Production Update Questions

[Brian James Freeman]

Joe is only signing one volume. So your proposal is two volumes signed by the artists, one signed by Joe, and one signed by no one. Keeping in mind, if we declared this project “done” today, Richard might have 6 months worth of projects he wants to send before it... so we would be declaring it “done” with only some of the promised signatures when all of them were still possible?


Brian

[slayn666]

So... The solution to artists being slow to fulfill their contractual obligations with CD is for CD to not fulfill their contractual obligations (such as it were) with customers.

If you don't think a fair number of customers would go absolutely nuclear if CD shipped anything without all the promised signatures, then I can only imagine you've never worked in customer service. I've seen people lose their minds over a missing signature when the author/artist died before the signature sheets could possibly be sent out.

[RonClinton]

Joe is only signing one volume. So your proposal is two volumes signed by the artists, one signed by Joe, and one signed by no one.


Brian

Ah. Yeah, that clearly wouldn’t work. Sounds like patience is the only option...hopefully 2020 will be the year.

[Martin]

I have very little to add to this conversation. The exception being that I have no issue waiting for the book to be published as CD envisioned it.

[Brian James Freeman]

Ron, my apologies if I came across at all harshly. Typing from my phone while on the go isn’t the ideal format for conversation for me!

I just wanted to add that “cutting our loses” is definitely not a concept we’re unfamiliar with, and it has happened before. For this particular project, it would just be a matter of whether doing so actually helped get the project done sooner.

This time of year, as our printers get ready to shut down for their two week holidays, etc, isn’t really the right time. If, in a few months, Richard was like, “Let’s get this to the printer this week!” Well, then changes might have to be made. But for now, there’s still the opportunity to deliver the book as planned/promised/promoted, so we’re going to try to make that happen.

Brian

[RonClinton]

No sweat, Brian, I didn’t take it that way — my skin’s not that thin and on the contrary, I appreciate you giving us a peek behind the publishing curtain to show how this all actually works, all the variables that have to work together to make a project come to fruition. Those of us who aren’t privy to some of that and aren’t knee-deep in it everyday can only muse at what might be a solution. It’s always good to understand why ideas that seem obvious on their face don’t work when practical, in-houses realities are added into the equation.

[St. Troy]

Raise your hand if you had it drummed into you to begin your schoolwork immediately with the step of...writing your name at the top of the paper. I did it countless times, and it seemed easy enough, but hey, live and learn.

[Dave1442397]

Thanks for the latest updates at https://www.cemeterydance.com/production-updates.html

It really helps to add the year to each update, and it looks like most things are moving along pretty well at this point.

[Marmaduke Grigsby]

Thanks for the latest updates at https://www.cemeterydance.com/production-updates.html

It really helps to add the year to each update, and it looks like most things are moving along pretty well at this point.

I noticed the updates as well this morning. It was nice to see that Usher's Passing will finally be getting sent to the printer sometime this year. I appreciate everything Brian, Dan and Mindy have done to steer the ship through these printer issues. I think there is light at the end of the tunnel.

[slayn666]

The signature sheets are with the very last author who needs to sign and then this one will be sent to the printer.

Shocklines: Fresh Voices in Terror edited by Richard Chizmar & Matt Schwartz & the ghost of Harlan Ellison

[One eyed cat]

Shocklines: Fresh Voices in Terror edited by Richard Chizmar & Matt Schwartz & the ghost of Harlan Ellison

don't laugh but I have had the signed limited of Shocklines on pre order since 2006. And that's not even a complaint, my TBR pile is so big this could have shipped in 2007 and there's a chance it would still be unread by me.

[Brian861]

don't laugh but I have had the signed limited of Shocklines on pre order since 2006. And that's not even a complaint, my TBR pile is so big this could have shipped in 2007 and there's a chance it would still be unread by me.

I believe I have an ARC of proof of it.

[slayn666]

I believe I have an ARC of proof of it.

I don't think there's ever been any doubt that the book is largely done. Rich's interview on The Horror Show briefly mentioned it, and it was mentioned there may be some concerns about mental health involved with the author that's sitting on the signature sheets (note: the mental health thing was definitely mentioned, however it may have been in reference to another delayed CD book).

If that is the case, and CD wants to wait to see if the situation sorts itself out, that's cool. If CD finally gets tired of waiting and prints out more signature sheets and just skips the author that's been holding everything up, that's cool, too. But I do think the paying customers are owed more than the message on the updates page, which hasn't been changed in years. I'm not saying they need to name names, I'm not even really saying they need to go into any detail about the behind-the-scenes stuff at all, but there does need to be an explanation of the plan going forward. Either "we're waiting this out, sorry guys," or, "we're printing new signature sheets, hopefully this will be out in 2021."

I mean, hell, the subtitle needs to be changed anyhow (my personal recommendation: Shocklines: The Last Dangerous Visions - Harlan isn't around to sue!), and if the original full title is on the signature pages, that's going to look weird. If that's the case, there doesn't seem to be a reason not to print up new sheets.

[Brian James Freeman]

The subtitle for SHOCKLINES has been changed. I don't know if it appears on the signature sheets, but Dan might be able to check and see if we still have the "top sheet" in the bin at the office. (We print a test copy of each signature sheet to make sure everything looks okay, and we usually keep it in a bin labeled "circulating sig sheets" until the sheets are all signed.)

Brian

[Brian James Freeman]

And yes, I want to get a better update for everyone. I know it’s been the same for a loooooonnnnggggg time. Rich touched on what is going on, so we don’t want to single someone out, but we are working on a solution. Thank you, as always, for your awesome amount of patience.

Brian