Production Update Questions

[Martin]

So, the production updates page says updated last March 7th...but I don't see anything that was really updated but maybe the Graveyard books. So no movement on Caretakers, Flight or Fright (also, 5 years for an artist edition?), Night Shift Lettered, The Stand, and We're all in this together, the aforementioned forthcoming grab bag of 2018...Any update on that at all?
Second question, if the Night Shift Lettered is taking this long, how much longer are we going to wait for the Stand Lettered? I feel like people had expectations that The Stand would be coming this year, 'things are moving' is the sentiment I've heard, but man, if you guys haven't even finished night shift, and the responses that I've received are that you won't ship the stand until night shift is completed, we deserve some kind of time table.

I truly intend no offense here, but I have to say that with the current operations at Cemetery Dance the Production Update page is useless. I would recommend avoiding it if the wait times are bugging you. Examples: The March 2023 update lists two books (The Girl Who Builds Monsters and Seasons of Terror) as publishing in 2022 "very" likely. I am confident that this information is not correct. The latest update lists Interview with a Vampire as at the printer. The last update showed it as shipping in Mid-February. Did it get delayed again? Was the last update inaccurate? Don't know or care, my point is something changed, and nothing was communicated. It also lists Issue #78 of the magazine as shipping in late February. I have heard from others that this was pulled from the printer to remove some content. Is that true? Not sure as they have never updated the website, emailed subscribers or posted anything here. I assume it was posted to Facebook but that is just a guess as I am not in that club.
My advice would be if you are willing to wait, step back and wait. Asking for details from CD management will be met with a generic response, no response or an incorrect response. If waiting is to frustrating cancel and buy them when they are in-stock or on the secondary market.
I currently have pre-orders with Cemetery Dance dating back to 2007 (Fresh Voices in Terror) and I have decided to sit back and wait. It is unfortunate that we are here, but we are.

[Splync]

It also lists Issue #78 of the magazine as shipping in late February. I have heard from others that this was pulled from the printer to remove some content. Is that true? Not sure as they have never updated the website, emailed subscribers or posted anything here. I assume it was posted to Facebook but that is just a guess as I am not in that club.

Kevin Lucia posted about CD #78 on Facebook. It has been delayed to remove Tom Monteleone's article.

[Martin]

Kevin Lucia posted about CD #78 on Facebook. It has been delayed to remove Tom Monteleone's article.

That is what I heard. I have no issue with the decision to do that. I continue to have issue with businesses thinking that is an effective way to communicate to their customers. I am a lifetime subscriber to Cemetery Dance Magazine, I am on multiple email lists they manage, I frequent their business website and forum, yet I heard this after the fact by a third party. I know, accept that my choice to not participate in Facebook reduces my ability to purchase from some businesses that use it as their primary marketing tool. CD has moved into a strange communication methodology where they say one thing on the website and other things on Facebook. This is just another reason for me to ignore CD communication on their website. It leaves me with the impression that they post what they think will happen on the website and as things change, they update "everyone" on Facebook. It leaves me wondering if some of the other incorrect information on the website has been corrected there. The method of delivering different messages to different audiences has prompted me to ignore the message altogether as I have no faith in the message and no willingness to go compare different sites to find the accurate information. 
I have been a customer of Cemetery Dance since 1998 and hope to be one for many years to come. I am an impressionable old man and they have done a good job of "training" me to ignore their information. It may differ from other messages and may or may not be accurate. I find myself drifting further away and checking them out less often. Using the past as a predictor of future events I believe I am about two years from thinking of CD as a company I used to buy a lot of books from and not looking back. Hopefully they get their house in order before I reach that point, but I see no evidence of that at this point.

[RonClinton]

I would just really like to see my Lividian copy of Bentley LIttle's THE STORE ship from CD, a book which I bought in December and was published that same month. I understand long delays in one's own publishing for reasons, but waiting three months to just pass on a ready-to-go (or, at least, very close to it at the time of purchase) kind of strains one's patience. Hopefully it'll be on its way soon.

[Splync]

I would just really like to see my Lividian copy of Bentley LIttle's THE STORE ship from CD, a book which I bought in December and was published that same month. I understand long delays in one's own publishing for reasons, but waiting three months to just pass on a ready-to-go (or, at least, very close to it at the time of purchase) kind of strains one's patience. Hopefully it'll be on its way soon.

Yeah, that one bugs me. I have plenty of other books to hold me over, but I'm surprised it's taking this long.

[sholloman81]

I would just really like to see my Lividian copy of Bentley LIttle's THE STORE ship from CD, a book which I bought in December and was published that same month. I understand long delays in one's own publishing for reasons, but waiting three months to just pass on a ready-to-go (or, at least, very close to it at the time of purchase) kind of strains one's patience. Hopefully it'll be on its way soon.

Yeah, to be honest, this is also the reason that I never pick-up mass-market trade editions of books from CD such as the one currently offered for Stephen King's "Holly". In my personal experience and observances, I know that there is close to zero chance that I'm going to be getting it anywhere near its' release date. You can also almost always find it at a better price through other online marketplaces due to their sales and markdowns on new items. I can live with delays from CD for custom items like their slipcases and of course their limited edition books, but, it has always bugged me a bit when the mass-market items are delayed.

[RonClinton]

Yeah, to be honest, this is also the reason that I never pick-up mass-market trade editions of books from CD such as the one currently offered for Stephen King's "Holly". In my personal experience and observances, I know that there is close to zero chance that I'm going to be getting it anywhere near its' release date.

This was my first time ordering a non-CD book from CD. I did it because of the savings; I otherwise always order direct from the publisher or Camelot...never use CD or Dark Regions or ?? as middlemen for just this reason. I knew there'd be some delay, just surprised it's this long, as they can't have that many to ship and it's now been three months. I continue to hope it'll ship soon.

[sholloman81]

Any updates on the Billy Summers slipcase?

[saginawhorror]

I see the store is starting to ship. Hopefully mine will ship soon.

[joejets]

I have three books shipping to me, including Usher's Passing lettered, and the Overlook 2023 King calendar book (year almost 1/3 over!), all 3 have labels and await shipping, the calendar book since 3/28. Wonder what the hold-up is?

[sholloman81]

Any updates on the Billy Summers slipcase? (Wanted to repost this since my 04/03 post hasn't been responded to yet, afraid it may get lost among the newer posts, thanks!)

[Dave1442397]

I just saw the latest Production Updates page - https://www.cemeterydance.com/production-updates.html

That's much better! Now we have dates attached to each book update, so we can tell when the status changed.
Thanks DanFranklin  for your input in getting these changes pushed through. 

[Martin]

I just saw the latest Production Updates page - https://www.cemeterydance.com/production-updates.html

That's much better! Now we have dates attached to each book update, so we can tell when the status changed.
Thanks DanFranklin  for your input in getting these changes pushed through. 

Thank you for pointing this update out. I took a look at it and it is greatly improved. I do have a few suggestions from a useability standpoint. Not all titles have links to the product page. The link is useful for people like me who do not have all the title details committed to memory and want to make sure what book the update is about. My second suggestion is to please avoid using acronyms. Multiple books state ' Planned to print with the rest of the FGB', I have no idea what that is. I actually went to look at one of the books 'In The Porches of My Ears' to try and figure it out and there is no link. I then noticed that 'Suffer The Children' had the same statement and a link. The description of the book also does not explain 'FGB'. My last suggestion is book specific. 'The Stand' update states 'We are finishing up the slipcase/traycase design. We are scheduled to produce it this autumn.' Does that statement mean that the book will be ready to ship in Autumn or that you will begin production of the cases at that time? If, as I suspect, the cases will begin production in the autumn, then the autumn date is just a milestone in production, as a customer I am looking for a shipping estimate rather than an estimate of a milestone. 

I want to sincerely thank the people updating the production update page. It is an important tool for your customers!

[Dave1442397]

Multiple books state ' Planned to print with the rest of the FGB', I have no idea what that is. I actually went to look at one of the books 'In The Porches of My Ears' to try and figure it out and there is no link. I then noticed that 'Suffer The Children' had the same statement and a link. The description of the book also does not explain 'FGB'.

It took me a few minutes to figure out FGB, but it's "Forthcoming Grab Bag", which was offered to the CD book club in 2018.

 

[Martin]

It took me a few minutes to figure out FGB, but it's "Forthcoming Grab Bag", which was offered to the CD book club in 2018.

 

Thank you. The chances of me figuring that out is exactly 0%. Guess I should check my pre-orders and see if I ordered it.