Topic: Print Preorders

[Defendi]

I just got off e-mail with Bruce, who's acting as my print rep with ICE's inhouse printer.  Evidently our test copies turned out pretty good, not quite enough room for the spine, evidently.  I'll see them next week and be able to make any cover tweaks then, and after that, we'll be good to go.

So I'm going to open preorders for books in the next few days (I'm shooting for tomorrow).  I don't have all the details yet, but barring an unforeseen printing problem, here is my plan:

Open preorders this week.  Allow all you all to order your copies.
Close preorders around the beginning of December to order copies and begin shipping.
Get them in the mail in time for Christmas.

That's all tentative right now.  I'll certainly open preorders soon, but I won't be able to actually promise Christmas until I see perfect copies. 

My store will charge you at the time of the order, not the time of shipping, just so you know. 

[Michael Petrea]

Cool.  Is this in addition or in replacement of Lulu?  This is just for Product 1 (Campaign Book and Adventure), right?  Has the final price been determined?

[Defendi]

I'll still have Lulu, I'd be silly not to, if I can get all the quality right, since RPGNow and Lulu itself are ways to tap new customer (theoretically, at least).  This will happen way quicker, though, and I make more money per copy, and I can handle my own customer service, which are all benefits.

The paperback should be around 29.99 and the hardbound under 45.  The paperback is pretty solid, the hardbound nearly so.

Yes, just the first product.

[WoeRie]

Are the preorders only for ICE or also for Lulu?
I think delivery will be far more expensive and will take much longer to ship to Germany. 

What exactly do you mean with "not so solid" hardbound? Do you still have quality issues of the print or is it the binding itself?
Will the preorder include the map pack and/or the poster map?
Is it a sinlge book for campaign and adventure or two separate books?

Questions over questions 

I'm looking forward for christmas 

[Defendi]

The preorders are just from my store.  Lulu's marketplace doesn't have a preorder feature and I'm not yet convinced I'll get around the printing issues.

Not so solid was referring to the price question, not the books themselves.

The map pack hasn't been designed yet.  The poster map is still purely theoretical.  The problem with the poster map is that it will almost certainly lose money at this point.  I'll know for better once I can compare how many sales I get in preorders compared to how many people answered polls about the print copies.

It's a single book.  The adventure slides in between chapter 8 and the Appendices.