The OpenD6 Developer unofficially mentioned that he wants to get back to OpenD6 after January.
The Septimus print problems are many. I actually wrote this response already, but the site timed out on me and I lost all I wrote. I then did so work and realized my previous post would probably have been misleading (people would think I was saying I got scammed, when that is not [I think] the case).
This goes back to before GenCon. As most of you know, Septimus was to be our big GenCon release. Bill was coming to sign books and all was working as planned. The printer repeatedly assured me that the book would be in my warehouse by the end of July.
Not long before the end of July, I was informed that there was a delay and the book might NOT be there when promised. Ouch. A bit over a week before GenCon (perhaps 2 weeks, I don't really remember), I was told that the books were finishing their print and would be shipping in like two days. This is probably like two weeks before GenCon (very end of July, beginning of August) and the books had not yet been put on the slow boat from China. Clearly, they were NOT going to be here for GenCon. I asked them to send 200 books via air, but they were going to make me pay for the airbill, which would have been many hundreds of dollars. In hindsight, this would still have saved me much money. I declined (already starting my slow boil). I then started scrambling to find a POD printing would could get me the books in about a week. A wasted a few days on that, decided Lulu was the fastest option and planned that. Alas, with DAYS before needing to leave for Indy, I found out the Lulu has set print size requirements and the layout size for the offset HC run was different from the soft cover Lulu run, so the book had to be re-layed out. I finally had the new layout done the evening before leaving for Indianapolis. There were problems transferring the file to Lulu, and I got a late start. I ended up not successfully transferring the file until I was actually at GenCon and in my hotel. To get the book there in time for Bill to sign, I had to choose and super expedited print/ship option. The cost of the print was not terrible, but the cost to expedite the printing and shipping was a real killer. In the end, I got 100 books printed and shipped in basically less than 2 days, but it cost me about $1,300 to do that. Sales at GenCon were meager, and I'm fairly certain that I barely covered the cost of the print and NONE of the cost of the booth, badges, hotel rooms, etc. GenCon got me DOWN in the dumps.
After GenCon, it was back to dealing with the books. The books were continually delayed. The agent's communications became parse and were cryptic. Apparently, the books didn't even get on a boat until AFTER GenCon was over. They were delayed first in China, then supposedly in Los Angeles (or whatever). I got an email saying the books were in port in LA, then I got an email saying they were enroute. To my warehouse? No. To United States. AFTER I was told they were in California. Weeks later, then a mail saying they were confirmed to be in the US. Then and email saying they were held up by customs, then and email saying that the books were being held in a forwarders warehouse pending the final (1/2) payment of the books. Really? Almost 2 months after GenCon and the books are finally in port, and I had not see a single one yet? I told them, not until I got a copy of the book and approved it. They argued that I waived "approvals" to get the books finished faster (faster, as in 2 months late, faster?). They told me they would send me a copy of the book, but I'd have to pay them and extra $15 or something like that for the Fedex charges (clearly we were both getting on each other's nerves, to charge me $15, after playing them almost $3k already) .... That was the straw that broke the camel's back. I refused the order, told them to take their books back. I canceled, demanded my initial payment back (have not received it -- in the process of trying to get a chargeback refund from my bank).
Anyway, the basic problem is a big business disagreement, due to delays and a loss of a big chunk of money. I'm not sure if I was in the right. But in the end, I'm tired of the whole thing. I have not talked to the printer agent in almost two months and it'll be infinitely longer before I want to talk to her again.
At this time, I have not sought out a new printer for Septimus. The sales of the pdf and the print run through both Lulu and at GenCon have been, well, underwhelming and I do not believe with the state of the industry the way it is that paying for another 1500 books up front would be fiscally responsible. Lulu offers a hardcover option, but it is too expensive to put into retail (possibly if retailers order directly from me, rather that distribution) and Lulu's shipping costs are unfairly high for non-US buyers, so I'm in a difficult place.
Additionally, a Lulu hardcover option would require yet another layout of the book. This is not a huge problem and is something I probably should have done already, but have not.
Thanks,
Eric Gibson
...the BIGGEST WEG fan!
print version of Septimus problems?
Originally Posted by Eric Gibson
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