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    #16
    ****continued from previous****


    8. Some have criticized the new paperback series. Some have asked why? Well, here it is in a nutshell: #1. Many people have contacted me over the years and have told me they'd love to read our books, but don't want to pay $40, $85, or $350 to do so. The paperback line serves the casual reader as well as the frugal collector who loves a great read, but doesn't have the budget for expensive hardcovers. Who doesn't love a book that's signed AND costs less than $20? #2. Additionally, it just makes sense. All businesses tweak their business models as the economy changes and shifts. It makes perfect sense for KWP to capture some of the readers who won't spend as much on their books. Some of these readers might never experience some of these authors otherwise. So, not only does it help grow KWP, it helps potentially grow the fan base of the authors, and possibly brings new readers into the genre as well. #3. It shows that KWP is not going anywhere. We are on track to release 25 paperbacks this year alone. That's in addition to our hardcovers we are working on. As our backlist gets deeper, confidence that KWP is forever should grow. We are also giving each of these paperbacks to our lifetime subscribers for free. That should make nothing but happiness all the way around.

    9. So where is KWP going from here? Well, I'll tell you. Some may applaud these steps, some may question these steps, some my hate these steps, but ultimately I will do what it is in the best interests of my collectors and my lifetime subscribers and the health of KWP in general. Here are things I am in the process of implementing or have already implemented.

    A. No more preorders. No way. No how. Back to the original business model. I will hold back a handful of copies for the latecomers, but I will no longer mention, announce, or accept money for a book until it is within 1-2 weeks of being delivered. I've already put this back in place. I have several hardcover projects in stages of production that do NOT appear on the site and have not and will not be mentioned until the printer has assured me that the books are on the way. Period.

    B. No more advance production announcements or "publication dates" on the hardcovers. Not going to do it. You'll get your books, the same as always. If you're a lifetime collector, I'll be glad to privately answer any questions. As soon as the books we have pre-announced are delivered, I will not be announcing the new hardcovers until they are almost ready to deliver. This will ensure that you don't get hopes up and disappointed if I have to reject a title. You will get your books. Should I have to reject a title that's been printed, I'll keep communication open with you and will advise you of such. I haven't left you behind yet, nor do I intend to. In the meantime, as you wait for more KWP goodness to arrive in hardcover format, you'll have plenty of KWP paperbacks to keep you company delivered to your door for free. Patience has always paid off for the KWP collector and it always will. Books like the ones we produce don't come fast and they don't come easy, but when they do come, I've yet to have a customer be disappointed in them.

    C. Better communication. This is a biggie. I've taken several steps to change this for the better. One is that I've changed email servers because too many messages to and from customers were ending up in the ether somewhere. Some communication issues have been my fault and I accept that. Even though I work a lot of hrs at my regular job, I'll be checking my emails daily. I'll respond within 24hrs. As stated before, any additional delays caused by things like rejections of shipments will be communicated clearly and early.

    This is the "nutshell" of changes I've made or am making. Not the whole picture at all. I am always working on KWP, even if it looks like I'm not.

    I'm sorry for my faults, I apologize for frustrations.

    I'm moving KWP forward and we are gaining ground. By the end of next week, my subscribers should be receiving a box of books, including the latest hardcover. Any of you with questions feel free to email me: [email protected]

    As I said before, I'm sure there are some who'll critique this word for word or otherwise try to pick things apart. That's expected. But it is what it is. It's an honest statement on the state of KWP and an accepting of my own failures as well as a plan to correct the issues.

    Anyone wanting more information can always contact me through the email address above.

    Sincerely,
    Zach Powell
    King's Way Press

    Comment


      #17
      Originally posted by St. Troy View Post
      Thanks.

      The editions of Frankenstein and Dracula in particular look very nice, although I am curious as to the dimensions of those books (not that I need to know, as they are sold out and I wouldn't have room in the budget even if they weren't).
      Thanks for the kind words. I think I may still have one of the Frankenstein signed trade editions and signed regal editions left. If interested, you can PM me and I'll arranged to send you an invoice for it. I can work you a "Welcome to KWP discount".

      Z.

      Comment


        #18
        Very thorough rundown on the happenings of KWP. Sorry to hear of some of the troubles you've experienced over the last year or so. I guess it can be easy for some of us to forget that in the small press publishing business it's more of a personal affair, and not the same as a big business and personal setbacks can affect a small company tremendously.

        Comment


          #19
          Thanks for posting, Zach.

          I was one of the dubious, sitting on the sideline with raised eyebrows over the hullabaloo. But a post like this helps a lot, and I'm much more inclined to give your press a shot based on your candor. Sometimes the undecided don't stay that way.

          Good luck in the future.
          “Reality is a nice place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live there.”
          -John Barth

          https://bugensbooks.com/

          Comment


            #20
            I will give my view on this.

            First of all I want to thank you, Zach for being willing to come onto this forum and communicating with us.

            You will always have critics of your business. On the internet you will find many of those critics are especially vitriolic as they do not have to answer to their behavior. Some of those critics will have unknown personal reasons for their attacks. Some are frustrated with some aspects of your business, paperback line, long delays, poor communication etc. For who dislike your business decisions (paperback line etc.) I would recommend discounting those. It is your business and you must do what is right for your business. For those upset about long delays, be honest with them and do what you can to make it right. I am a very patient person when it comes to books I have purchased. I have waited, and continue to wait a long time for some books. Cemetery Dance is a good example of how to handle these. With books that have been delayed a long time, they communicate to us when they have information to communicate, being careful not to establish new new expectations in the process. They learned this by making mistakes in the past. When they do not have an update to share they don't. One thing they always do is respond quickly to questions. I cannot tell you how many times Mindy has responded to me with something like 'We have no update, it is being worked on but if you are tired of waiting I can issue a refund'. I have never taken the refund, I wait and I have some nice books on my shelves for that patience. I will accept delays. I will not accept being ignored by the company I have trusted with an advance for something. I respect your decision to stop pre-orders. But while you have pre-orders out there you owe those people who have invested in you a prompt response to their questions or concerns. If you choose to have a facebook page you owe it to those trying to communicate with you through it to not ignore them because of the clutter it generates. You had an email server issue but you also had a hone and facebook and people were not able to get a response for too long from any of those. You have said you own those mistakes and have taken actions to correct them. I respect and appreciate that. I hope we are not having this conversation again in the future. I hope we are talking about how nice the books your are putting out are. You have people who want to buy your books and add them to our collection. Going forward show us that you want our business and we will be happy to provide it.

            Just my opinion.

            Thanks again for communicating with us, that is all we were looking for.

            Comment


              #21
              Pass. I tried. If I see something interesting, I'll pick it up through Camelot or on the secondary market. I do own the KW edition of Dracula and it's great, but a reputation lost, is a hard thing to regain. Best of luck in that very worthy effort.

              Comment


                #22
                Originally posted by KING'SWAYPRESS View Post
                ****continued from previous****

                .



                I'm moving KWP forward and we are gaining ground. By the end of next week, my subscribers should be receiving a box of books, including the latest hardcover. Any of you with questions feel free to email me: [email protected]

                As I said before, I'm sure there are some who'll critique this word for word or otherwise try to pick things apart. That's expected. But it is what it is. It's an honest statement on the state of KWP and an accepting of my own failures as well as a plan to correct the issues.

                Anyone wanting more information can always contact me through the email address above.

                Sincerely,
                Zach Powell
                King's Way Press
                Anyone get a box of books yet? I didn't and also didn't receive a reply to my e-mail to him asking about the books.

                Comment


                  #23
                  Originally posted by fanatic View Post
                  Anyone get a box of books yet? I didn't and also didn't receive a reply to my e-mail to him asking about the books.
                  Hi, fanatic.

                  I'm assuming you're the person who I just replied to earlier tonight after finding messages from a couple of people in my junk folder.

                  I held shipping on the last few members when I found out that the latest two titles would be in to me last week. This was so that we saved a few bucks and time on shipping. You should see the box of books which will include the two titles this coming week. I sent out a group email about 10 days ago to the few people who were affected by the delay. Sometimes our emails end up in spam folders, so you might check there for it.

                  We're on track to complete 2 books per month in 2017, and we'll likely be shipping these out every other month from here on out.

                  There's a newsletter coming out tomorrow detailing the shipping plan and much more for 2017.

                  Thank you for your patience!

                  Z.

                  Comment


                    #24
                    I thought I had a login for this site but I’ll be damned if I can find it. Anyway.

                    I received a box from Zach a couple of weeks ago. With one hard cover and a slew of paperbacks.
                    I’m thrilled Zach has included paper backs into our Hardcover Life Time Subs.

                    I know folks have had their issues with FMP \ KWP, but I have a tendency to take people at their word. When Paul said he was shutting down FMP for health reasons I was bummed for sure but I know life time subs are a gamble and I wished him the best. Just like when Shane closed Delirium for Dark Fuse because it wasn’t viable for him I was really bummed but I understood his reasons and I wish him the best as well. At lease I broke even with Delirium. Not much more, but still.

                    (In full disclosure I got my FMP Regal HC life time sub from an EBay auction paying less than original price.)

                    When Zach announced KWP and he was honoring my sub from FMP I was elated. And although it’s been slow going, I have hope for my sub, hope for KWP.

                    It’s nice getting some books every now and then when I thought all was lost long ago.

                    Currently the only thing I’m waiting on that is in stock or soon to be is
                    Rooting of Evil and the two new Watters books.

                    I look forward to the paper backs and in time more hard covers.

                    I know I’m not around much anymore as time and money go to my raising of a couple of grand kids, but to my old friends and acquaintances, I wish you all well.

                    Slim.

                    Comment


                      #25
                      Originally posted by KING'SWAYPRESS View Post
                      Hi, fanatic.

                      I'm assuming you're the person who I just replied to earlier tonight after finding messages from a couple of people in my junk folder.

                      I held shipping on the last few members when I found out that the latest two titles would be in to me last week. This was so that we saved a few bucks and time on shipping. You should see the box of books which will include the two titles this coming week. I sent out a group email about 10 days ago to the few people who were affected by the delay. Sometimes our emails end up in spam folders, so you might check there for it.

                      We're on track to complete 2 books per month in 2017, and we'll likely be shipping these out every other month from here on out.

                      There's a newsletter coming out tomorrow detailing the shipping plan and much more for 2017.

                      Thank you for your patience!

                      Z.


                      Hi Zack

                      Yes that was me. Thanks for the response. Looking forward to the new books.

                      Comment


                        #26
                        Has Cemetery Dance received their copies of Ghosts of Benevolence yet?

                        Originally posted by KING'SWAYPRESS View Post
                        Already out and shipped. If you have a sub or preorder, you'll be seeing it this week or next.

                        Comment


                          #27
                          Originally posted by Martin View Post
                          Has Cemetery Dance received their copies of Ghosts of Benevolence yet?
                          Nope.
                          CD Email: [email protected]

                          Non-Work related social media and what not:
                          Instagram

                          Buy my stuff! - https://www.etsy.com/shop/HockersWoodWorks

                          Comment


                            #28
                            Thanks, I have requested an update through Zach's Website.

                            Originally posted by Dan Hocker View Post
                            Nope.

                            Comment


                              #29
                              Originally posted by Martin View Post
                              Has Cemetery Dance received their copies of Ghosts of Benevolence yet?
                              So Dan have Ghosts of Benevolence arrived yet?

                              Comment


                                #30
                                Tracking shows they'll be there Friday, or possibly Monday.

                                Comment

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