Today, we say goodbye to one of our wonderful journals coordinators, Vincent Rubertone. A man of many talents, we’ve been greatly blessed by his sense of humor, efficiency, innovation, and killer muffins. While we are sad to see him go, we are very excited to see what he has in store for his next adventure! Before he starts his new journey, we asked him a few questions about his time working at the Press.
What surprised you the most about academic publishing and journals?
I was surprised at how comfortably publishing blended creativity with a production mentality. A single day can involve tasks as straightforward as organizing reference shelves and as open-ended as brainstorming how to streamline the publishing process. This industry seems ideal for detail-oriented, creative types. In other words, get the folks at CUA Press to concoct and plan your next themed party. Also, everyone loves books around here! What luck!
What are you most proud of accomplishing in your time here?
One of my projects was to revamp InDesign templates for journal covers. It brought back some favorite memories for me. In high school, I used InDesign as editor of the school newspaper. Later in college, I worked as a research assistant, which involved reading through quite a few journals that CUA Press handles. It was a treat to have those separate experiences come together on this project. Those were important parts of my life, so I know that younger-me would think present-me is pretty neat. Having a hand in the production of those journals, even in a small way, is what I’m most proud of doing at CUA Press.
If you could give one piece of advice to your past self who just got hired to CUAP, what would it be?
Your boss, along with everyone else in the office/world, enjoys sports. Although you do not, you should definitely not, on your first day, within the first hour of showing up, declare “I hate sports” as you did. Also, in the midst of the World Cup, you should not ask your British boss how often the World Cup is held. (In the Wikipedia entry for England, “football” appears 24 times. Compare that to the United States which mentions “soccer” 3 times and “American football” 13). Rather, it would have been much more professional and beneficial to say something benign, such as “Did you catch that game yesterday?” or “So, Brady, huh?”
Thank you, Vincent, for all your hard work! You will be in our prayers as you embark on your next adventure.