Everybody is feeling the strain. Richard, isolated in Scotland pumping out text, is frustrated because he can't see what is going on in London. The team are noses to the wall, or is it backs to the grindstone? Any extra demand feels like that straw which breaks the camel's back. How many more straws?

The publishing industry today focuses on the back end (authors, ideas) and the front end (marketing, PR). The guys in the middle, craftsmen doing the construction and detailing, are the ones that get the pressure both ways. Jake splits a day between consoling a designer in the cafeteria, and rebuilding the morale of an editor in Embankment Gardens. He feels he hasn't spent any time on "the Book". In fact, of course, he has, because holding a team together is essential, but every minute spent away from the pages at this point feels like another minute wasted.