment as it was called "Economy". It’s, more likely, the story not about the history of publishing house, but about the first impressions of a girl who, as she thought, will leave this publishing house just after graduating from the University.

All happens so, that, after passing the entrance exams on philological faculty of the Moscow State University, I didn’t get essential the 100-th of points necessary for receipt on day time faculty because due to illness I did not pass examinations for the school-leaving certificate, and I  automatically got lower estimations in several subjects. After dramatic events for me during the transfer of documents from day time faculty to evening, and the most important thing that – the examination list with 4 fife marks? I faced a problem and I was not ready to solve it: I had to provide the commission with the certificate that I work somewhere. Furthermore, due to fact that I was going to study on the philological faculty and at school I often prepared the materials for the magazine “Soviet trade”, so my job should be crossed with my creative organization. Actually I won’t lie I was helped to get the work place. There were a few publishing houses in Moscow and it was really very responsible and on the other hand prestige to work there. So even for the real professionals it was rather difficult to get a job in publishing house.

I would say I was lucky: having only certificate about the graduating from the school but with high marks and certificate confirming that I was a student of one of the best Universities of the country, I got a job in “Gostorgizdat” Just in 2 months after merging with “Gosplanizdat” and publishing house of CentreSoviet it became the publishing house “Economika”. The history of the “Economika” begins with the December of 1921 when the editorial publishing board was created in the framework of the state panto-planning commission of the Board of labor and defense of the USSR. But I’ll tell only about my own opinion and impressions concerning the publishing house “Economika”.

In the beginning I didn’t know what is it publishing house and of course I didn’t know anything about my role in it. I was attracted by funny as I thought, unknown but at the same time mysterious student life. And about the work in publishing house, where from one room to another went “serious people” with different papers who seemed to me very dull old men and women, I thought it’s temporary necessity. I thought that I leave the publishing house just after getting so essential marks for me during the first session and I’ll get the opportunity to plunge deeply in the student live.

If anybody told me during that time that I’ll stay in this publishing house for 40 years I would laugh: “It couldn’t be so because it’s impossible”

Remembering my first steps on my labor walk, I think that that only my youth, inability in that age “to jam” on problems, self-confidence that you can do everything just if you want it, helped me to overcome all the difficulties. All these difficulties were connected with the fact that there was the real huge precipice between the funny school days and working hours and that I was in the publishing house not after passing long tests and willing to stay only here or as a result of some peculiarities that gave me a chance to be the first after outstripping not less and even more worthy. In this case I was every day shown that I had to prove anyway that I really deserved to stay in such well-known collective. Frankly speaking the harsh school of life passed almost all the coevals of mine, who were lucky to connect their life with publishing house “Economika”.

Here begins my history of the publishing house. It was so that the room where was situated the editorial office of literature of Economy and organization of trade where I began to work, was the biggest one in the building in that time. So, all the activities beginning with the meeting of our team, planning (where the current matters were discussed) and the main thing - sessions of Editorial Board were held there. Its structure included leading scientists-economists which names are known not only in our country, but also abroad. It is enough to name L.I.Abalkin, T.S.Hachaturov, S.S.Shatalin, E.M.Primakov, Lvov. A little bit later following persons joined the group: still young A.A.Shokhin, E.T.Gaydar, R.I.Hasbulatov and many others.

Many manuscripts were discussed in our editorial office and consequently many new ideas that exited all the scientific world: here comes the economic reform, led under the supervision of Kosygin, transition of many enterprises to self-financing and consequently greater economic independence and efficiency in acceptance of administrative decisions. And each discussion began only with analysis of advantages of this or that manuscript, but only in 10-15 minutes inflamed serious disputes in occasion of the point of view of this or that author, his concept, his vision of the future of economy, so, and the future of the country. The disputes were hot participation in them accepted not only authors, venerable scientists, but also editors of publishing house. Among them there were many people with ranks and degrees. So, in the discussions took part both sides – the scientific world and publishing collective. I was very proud during that time that I’m partially involved in the process of solving of global problems and in forming the future of the country. Listening now reasonings that only in 90th years there has come an era of publicity, freedom of statements, I invariable recollect those already far, the sixtieth. Then in of premises of small house just near the Moscow Zoo were expressed really brave and unprejudiced ideas. In comparison to that time many of today’s statements seem to be simple attack of not so well brought up people.

Every such discussion was not only simple school of creativity, a lesson of professionalism but a school of life for any of the worker of the publishing house. First of all, was designated the attitude to a problem, to the work, and the main thing - to the country because in most cases the book was written not for the author, his desires to express, to pose, as it can be spoken now in scientific hierarchy, but for promotion forward the ideas, and, finally, advancing of the country.

 Here I’d like to emphasize the main thing in the publishing house’s work according to my opinion. We work in the country where all the life was subordinated to the plan, all the activity of the publishing house and all it’s workers was roughly planned, when every day was scheduled. The process of going of the involved in the plan manuscript through the departments of the publishing house was planned: so much time – for editing, reading, printing, checking, staying in a printing house, the first imposition, the second imposition, verification, an output of the book to the public. There was no reason except the market conditions that could interrupt the schedule of passing the manuscript in the manufacturing. But in these rough conditions all our work was full of creativity and this the most attracting feature of our work, which played important role in my life: refusing from the student life I still stay here in the publishing house  “Economika”.

In every editorial office and there were about 10 offices worked about 6-7 people, usually 5 editors and 2 younger editors. During the process of editing everyone discussed the most difficult moments of “his” or “her” manuscript with the colleagues relatively often even the assistant to the editor-in-chief, sometimes the editor-in-chief or helped to solve several problems. The most interesting moment is the "removal of questions from the authors" when the author and the editor as though showed the competence, preparation, vision of a problem. It was something like competition. But all the discussions were absolutely correct and professional without any emotions, demonstration of ambitions but the real talk between two intellectuals, two high educated persons and professionals. It was very interesting to observe such discussions.

We - junior editors also were involved in the creativity process, we were asked to bring something from our own in the manuscripts rather than automatically verify corrected texts. After our correction the manuscript was brought to “the heart” of any publishing house – correctors. There were 20 correctors in our publishing house in that time. Being well educated person, during the talk with these people I understood that Russian language is great.

During that time people took in to consideration the “word” and stylistics very seriously and didn’t rely only on the author’s interpretation. May be sometimes editors crossed the line leaving the author, his manner of writing aside simultaneously relying on the language and its rough and incredible rules. Now our attitude to the author’s texts and our editing role is a little bit different. Now we rely more on the author’s view. How we got used to say that the name of the author is printed on the reliure and a title of the book but the name of the editor is printed somewhere at the end of the book. Of course, editor should express his opinion, objections and proposals, but the decision-maker is the author. Book is like a child, and we – editors are only his supporters, I would rather say we teach “the author’s child” and bring him to the publicity.

Very carefully concerned then to citing, especially great people - K. Marx, F. Engels, V.I. Lenin. Nobody had a permition not only make a mistake in citing or miss a comma but even all the corrections were deeply verified with the original, and if an editor made a mistake he missed his bonus. Furthermore the names of such inattentive editors were placed on a desk and everyone new it.

Now lots of last severities sound strange, but during that time it was very important, since we were taught to do our job very seriously. All the seniors in our publishing house by their attitude to the work tried to show to the colleagues how to work, they also taught us how to be professionals and how to live, the relationship in the tem, help and inter-assistance. Now I understand that this is important part of live of every person, his attitude to the different circumstances and people. Only in the course of time you start to understand, that your work is not in itself: you, your professionalism are only the small parts of the life, parts of big deal, where not only you but there are a lot of people and everyone has his own role, his own understanding not only himself but also his main task. In other words everything is difficult and ambiguous. And as more do you understand it as more careful do behave toward the people surrounding you, trying to understand even people who a far from you in their objectives and understanding of the common tasks.

The main our trouble today is an absence of continuity.

Alas, the youth does not aspire, as earlier, in publishing houses, editorial work is represented to them very boring, routine, and sometimes even unnecessary. People write and publish lots of books and even authors are sure that their manuscripts become the boors by itself. Only the truly authors such as academician L’vov D. suppose that the manuscript becomes a book only after the editor works hard on it even if it’s really incredible manuscript.

Unfortunately there is our wine too that we do not engage the youth in the process of editing texts and making it a bestseller. The role of editor is very big in it and sometimes it’s the main thing.

By the way it was very difficult to become an editor being the junior editor during that time. Because our leadership thought a person who almost all the time held scissors and glue could hardly do effectively creative and responsible job of an editor. I used the words scissors and glue because the main idea of editing consisted in retyping of two or three lines in text with the corrections and then pasting it in text of a manuscript. So I worked about 8 years as a junior editor, graduated from the university, corrected several manuscripts be myself and after over passing a lot of difficulties I became the “real” editor.

That’s the way of becoming an editor: not in the one moment but after long and difficult work and study. Besides the fact that our job was interesting and prestige, it was also very well-paid. It was especially obvious when the publishing house has passed to self-financing, and we literally felt every month own assets to increase of profitability of our enterprise: the monthly premium, 13-th salary on results of year - direct to volume of acknowledgement.

Nowadays the editor’s salary is absolutely unequal to the intellectual, psychological and physical efforts that make a person who deals with the editing process. According to my opinion the reason that young people don’t want to work in publishing houses is labor conditions. But the work of an editor is very difficult and responsible and requires knowing of theory and modern trends in economy’s development and also constant increasing of qualification.

Nowadays became popular not to correct the manuscripts but issue it in so called “author editing”. Lots of publishing houses use it very soon, but it’s not quite right. During the “Soviet years” it was a revolution if a publishing house issued a book in 9 months now a book can be issued in 1-2 months. But such a fast publishing of books results in lack of text quality, literal and Grammatik correction. In other words the correcting process 30 years ago differs drastically from the same process nowadays.

Of course I don’t want to say that during that time everything was perfect. Sometimes were published not actual books made for very narrow circle of the readers. Also we had to spend much time on social work cleaning the streets in our city. Indeed our professional life was closely connected with public life and there were more disadvantages in it than advantages.

Speaking about advantages of that life I must say all the workers of publishing hose got the tickets in the sanatoriums and health centers, free tickets on traveling around the country once a year etc. The children of the workers had rest in camps winter rest centers etc. Further more lots of publishing houses’ workers received apartments in so called editing house that was built parallel with our office building. In this case our tem formed for years and was very solidary.

What remained in nowadays? As usual every manuscript  means getting acquainted with a new author, his style, new vision of some problems etc.

From time to time our young workers show the interest to the “dull” work of an editor. The majority of these people is the students of economic faculty of Moscow universities. Indeed the publishing house “Economika” issues very interesting and even epochal books. Here come - "System problems of Russia. A way to XXI century. Strategic problems and prospects of the Russian economy", "the Russian academicians about economy", "Economists-Nobel prize winners". Perhaps, the main work of publishing house and RPA "Economika" for the last years became multivolume "the Economic encyclopedia of regions of Russia". I shall tell fairly, its first volume " Sverdlovsk region " was born long and in greater flours. This first and very volumetric edition on a modern economic situation of the large Russian region. Except for scientifically-editorial Board RPA " Economika " above this series work two editorial boards: One - publishing houses and research-and-production association "Economika", another includes directly authors, economists of this or that region of Russia to which the encyclopedic volume is devoted. It is necessary to note, that this encyclopedia is an embodiment during a life of idea of Chairman of scientifically-editorial Board of RPA "Economika", Doctor of Economics, the professor, member-correspondent of the Russian Academy of Science Felix Imiraslanovich Shamhalov. It is necessary to tell, that under his management or in his authorship in publishing house " Economika " there are many interesting book series or separate books, but " the Economic encyclopedia of regions ", I consider really as enormous work which is of great importance for the future development of the Russian economy, for acquaintance of a huge audience to the history and the future of our country.

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